The Western Hockey League Prospects Draft will have a new look next week. The first round is set for Wednesday, coinciding with the expansion draft for the league's newest team, the Penticton Vees. Rounds two through to the end of the draft will follow on Thursday, alongside the U.S. Priority Draft. Despite the signifi...

Riley Stadel always knew his hockey career would come to an end - just not this soon. Now 29, the Kelowna Rockets alumnus and Surrey, B.C. native made it official on April 15, announcing his retirement from professional hockey in a heartfelt Instagram post. "That's all she wrote, I have made the decision to retire...

Dan Bylsma's dismissal as head coach of the Seattle Kraken comes with an intriguing backstory. In the winter of 2015, the 54-year-old spent a few days with the Kelowna Rockets as a guest coach. At the time, he was in between jobs after being let go by the Pittsburgh Penguins in June 2014, though he remained on their pa...

Six former Rockets will represent five different NHL teams, so the Kelowna Rockets will be well represented in the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Playoffs. Leon Draisaitl is back in the playoffs with the Edmonton Oilers, as is Jamie Benn with his Dallas Stars. Josh Morrissey and Luke Schenn will suit up for the W...

While the 2024-25 season on the ice was a challenging one for the Kelowna Rockets, with just 18 wins and only three coming after January 10th, there were bright spots - especially for three players eyeing the 2025 NHL Draft. Forwards Hayden Paupanekis, Dawson Gerwing, and defenseman Will Sharpe all saw their draft stoc...

Kelowna Rockets press release: The Western Hockey League announced today that the Kelowna Rockets have been granted the third pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft following the completion of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft Lottery. The Rockets also hold the 20th overall pick, which was acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in ...

It isn't urgent, but it's definitely something the Kelowna Rockets will address this summer. At the moment, the hockey club has bigger priorities, like making moves, by trading draft picks at the WHL Prospects Draft, before zeroing in on a new head coach. With the Western Hockey League draft lottery on Thursday, that...

The Kelowna Rockets are missing out on playing meaningful games this spring. While they fought for the eighth and final playoff spot late in the season, there's a big difference between those "do or die" games and the actual intensity of playoff hockey. The pressure is higher, and the stakes are much greater....

The Kelowna Rockets had little in the way of luck this season. Season-ending injuries to leading goal scorer Tij Iginla, captain Max Graham, and Michael Cicek, who was having a career year until a freak play saw a skate blade slit his forearm, made it a challenging season for the Rockets. With only 18 wins, they finis...

The owner of the Vernon Vipers is praising the Penticton Vees for their move to the Western Hockey League. John Glen, speaking from his home in snowy St. Albert, Alberta, shared with RocketFAN, "It's a smart business move for them." The Vees were granted an expansion franchise by the WHL on Monday. They wil...

At the start of the season, Nate Corbet might have pictured himself as a leader in penalty minutes for the Western Hockey League. What he didn't foresee, however, was being named the Kelowna Rockets Defenseman of the Year. The 19-year-old, known for his tough play, received the honor at Tuesday's year-end awards cerem...

After 18 years of being a thorn in the side of the Western Hockey League to acquire top junior players, the premiere franchise in the BCHL based in Penticton is now the league's newest expansion team. The Penticton Vees, located in the south Okanagan just a 40-minute drive from Kelowna, will begin play in the 2025-202...

It wasn't supposed to end this quickly. The Kelowna Rockets were supposed to take the next step in pursuing an Ed Chynoweth Cup, a championship the team hasn't claimed since the 2015 season. Sports, like life, are unpredictable. Instead of gearing up for a long playoff run this spring, the Rockets now find themselves...

The 2024-2025 season was put to bed with a loss in Langley:

The Kelowna Rockets snapped a 14-game home-ice winless streak.

Where would the Kelowna Rockets be this season if Tij Iginla had been healthy? It's difficult to argue that a playoff spot wouldn't have been within reach, even in the worst-case scenario, despite the departures of Andrew Cristall, Caden Price, and Marek Rocak at the trade deadline. Would Iginla have been the differe...

So much good in 14th consecutive home loss.

It's hard not to root for Eli Barrett. The 16-year-old prospect of the Kelowna Rockets, who will turn 17 on April 11th, has given his all to his junior team this season. Rather than sulking or complaining about not making the team in his first full season of junior eligibility, the articulate Surrey, B.C. native roll...