Does Bell replace Barrie?

Did the Kelowna Rockets fill the void left by Tyson Barrie?


You would be hard pressed to find a d-man who is that creative offensively, but acquiring 18 year-old Myles Bell from the Regina Pats is a step in the right direction.


The Rockets gave up a lot in the deal, or did they? Nineteen year-old Colton Jobke is now a Regina Pat and the trade also involves a second and 5th round pick.


The belief is Bell could play his 18th, 19th and overage season with the Rockets, so in a best case scenario they obtain a three year player.
Draft picks are valuable no question, but they are still access to prospects that could or could not develop into top end WHL players.
Bell is a top end WHL player.
Bell has a heavy shot, makes a quick first pass and can play physical.
The Pats didn't miss when they made Bell a first round pick in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.
Bell, who is from Calgary, was taken four players after the Rockets selected Shane McColgan 13th.
Last season, Bell played in 66 regular season games and put up 45 points...13 fewer than Barrie. Bell scored 14 times.
I found it interesting that Barrie had 52 points as an 17 year-old while Bell, who just turned 18 in August, recorded 45 points in about the same number of games.
The kid can play.
Wearing sweater #29, Myles Bell will practice with his new team this afternoon and will be in the lineup Saturday against the Everett Silvertips.

Rockets acquire Bell

Myles Bell is a Kelowna Rocket!

Bell was acquired this morning from the Regina Pats for 19 year-old Colton Jobke, a 2nd round pick and a 5th rounder.

Bell will wear #29 when he makes his Rockets debut Saturday night in Everett.

More on the trade in about an hour.

Rockets building through the draft

How the Rockets were built:

1^st Rd: Lees, Siebert, McColgan

2^nd Rd: Bowey, Heffley, Franko, Main

3^rd Rd: Baillie, Martin

4^th Rd: Cooke, Adolph

5^th Rd: Goulbourne

6^th Rd: Astles

7^th Rd: Moar

8^th Rd: None

9^th Rd: Severson

10^th Rd: Jobke, Ferguson

11^th Rd: Bulmer

Listed: Chikie,Brown, Johnston, Chapman

Trade: Sissons, Smith, Rigby,

CHL Import Draft: Vasko

Things that make me go hmm.....

• Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton has a few busy days ahead of him. Hamilton will represent the WHL as the Moose Jaw Warriors play their first regular season home game Thursday in a brand new building. Two night's later he is headed off to Victoria for the Royals home opener Saturday night. Add it all up and Hamilton will be unable to watch his own team open the new season in Everett this weekend.
• The Rockets could be short staffed on defense this weekend if Madison Bowey and Kevin Smith are unable to play. Bowey played in just three of six pre-season games after suffering a knee injury and Smith was the recipient of a knee in a game against the Vancouver Giants Saturday night. No pressure on rookies Jesse Lees and Colten Martin in game one.
  
• The Rockets will start the season with four-16 year-old's. The last time the team had that number or more was back in 2006-07 when Tyler Myers, Riley McIntosh, Dylan Hood, Brandon McMillan and Evan Bloodoff were cutting their teeth at 16. That season's youth movement saw the Rockets win just 22 games and miss the playoffs for the only time in franchise history. Hood made the team as a listed player while the other four were all bantam picks from 2005.
  
• Just to bring things into perspective, those five-16 year-old's played a lot in 2006-07. Myers played 59 games while McMillan played 55. Dylan Hood played 47 games while Riley McIntosh dressed for 42 games in his rookie season. Evan Bloodoff, who started that season as a 15 year-old, dressed in 59 games.
  
• Be gentle on the young defenceman on the Rockets blue line this season. The learning curve is immense and their errors are often easier to identify than the miscues by the forwards. Remember, Tyler Myers was a -21 in his first season of junior hockey.
• Producing offensively as a 16 year-old doesn't come easy at the WHL level. Here are a few examples of Rockets alumni that have had success at that tender age: Tyson Barrie had 43 points while Rory McDade had 38 points including an impressive 15 goals. Mike Card had 29 points as a 16 year-old defenceman while Kiel McLeod had 12 goals and 27 points, also at 16.
• Roster's have yet to be finalized, but it is safe to say the Rockets will ice one of the youngest teams in the WHL this season.
  
• Sixteen year-old's rarely score in their first WHL game. The last 16 year-old I can remember scoring a goal in a Rockets uniform was Kyle St. Denis, when he was called up from the Vernon Vipers. Shane McColgan scored in his first WHL game, but he was just 15. The goal came in Edmonton.
  
• Who takes the first 'hit to the head' penalty? Eighteen year-old Jessey Astles was the only Rockets player to take such a penalty during the pre-season. He was accessed a double minor.
• 17. That is the number of players on the Rockets roster selected in the WHL bantam draft by Lorne Frey.
• Colton Sissons, Adam Brown, Carter Rigby, Mitchell Chapman, Cody Chikie, MacKenzie Johnston and Kevin Smith were all acquired through trade or listed. Filip Vasko was a selection in the CHL Import draft.
  
• I am excited to be headed to Everett for the season opener. Great building, solid fan base and a great set up for the visiting team. Love the national anthem singer and the dance for your dinner promotion really works there because the fans let go of their inhibitions and let loose. The cruise down the I-5 with a stop at the outlet store is on the agenda.
  
• Am I the only one that thinks Tyler Maxwell will score 50 goals this season? The Tips forward had 41 last season as a 19 year-old on a team that struggled in the offensive zone. Something tells me Maxwell won't be celebrating that 50th goal in a Tips uniform though.
• The five BC Division broadcasters are joining Dan Russell for our regular round-table WHL preview show Wednesday night. It is a chance for us broadcasters to talk about how great our teams are, how they have no flaws and the fans should be ready for a Memorial Cup run. Then Russell asks all of us to give our prediction on who will win the BC Division title. We tend to all cower and suggest anybody but the team we broadcast for will win the division. Saying the team you follow will win it all is bad karma.
  
• For the record, the team I usually predict finishing first often fades in the standings. One year I picked Kamloops, only for the Blazers to miss the playoffs. I thought Chilliwack had what it took to win it all one year and they tanked. Who will be my next victim? Find out during Dan Russell's Sportstalk, heard Monday through Sunday on AM 1150 between 9 pm and midnight.
  

The Zach attack returns

Kelowna Rockets player profile with Zach Franko.

I've got questions

• Can the Rockets avoiding another terrible start? Winning just four of their first 14 regular season games one year ago had many on this blog calling for the coaches head. Ridiculous, but true. Had they even played .500 hockey during that stretch they would have had a shot at a 50 win season. Instead they ended up with a solid 43 victories, which claimed a BC Division title.
• Can the Rockets be a better home team this season? The Rockets earned more points on the road (44 pts) than they did on home ice last season (43 pts). Six of the teams first eight home games last season were losses.
  
• Never mind the home record, can they be equally as good on the road? A 22 win season on opposition nice last season was awfully impressive. On more nights than not the Rockets goaltending was lights out in front of a hostile crowd. Adam Brown, in particular, was often named a game star. The Rockets tied Red Deer for the league low in goals allowed on opposition ice (93).
• Who scores? The Rockets return just one of their top four point producers from one season ago. Geordie Wudrick's 43 goals are gone. So are Tyson Barrie's 58 points. Mitchell Callahan's 23 goals and 54 points are likely dust as the 20 year-old plays pro hockey this season. Only leading scorer Shane McColgan is back (21G and 66 points) among the top four. In total, the Rockets lose 215 points from last season with the departure of Wudrick, Barrie, Callahan and Evan Bloodoff.
• Can the coaches keep Adam Brown and Jordon Cooke happy? Brown was the workhorse while Cooke awaited the occasional start. This season Cooke wants to play instead of being an innocent bystander. Cooke has his work cut out for him as he attempts to earn more starts in front of last years team MVP.
• Can rookie Tyson Baillie be an offensive threat during the regular season? The still 15 year-old (doesn't turn 16 until Nov) led the team in scoring in pre-season, but it would be asking a little much for him to be a point a game player against the league's elite. But if Baillie could register close to 40 points, the Fort Saskatchewan product would exceed expectations. You have to remember Colton Sissons had 41 points in his rookie campaign, which included 17 goals.
  
• How steep will the learning curve be for rookie defenceman Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Tanner Moar? Two of those three are just 16 year-old and newcomer Cole Martin is just 17. With four of seven rookie defenceman in the lineup, the forwards are going to be required to offer a helping hand in their own zone and the goaltenders will have to make a few more saves as these new faces find their footing.
  
• I have no science for this, but every year I like to project that a player will earn ten more goals than he scored the year previous. So if that theory, or lack of theory holds true, Shane McColgan should score 31 goals this season, Zach Franko should have 32 goals and Brett Bulmer should respond 28 times. Throw in Colton Sissons with 27 and Cody Chikie with 23 and the Rockets should be causing heart palpitations for opponents in the offensive zone.
  
• Cody Chikie must be large, not occasionally, but every night. As a 20 year-old, Chikie has to make an impact every time he steps on the ice. Small with good skating ability, Chikie has to draw the attention of the oppositions top defensive pairing. His 13 goals last season just isn't enough in that valued overage forward spot.
• Can import Filip Vasko make an immediate impact? It was only pre-season but Vasko (1+4=5) produced and showed he wanted to get involved. Vasko needs just 19 points - 3 goals and 16 assists - to surpass the miserable totals that European's Andreas Stene and Gal Koren put up in a combined 91 regular season games one year ago.
  

Who becomes captain?

Rockets perfect in pre-season

The Kelowna Rockets were perfect in pre-season.
Tyson Baillie scored the game winner in the shootout Saturday night, leading the Rockets to a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Giants.
Jordon Cooke made 36 saves in the win as the Rockets went 6 and 0 in exhibition.
Tanner Moar scored the Rockets lone goal in regulation time.

Notes:

• Colton Sissons and Carter Rigby did not play, leaving the Rockets with only 15 skaters and two goalies.


• With Sissons sitting out, Spencer Main was the captain. In all four games Sissons played, the 17 year-old was given the 'C'.


• Sixteen year-old Tyson Baillie led the team in pre-season scoring with nine points.


• Sixteen year-old Jesse Lees led the Rockets in plus-minus with a +4.


• Mitchell Chapman and Tyrell Goulbourne led the team in penalty minutes with 14 apiece.


• The Rockets scored 24 goals in six pre-season games or four goals per game.


• The Rockets never trailed after 40 minutes in all six games.


• The Rockets opened the scoring in five of the six games.


• The regular season begins a week from tonight in Everett. AM 1150 will have that game starting at 6:30.

Rockets now 5 and 0

Colton Sissons, Filip Vasko and Austin Ferguson scored in the Kelowna Rockets 3-2 win in Victoria Friday night.
Jordon Cooke went the distance in goal as the Rockets improved to 5 and 0 in pre-season.
Sixteen year-old Tyson Baillie earned an assist, extending his exhibition point streak to five games.
Carter Rigby and Mitchell Chapman were involved in third period scraps.
The Rockets are in Vancouver tomorrow night to wrap up the pre-season.

Meet the Rockets American defenceman

While his name his Colten Martin, but he goes by 'Cole'. The American born player is another new face on the Rockets defensive core this season.

Who's that?

That is pic of Dylan Hood with the Boston Bruins. Hood received a tryout with the team in August.
Nice to see the Rockets alumnus getting a look at an NHL camp.

Adam Brown looking good in Oilers jersey

Adam Brown was in Edmonton Oiler colours Tuesday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Brown watched from the bench as Tyler Bunz made 24 saves leading the Oilers to a 2-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

Madison Bowey Player Profile