Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets open their 21st season in the WHL tonight with a date in Everett against the Silvertips. The Rockets are celebrating their 17th season in Kelowna after spending five years in Tacoma, Washington. This is one of two stops in Everett this season. The Rockets make a return visit on January 15th. The Tips make two stops at Prospera Place on January 18th and March 14th. These two teams met four times last season with the Rockets sporting a 4 and 0 record. While the Rockets out-scored the Tips 15-8 in the seasonal series, three of the four games were decided by a single goal. After tonight’s game, the Rockets home opener is next Saturday October 1st against Vancouver before hosting the Tri City Americans on October 5th. Three of the teams first five games are against teams based in the U.S Division.
I have a bad memory: The Rockets won their 3rd BC Divisional regular season title last season after accumulating a record of 43-28-0-1. The Rockets finished 12 points ahead of the Vancouver Giants for the division title. The Rockets allowed the second fewest goals against in the Western Conference last season (201). Only Spokane allowed fewer with 193. With 22 road wins, only Saskatoon (24) and Portland (24) had more victories on opposition ice. Seventeen year-old Shane McColgan led the team in scoring 21+45=66. Goaltender Adam Brown was named the MVP. The Rockets were eliminated in six games in the second round of the WHL playoffs by the Portland Winterhawks.
Pre-season Success: The Rockets were 6 and 0 in pre-season, out-scoring their opponents 24-14. Sixteen year-old Tyson Baillie led the team in scoring with 3+6=9 in six pre-season games. Twenty year-old Cody Chikie had 2+4=6 in six games. Sixteen year-old defenceman Jesse Lees led the team in plus/minus with a +4.
Leaving the nest: The Rockets are without three of their top four point producers from last season. Geordie Wudrick (43+16=59) went pro with a team in Germany while Tyson Barrie (11+47=58) moved on to the Colorado Avalanche organization. Mitchell Callahan (23+31=54) has likely graduated to the pro’s with the Detroit Red Wings while Evan Bloodoff (22+22=44), who was seventh in scoring, graduated after five years in the WHL. Defenceman Zak Stebner also moved on at the end of the season and is playing with the Saskatchewan Huskies (CIS). Andreas Stene and Gal Koren were released this summer after filling both Import duties with the team.
Who’s Hot: Rookie Tyson Baillie registered a point in all six games he played in pre-season. Baillie is a third round bantam pick of the Rockets from 2010. Baillie, rookie Austin Ferguson and second year forward Colton Heffley led the team in goals in pre-season with three. All three of Ferguson’s goals came in three of the final four pre-season games. Jordon Cooke played in five of the six games, posting a goals against average of 2.30 and a save percentage of .930.
This and That: The Rockets acquired 18 year-old Myles Bell from the Regina Pats Thursday for 19 year-old Colton Jobke, a 2nd round pick and 5th rounder….Adam Brown enters tonight’s game with 85 wins. Brown is the franchise leader in that category…Second year forward Jason Siebert will miss the first half of this season after his broken wrist didn’t heal properly. Siebert missed the final 48 regular season games and the playoffs last season. The Abbotsford product was the team’s first overall pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft….The Rockets are playing their 1441st regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Vancouver on October 20th…The Rockets have 19 players on their roster that have been selected in the WHL draft. Only MacKenzie Johnston, Kevin Smith, Cody Chikie, Adam Brown, Filip Vasko, Mitchell Chapman and Colton Sissons were either acquired in trade or listed…Seven of the Rockets first twelve games are on the road…Ten of the Rockets first 15 games are against BC Division rivals…Four-16 year-old players have made this year’s team. Austin Ferguson is joined by Tyson Ballie, Jesse Lees and Madison Bowey…Overall the Rockets are icing eight rookies this season….The American flavor on this year’s team includes Adam Brown from Yorba Linda, California and Colten (Cole) Martin from Arlington Texas…The Rockets are rated as the 7th best team in the CHL heading into this season by a panel of NHL scouts…The Rockets acquired 17-year-old Penticton native Carter Rigby from the Prince George Cougars on September 3rd. The Rockets acquired Rigby ('94) along with a conditional sixth round WHL bantam draft pick in exchange for a third round bantam draft pick in 2012.
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