Kelowna Rockets-Calgary Hitmen Connections

• Kelowna Rockets forward Ian Duval should know something about the Calgary Hitmen. Duval played with the franchise for 125 games before being traded to Moose Jaw earlier this season. Duval collected 88 points in those 125 regular season games with the Hitmen, helping them to the Eastern Conference final last season before losing out to Lethbridge.
• Duval's only career hat trick came as a member of the Hitmen. Duval scored three times October 27/07 against the then expansion Edmonton Oil Kings.
• Duval will be celebrating a birthday in this series. Duval will turn 21 on May 7th, which is game five of this series. Teammate Lucas Bloodoff will turn 20 on May 5th, which is the day between games three and four in Kelowna.
• The two starting goaltenders in this series have something in common. The Rockets Mark Guggenberger and Hitmen netminder Martin Jones share the same birth date. Guggenberger was born January 10,1989 while Jones was born January 10, 1990.
• Rockets defenseman Tysen Dowzak also blows out the candles on the same day as Hitmen forward Brandon Kozun. Both celebrate birthdays on March 8th.
• Hitmen head coach Dave Lowry and Rockets assistant coach Jeff Finley played for the same NHL organization. Both are alumni of the St. Louis Blues. Lowry played five seasons with the Blues from 1988 until 1993. Finley played 6 seasons with the Blues from 1998 until 2004.
• Name the two first round NHL draft picks of the Calgary Flames that have played for the Kelowna Rockets? Mikael Backlund was selected by the Flames in 2007 and Chuck Kobasew was picked in the opening round in 2001. Backlund was selected 24th overall while Kobasew was picked 14th overall.
• Name the two members of the Kelowna Rockets that have been to a Western Hockey League championship series? Both are coaches. Head coach Ryan Huska won 3 WHL titles as a player with the Kamloops Blazers, while assistant Ryan Cuthbert won a league title as the captain of the Rockets in 2003.
• What two players in this series - one from each team - were involved in a Western Hockey League trade together? Rockets forward Kyle St. Denis and Hitmen forward Jason MacDonald were part of a six player deal when the Regina Pats dealt them to Kelowna for Kirt Hill, Kaspars Sauletis and Troy Ofukany. The Rockets also picked up Justin Bernhardt in that deal.
• MacDonald played just 40 games in a Rockets uniform. MacDonald scored just two goals with the Rockets, against Chilliwack and Portland.
• Kim Sylvester is the office/store manager for the Kelowna Rockets. Big deal you say? Well she is also the mother of Calgary Hitmen rookie forward Cody Sylvester. Cody is a 8th round bantam pick of the Hitmen from 2007.
• Rockets forward Cody Almond and the Hitmen's Carson McMillan could be teammates in the near future. The two are draft picks of the NHL's Minnesota Wild. Almond was drafted in the 5th round in 2007 while McMillan was selected in that same draft in the 7th round. Oddly enough the Wild signed both players to pro deals recently.
• The Phoenix Coyotes also have two players participating in the WHL final. The Coyotes hold the rights to Rockets forward Colin Long and to Hitmen rear guard Michael Stone.