Game notes vs. Americans

Eric Comrie

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play game two of a five game home stand against the Tri City Americans.  This is the 4^th and final meeting of the season between the two teams’. The Rockets are 2-1-0-0, with wins of 4-0 (Oct 22) and 4-1 (Nov 26^th) and a 5-2 setback in Tri City (Oct 18^th). This also marks the final appearance of 19 year-old Americans goaltender Eric Comrie at Prospera Place. Comrie, who is signed by the Winnipeg Jets, joined Rockets defencemen Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey on Team Canada’s entry at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Surprisingly, Comrie is 0-2-0-0 with one relief appearance in Kelowna in his four year career. Comrie did not play a regular season game in Kelowna last season. The Rockets are coming off a 5-3 home ice loss Saturday to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. Leon Daisaitl, Madison Bowey and Justin Kirkland scored in the loss. The Tigers scored back-to-back shorthanded goals 61 seconds apart in the win, snapping the Rockets four game winning streak. Following tonight’s game the Rockets host Seattle Friday and then have a week off before returning to action Friday January 23^rd and 24^th against the visiting Everett Silvertips for a rare double header between the two teams’. The Rockets don’t return to the road until January 27^th when they make their second and final visit to Red Deer before making stops in Edmonton, Lethbridge, Calgary and Kootenay to end the teams’ final extended road trip of the season.         

This and That: Rockets Assistant Coach Kris Mallette has the bragging rights over this current NHL player and former Canuck, having been drafted well before him in the 1997 NHL draft. The answer at the bottom of ‘This and That’….Who will score the Kelowna Rockets 5 thousandth goal? The team, since re-locating from Tacoma to Kelowna, has scored 4 thousand 990 goals….The Rockets have 768 regular season wins in Kelowna dating back to the start of the 1995-96 season….The Rockets were 36-5-0-2 after 43 games last season. This season the team is 33-7-3-0 after 43 games…The Rockets this season has taken 369 fewer shots after 43 games than a year ago. That averages out to 9 fewer shots on the visitors net per game…The team has allowed 79 fewer shots on net at the same time last year…Rourke Chartier is one point shy of his career high of 58 points set last season…Chartier has just one goal in his last five games…Justin Kirkland is two goals shy of his career high 17 he scored last season...The opposition has opened the scoring in four of the last six games…Rodney Southam has more point this season in 26 games than he had in 63 games with the Tri City Americans over three seasons…The Rockets played 11 games without Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey. The Rockets were 9-2-0-0 in those 11 games.…Gage Quinney has 4+3=7 in 10 games with the Rockets… The Rockets have played in 11-one goal games this season. The team is 7-2-0-2 in those games. The two-one goal losses in regulation time came against the Portland Winterhawks and Prince George Cougars…Tyson Baillie set a new career high with his 27^th goal of the season Wednesday night. Baillie has 85 career goals and is 15 points shy of 200 for his career…The Rockets won their 30^th game January 2nd; marking the 14^th time in the last 15 seasons the franchise has achieved that mark. The only blemish over that stretch was a 22 win season in 2006-2007, the only time they have failed to make the playoffs….The Rockets are 40-8-1-1 in the last two seasons against teams in the BC Division…Nick Merkley will represent the WHL at the Top Prospects game later this month in St. Catharine’s Ontario….The Rockets have not been shut-out in 119 consecutive games. The last time the Rockets were held without a goal was March 3, 2013 in a 3-0 loss in Kamloops…Defenceman Riley Stadel turns 19 on Friday….Rockets Head Coach Dan Lambert (Jan 12th) and Assistant Coach Travis Crickard (Jan 11^th) blew out candles a few days ago. Assistant Kris Mallette gets his ‘party started’ on January 19^th…Kris Mallette was taken in the 3^rd round of the 1997 NHL draft by Philadelphia, three rounds ahead of Matt Cooke, who has played one thousand 36 games in the NHL with Vancouver, Washington, Pittsburgh and the Minnesota Wild. Cooke was taken in the 6^th round by the Canucks in 1997.       

Three Star Balloting:

Player:                          1^st Star    2^nd Star   3^rd Star   Total 

Jackson Whistle:             7              4              2            13

Rourke Chartier:              5              4              2            11

Nick Merkley:                   5              2              4            11

Tyson Baillie:                   1              5              2             8

Madison Bowey:              2              2              3             7

*Other first star winners are: Leon Draisaitl, Tyrell Goulbourne and Cole Martin.

                                                                                 

Who’s Hot: Leon Draisaitl has goals in three straight games…Tyson Baillie has 6+4=10 in his last 9 games….Rourke Chartier has 4+2=6 in his last 7 games…Chartier has points in 12 of his last 15 games…Cole Martin has 11 assists in his last 11 games…Justin Kirkland has 6+9=15 in his last 10 games…Rourke Chartier has 12 more goals (36) than he had all of last season. Chartier has goals in 19 of his last 26 games….Nick Merkley has 9+28=37 in his last 27 games. 

Walking wounded: 

Rockets week includes pivotal practice time

Chance Braid - Shoot the Breeze Photo

• A few WHL fans outside the Okanagan will be chuckling over the Kelowna Rockets 5-3 loss Saturday night to the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers. It marked the debut of Josh Morrissey and Chance Braid and featured the first time the Rockets had essentially all the players on their roster on the ice following the conclusion of the trade deadline. While it may look good on paper, chemistry has yet to be found and line juggling is common place with three news faces (Draisatli, Braid, Morrissey). Head Coach Dan Lambert and his coaching staff are attempting to find out what works and what doesn't and that traditionally takes more than one or two games to iron out.  
• Do you need proof that it takes time to form chemistry when new faces are added to the line up? Look back to 2009 when the Rockets acquired Mikael Backlund, Ian Duval and Ryley Grantham. The Rockets managed a 3-2 win over Tri City in the first game with those three wearing Kelowna Rockets colours. They had to score three-third period goals to escape with the win. The Rockets would then go into Prince George and would lose back-to-back games and would lose another two after that - one in overtime - before finally coming together as a group. The most important aspect of the 2009 team was the way they finished the season with eight consecutive wins.  
• Not like 19 year-old defenceman Josh Morrissey needs defending, but his -3 rating Saturday night can be misleading. Morrissey was on the ice for one of the Tigers shorthanded goals that frankly would normally be stopped by goaltender Jackson Whistle. Morrissey was again on the ice when the Tigers scored into an empty net.
• The Rockets surrendered two shorthanded goals Saturday night in a 5-3 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers. When was the last time that happened? Not that along ago actually. The Rockets surrendered two shorthanded goals in a 3-1 home ice loss to the Regina Pats on November 29th.  
• The guy pictured to the right is 20 year-old Chance Braid. Braid was acquired from the Prince George Cougars just prior to the conclusion of the trade deadline. Not only does Braid fill the final overage spot left vacant by Colton Heffley, the feisty forward provides additional toughness. A similar move was made in 2009 and 2004 when the team acquired Ryley Grantham (09) and D.J Kings (04). Braid is a tough customer with 11 fighting majors last season and 29 over his career. While he had a quiet night in his debut Saturday, look for Braid to make an impact if opposing teams take liberties on the Rockets skilled players.  
• Josh Morrissey wore sweater #7 for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. The Winnipeg Jets first round pick wore sweater #10 with the PA Raiders. In Kelowna, Morrissey wears sweater #27. Is he fine with that? He told me he's a fan of hall of fame defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who wore #27  over his 12 hundred 63 games in his NHL career.
•  How good was that ceremony Saturday night before the game? With the largest crowd of the season on hand (6362 hundred) Bruce Hamilton, Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey were honoured for helping Canada win gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships. The response from the crowd with a standing ovation made my hair stand up on my neck. It was also impressive to see a standing room only crowd at the north end of the ice. It really felt like playoff hockey.      
• Happy Birthday to Kelowna Rockets head coach Dan Lambert. Lambo is 45 today. 
• No 'hockey hangover' for Madison Bowey. The 19 year-old captain had a goal and collected two assists in his first game back after the World Junior Hockey Championship. Bowey now has 98 career assists and is two points shy of 150 for his WHL career.
• Tyrell Goulbourne is in a fiesty mood. The 20 year-old has three fights in his last 6 games. Prior to that he had only three fights in the first 29 games of the regular season. 
• Jake Morrissey made a strong bid for retaining the  back up duties with a 35 save performance Friday night in Kamloops. Up until that start, I thought he and Michael Herringer were in a dead heat to see who would sit on the bench and watch starter Jackson Whistle. Herringer's last start was in Kamloops and while it was a win, it was no where near as impressive as Morrissey's appearance that included stopping 6 of 7 Blazers in the shootout.
• Leon Draisaitl has scored in three straight games with the Rockets. If you include his statistics from last season with the PA Raiders, the 19 year-old has goals in 10 of his last 11 regular season games.
• Draisaitl's longest goal scoring streak last season was 5 games. That streak came in the final month of the regular season.
• In his last 22 regular season games, Draisaitl has points in 20 of them.

Rome wasn't built in a day and either is a WHL contender

Pre-game gold medal ceremony - Shoot the Breeze Photography

• Hockey fans had their first look Saturday night at what is expected to be the new and improved version of the Kelowna Rockets. To say it is a work in progress would be an understatement. With not even one practice together as a complete team, the Medicine Hat Tigers looked faster and more polished in a 5-3 win. The Tigers, who made a significant trade with the Regina Pats on January 5th to acquire 19 year-old's Dryden Hunt and Kyle Burroughs, looked like a more cohesive unit that had played together before. The Rockets, at times, not so much. With Josh Morrissey and Chance Braid making their debuts with their new team, the home team looked slightly out of sync in their 7th regulation loss of the season.
• The game winning goal was scored on the power play when Tigers import Markus Eisenschmid, who played a greasy game, deflected a point blast from WHL leading scorer Trevor Cox. Was it that goal that was the difference or the back-to-back shorthanded goals the Rockets surrendered in a 61 second span of the second period? Regardless, the Rockets held the lead in the game for only 5 minutes and 43 seconds. Every time the Rockets scored the Tigers found an answer in a game that had a playoff feel to it.
• Leon Driasaitl gave the largest crowd of the season at Prospera Place, 6 thousand  - three hundred 62, some hope when he scored his third goal in three games to tie the score at three. But fellow German Markus Eisenschmid would get the game winner before Cole Sanford would seal the win with an empty netter to make it a 5-3 final.
• Outside of Nick Merkley, I didn't see anyone on the Rockets side that matched the work ethic that the Tigers played with Saturday night. A high skill set without a complementary solid work ethic won't produce fruitful results.    
• Madison Bowey was in the penalty box when the Tigers scored the game winning goal, but the Kelowna Rockets captain had a solid outing in his first game back from the World Junior Hockey Championships.  Bowey had a goal and two assists and was named the games second star.
• In his Rockets debut, Josh Morrissey earned his first point, an assist, on Leon Draisaitl's third period power play goal. Morrissey ends the night with a -3 rating, but was on the ice for both shorthanded goals. While the Tigers were full marks on the first shorthanded goal, the second one 1:01 minutes later is one that Rockets goaltender Jackson Whistle would like to have back as the rising shot from long range that whizzed past his head would normally be stopped.
• Tigers goaltender Marek Langhamer would also like to have one back after Bowey's wrist shot hit him in the mask and trickled over his head and into the net. Langhamer's best stop was on Nick Merkley on a third period power play.
• Ideally, a lesser opponent would have enabled the Rockets to adjust better to new teammates/line-mates and the result would have likely been more favorable. Instead the Tigers, who have to be considered one of the favourites to challenge for an Eastern Conference crown, played a solid game and took advantage of the majority of the errors the Rockets created.      
• With several bodies back in the line up, the Rockets were able to scratch rookies Lucas Johansen and Tate Coughlin. Johansen had played every game this season.      
• Before the game, Madison Bowey, Josh Morrissey and General Manager Bruce Hamilton were honoured for winning gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Bowey and Morrissey received Taylor Made golf clubs for their efforts.

Notes, quotes and anecdotes

An old pic I took from 2009 with Tyler Myers and gold medal

• It should be a special night when defencemen Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey are welcomed back to Kelowna in front of the Prospera Place faithful. It will be especially sweet Saturday night because both players and GM Bruce Hamilton will have gold medals around their necks. The last time that happened was in 2009 when Jamie Benn and Tyler Myers were honored for winning gold with a pre-game ceremony. Don't miss it. Be in your seats by 7:15. The game against the high powered Medicine Hat won't be bad either.
• It is hard to believe but when Morrissey and Draisaitl take to the ice Saturday night it will mark only the second time in Kelowna Rockets franchise history that the team has had two-first round picks on its roster. While Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn were both picked in the opening round in 2008, those two unfortunately didn't play together the following season. The Leafs elected to keep Schenn while Myers was returned to Kelowna by the Buffalo Sabres to help the team win a WHL title. The only other time the Rockets had two-1st round picks on the team was when Mikael Backlund joined the squad after the World Junior Hockey Championships after competing for Sweden. Backlund was a first rounder of the Calgary Flames and joined Myers on the team that season as first round selections.        
• What is it like the first game back for a player after winning a gold medal at the World Junior Hockey Championships? In 2009, Jamie Benn had just one assist in his first game back. Benn scored only once in his first five games upon his return. Defenceman Tyler Myers didn't have a point in his first game back after winning gold. The playoff MVP that season had just two assists in his first five games after playing for Team Canada. A world junior hockey hangover is typical.         
• I’d be surprised if the Rockets acquire another goaltender before Saturday’s trade deadline. Management is comfortable with Jackson Whistle as a starter but the backup spot, among several WHL observers, is a question mark. It appears the Rockets will keep three goalies with Jake Morrissey and Michael Herringer sitting on the bench as an insurance policy if Whistle falters. It sure will be interesting to see who backs up Whistle when the playoffs start. It will be a clear indication on which of the two the coaching staff have the most faith in.       
• January 10^th is the WHL trade deadline. What I always remember is that it is also Mark Guggenberger’s birthday. Guggenberger was in goal when the Rockets won the 2009 WHL championships. He too, like Whistle, was a bit of an unknown commodity who had great success in his 19 year-old season.   
• The best interview over the past 7 days goes to Prince George Cougars GM Todd Harkins. I had a real nice chat with him before a game last week. I asked him as a first year general manager if he was going to make a splash in his first WHL trade deadline. “I will listen. I don’t want to be taken advantage of and I won’t take advantage of anyone. Harkins says the worst part about the trade deadline is the social media speculation on which players may or may not be traded. "What people don’t realize in social media is these are kids. They are not pros. They play like pros and I think that is the misunderstanding. They love the game at this age and they just want to play and they are doing their best. We have to be careful how we treat them in those social media rings as fans”.     
• I liked Harkins philosophy when acquiring players. In the past Cougars management stayed away from some players that didn’t want to commit to playing in the WHL’s most northern outpost. “Our philosophy has changed. We are creating an experience for the players. We want these kids to develop as a person and as a player to get them to the National Hockey League. We go after players that want to play in our league and want to become pros. We are not dodging kids. We are picking the best players that we think are capable of being Prince George Cougars and wanting to become pros”, Harkins added.       
• Is an NHL team going to draft Prince George Cougars forward Chase Witala? The 19 year-old is the best player I saw last week. His 22 goals are impressive and he has played especially good against the Kelowna Rockets with 4+6=10 points in the seasonal series.
• Vancouver Giants head coach Claude Noel says it’s good that Leon Draisaitl is back in the Western Hockey League. The personable coach says if Draisaitl was 20, the perfect spot to put him would be  the AHL. “I’m a big proponent of the American Hockey League. I know it is a bad word for some prospects. It allows you to mature. It is not an easy league. It is a good place to learn. If you look at successful teams in the National League; Detroit, Chicago and LA, they all go through the American Hockey League. There is no entitled players that stay up with the big team. That is the route they go.”  
• All the hype heading into this WHL season revolved around 16 year-old Vancouver Giants rookie Tyler Benson. Rightfully so. Benson was the first player taken in the WHL bantam draft after putting up huge numbers two seasons prior in bantam. But is 16 year-old Spokane Chiefs rookie Kailer Yamamoto stealing some of Benson’s thunder? Yamamoto, like Tampa Bay Lighting forward Tyler Johnson, was born in Spokane and has been terrific with 16 goals and 36 points in 35 games.  Not bad for a 5^th round bantam pick. In the Eastern Conference, all the talk is about Regina Pats forward Sam Steel. Yamamoto has more points than both players. 
• As impressive as Leon Draisaitl’s debut with the Rockets was Wednesday night with a goal and an assist, the most impressive debut in my 15 years behind the mic of the Kelowna Rockets came from Chuck Kobasew in the fall of 2001. It was October 3, 2001 when Kobasew scored three goals in 7-5 loss in Portland. The way Kobasew scored his three goals was amazing. The then 19 year-old scored at 1:46 of the second period, then at 3:59 and then again at 4:24. His first three career WHL goals came in a span of 2 minutes and 38 seconds. It was a welcome to the Western Hockey League moment I will never forget.      
• I asked Claude Noel about some of the challenges the Rockets could face with a player like Leon Draisaitl in the line up. "Sometimes when a good player comes into your team via trade or reassignment, some of your guys stand around and watch him and they don’t work the way they normally work and are frozen a little bit. I think the environment here should be a positive for him”.   
• What does Noel think of Winnipeg Jets prospect Josh Morrissey?  “He is a great player. He will help you from the back end because he can get the puck to the forwards. With the forwards the Rockets have, that will be a huge asset. He was great for the Jets farm team last year in the playoffs. You can’t lose with him”.
• The best quote in the last seven days comes from Cougars GM Todd Harkins. Harkins was drafted by the NHL's Calgary Flames in the second round in 1988. Now his son Jansen could be taken in the first round on this summers draft. "I just hope he is drafted 41 or lower so he has bragging rights on me", Harkins said with a chuckle.
• I was looking at the Rockets opening season line up against the Kamloops Blazers from September 20th. Seven players are no longer a part of the team including Cole Lind, who was brought in as an affiliated player with several veterans still away at NHL training camps.

Draisaitl delightful in Rockets debut

Shoot the Breeze Photography

• Leon Draisaitl didn't disappoint in his Kelowna Rockets debut. World class players defy the odds and rise above to accomplish special things. The 19 year-old Edmonton Oilers first round draft choice is a special player. He proved it Wednesday night in a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Giants. With only one practice under his belt. With new line-mates, in a new rink in a new city, Draisaitl scored the game winning goal in the Rockets 32nd win of the season. The goal was the game winner. He also added a power play assist. Oh, did I mentioned he was named the first star at games end? Draisaitl said after that he didn't play that well. All I can say to that is 'unsinn reden'. What? That is German for nonsense. If you take into account Draisaitl was informed just a few days ago that he was being sent back to junior hockey from the best league in the world, the mental letdown alone would have crippled even a seasoned veteran. Not Draisaitl. Playing on a line with Tyson Baillie and rookie Dillon Dube, the lanky forward created numerous scoring chances for both and showed that he is worthy of all the hype. If he can play better, I take him for his word, but his debut was as scintillating as his second period wrist shot that beat Giants goaltender Cody Porter.
• Visually, Draisaitl looks like a pro. He plays like a pro. My guess is he learned a lot in his short stay with the Oilers. It wasn't a waste of time despite what many fans want to believe. Great players study and learn from others and glean whatever they can from every trial and every triumph. What stood out in his performance? The centreman took short shifts. He showed commitment in his own zone and didn't look lazy in the pursuit of the puck when it wasn't on his stick. It was a good sign when he took the opening face-off and cleanly won it. Draisaitl was here to make an impact. He delivered. At games end he garnered just over 18 minutes of ice time.
• While the night belonged to Leon, Jackson Whistle was no slouch either. Named the games second star, the veteran goalie made several sensational saves including 17 in the final period. The 19 year-old was sharp on a second period left pad save with the Rockets ahead 3-1 and made several solid stops in the third period when Porter was pulled for the extra attacker and the home team was clinging to a one goal lead. 
• The line of Draisaitl, Baillie and Dube created far more chances than the line of Nick Merkley, Tyrell Goulbourne and Rourke Chartier. The best scoring chance for those three came in the third period when Goulbourne had Porter dead to his rights with the puck on his forehand only to see the rookie goaltender dive across and make a paddle save against the 20 year-old forward. 
• Chartier would score his league leading 36th goal of the season into an empty net. With five more seconds on the clock, Draisaitl could have had his second of the game too. Draisaitl fired the puck towards the open net but time expired before it crossed the goal line.    
• The Giants attempted to have big defenceman Mason Geertsen on the ice every time Draisaitl was out there. At 6'4 and 212 pounds, the Colorado Avalanche draft pick had a mostly successful night ending the game with a even plus/minus rating.  
• The best hit of the game came from Giants defenceman Josh Thrower who sent Goulbourne flying with a clean check in the second period. Goulbourne had the puck on his stick when Thrower lined him up. Riley Stadel came to Goulbourne's aid and fought Thrower in a heated scrap.  
• The Rockets are now 4-0-0-0 against the Giants in the seasonal series but will be no pushover with three of the final four games at Pacific Coliseum. 
• I really liked Cody Porter in goal for the G-Men. A former West Kelowna Warrior, Porter made several solid stops. While not as busy as Whistle, Porter could have easily been named a star in the game after allowing only three goals against.    
• Sixteen year-old Giants rookie Tyler Benson had a good showing. While he came away empty handed on the score-sheet, Benson created some good scoring chances and was robbed by Whistle with a nice glove hand save in the second period.
• The Rockets are in Kamloops Friday and then finally all hands are on deck Saturday when the WHL leaders welcome the Medicine Hat Tigers with Josh Morrissey and Madison Bowey back in the line up after their stint at the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Look for #29 in your program

Leon Draisaitl meeting with Kelowna media Tuesday

Tonight’s Preview: Welcome to Prospera Place! The Rockets play their 41^st game of the season tonight by hosting the Vancouver Giants. This is only the fourth of eight meetings between the two teams’ this season with the Rockets owning a 3-0-0-0 record. In those three games, the Rockets have out-scored the G-Men 17-8. The Rockets have won by scores of 7-5 (Oct 1), 5-3 (Nov 2) and 5-0 (Nov 8). Following tonight’s game the Rockets make three straight appearances in Vancouver on February 27^th, March 6^th and March 20^th. The Giants last regular season appearance in Kelowna after tonight is March 21^st. The Rockets are coming off a 4-3 win over the Prince George Cougars Saturday night. Justin Kirkland, Nick Merkley, Dillon Dube and Tomas Soustal scored in the teams’ 31^st win of the season.  Following tonight’s game the Rockets are in Kamloops Friday night before opening their longest home stand of the season. The team will play five straight games at home with dates against Medicine Hat, Tri City, Seattle and a double header against the Everett Silvertips. This is the fifth game of six straight against teams in the BC Division.        

Willkommen Leon: The Kelowna Rockets welcome 19 year-old German born Leon Draisaitl to the organization. Draisaitl was obtained from the Prince Albert Raiders Tuesday for 18 year-old forward Kris Schmidli, 18 year-old defenceman Dalton Yorke, a first round bantam pick in 2015 and two-4^th round bantam selections. Draisaitl is a first round pick of the Edmonton Oilers and played the first three months with the NHL team before being sent back to junior. Draisaitl is making his Rockets debut tonight by wearing sweater #29, the same number he wore in Edmonton and the WHL team that originally held his CHL rights, the Prince Albert Raiders.

It’s Gold Baby! Congratulations to Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton and defencemen Josh Morrissey and Madison Bowey for winning goal for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Hamilton was a member of the management committee for Team Canada. Morrissey and Bowey became the 7^th and 8^th players in Rockets history to earn a gold medal for Canada at the tournament. The others were Jamie Benn and Tyler Myers in 2009, Luke Schenn in 2008, Blake Comeau in 2006, Shea Weber in 2005 and Robb Gordon in 1996.         

Three Star Balloting:

Player:                          1^st Star    2^nd Star   3^rd Star   Total 

Jackson Whistle:             7              3              2            12

Rourke Chartier:              5              4              2            11

Nick Merkley:                   5              2              4            11

Tyson Baillie:                   1              5              2             8

Madison Bowey:              2              2              3             7

*Other first star winners are: Tyrell Goulbourne and Cole Martin.

                                                                                 

This and That: Leon Draisaitl has 163 points in 128 WHL regular season games….Draisaitl had 10-3 point games last season and five-four point games last season…In Draisaitl’s last 19 games last season, he recorded points in 17 of those games…Tyson Baillie has 26 goals, which is the same career high number of goals he scored in his 17 year-old season….Baillie earned his 100^th career assist Saturday night on Dillon Dube’s goal…Cole Linaker now has 24 points this season, a career high…Nick Merkley has 8+24=32 against BC Division opponents this season….Tyson Baillie has 14 goals against BC Division opponents…Rourke Chartier’s longest scoring drought is just three games…..Rourke Chartier signed a contact with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks last Wednesday. Chartier was a 5^th round pick of the Sharks from 2014….The Rockets won their 30^th game January 2nd; marking the 14^th time in the last 15 seasons the franchise has achieved that mark. The only blemish over that stretch was a 22 win season in 2006-2007, the only time they have failed to make the playoffs….The Rockets are 38-8-1-1 in the last two seasons against teams in the BC Division…Nick Merkley will represent the WHL at the Top Prospects game later this month in St. Catharine’s Ontario….The Rockets have not been shut-out in 116 consecutive games. The last time the Rockets were held without a goal was March 3, 2013 in a 3-0 loss in Kamloops…Cole Martin is playing in career game #249 tonight vs. the Giants….Martin is one point shy of his career high 22 points set in 2012-2013..Did you know Martin is +135 over the last three seasons…     

Who’s Hot: Tyson Baillie is riding a 6 game point streak. Baillie has 5+4=9 over that period…Rourke Chartier has a four game point streak. The 18 year-old has 3+2=5 over that period…Chartier has points in 11 of his last 12 games…Cole Martin has 10 assists in his last 8 games…Justin Kirkland is riding a 8 game point streak. Kirkland has 5+9=14 over that stretch. Kirkland had a 6 game point streak in early October…Dillon Dube has 8 goals in his last 12 games…Rourke Chartier has 11 more goals (35) than he had all of last season. Chartier has goals in 18 of his last 23 games….Nick Merkley has 9+26=35 in his last 24 games. 

Closing in on 40: Rourke Chartier has 35 goals, which is 5 shy of 40 on the season. The last Rockets player to score 40 goals was Myles Bell, who found the back of the net 42 times last season. Bell scored 38 times as an 18 year-old. So this question must be asked. Who was the last 18 year-old Kelowna Rockets player (Chartier is 18) to score 40 goals? Only one player has accomplished that feat. Brett McLean scored 44 times as an 18 year-old during the 1996-97 campaign. McLean had 44+60=104. Jamie Benn scored 33 goals as an 18 year-old and Justin Keller, a former 50 goal scorer, found the back of the net 31 times as an 18 year-old.   

Willkommen Leon!

Leon Driasatli

Translation? In German, the headline reads: Welcome Leon! The worst kept secret in the Western Hockey League has 'officially' been revealed. The Kelowna Rockets landed German born Leon Draisaitl after his CHL rights were traded to the Rockets by the Prince Albert Raiders. In return the Rockets surrender a first round bantam pick in 2015, forward Kris Schmidli and 18 year-old defenceman Dalton Yorke.
The Edmonton Oilers, who drafted Draisaitli third overall in this summers NHL draft, were  rumoured for weeks about potentially sending their top prospect down to junior hockey before the Oilers 40th game, but only if his rights were sent to a contending team. That contending team was/is the Kelowna Rockets. The Raiders, who drafted him in the CHL Import draft in 2011, had their hands tied in this deal to a certain extent. The Oilers had ultimate say on where they wanted to see Draisaitl play the remainder of this season. The best spot for his development, according to the Oilers, was right here in the Okanagan.

• One man does not make a team, but Driasatli is a high end talent without question. At 17, the 6'1, 210 forward scored 21 times and collected 58 points. In his draft year, Draisaitl scored 38 goals and 105 points on a Raiders team that frankly wasn't very good. The Raiders just squeezed into the playoffs with a tie breaking game against Red Deer before being eliminated in four straight games to eventual WHL and Memorial Cup champion Edmonton Oil Kings. The Oilers, who's season ends against the Vancouver Canucks on April 11th, would like nothing better than Draisaitl helping the Rockets to a long playoff run and a potential shot at a birth in this May's Memorial Cup in Quebec City. 
• The trading of Schmidli and Yorke is the 4th and 5th players on this years roster to be traded to the Raiders this season. Colton Heffley was moved in November followed by Jesse Lees and Austin Glover in a four player deal and draft picks on December 10th.
• In some respects, the acquisition of Draisaitl is eerily similar of what happened on January 11, 2009 when Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter announced that Mikael Backlund would join the Rockets after completing his stint for Sweden at the World Junior Hockey Championship. The Flames first round pick from 2007 would play 28 regular season games with the Rockets, collecting 13 goals and 23 points in 19 games towards a Western Hockey League championship. Backlund had two-two goal games in the championship series against the regular season's best team - the Calgary Hitmen.   
• While expectations are high following Draisaitl's return to the WHL, dominating after playing at the NHL level may not come easy, at least not right away. If you look back again at 2009, Mikael Backlund had a slow start in an effort to manufacture offense. Backlund didn't score a goal until his third game and had just three goals in his first 9 WHL contests. There was a stretch in February where Backlund didn't score in five games and wasn't the dominant force many had envisioned. The good news for Backlund and the Rockets was the then 19 year-old found his game in the playoffs and was a major contributor to the teams long playoff run. Where Draisaitl has the advantage over Backlund is he played major junior last season and is far more advanced in his understanding of the North American game. Backlund made his Kelowna Rockets debut on January 14, 2009 against the Tri City Americans. Draisaitli will make his debut on January 7th - at home - against the Vancouver Giants.
• Draisaitl's father Peter played in the German professional first league for over 20 years and represented Germany at the Olympics three times and at seven World Championships.   
•  Draisaitl scored his NHL goal for the Oilers against Carolina on October 14th against Anton Khudobin. It was the game winner. 
• Draisaitl is the highest German born player ever picked in the NHL draft. 

Off ice distractions tough to avoid

Shoot the Breeze Photography

• The Kelowna Rockets are waging more of a mental battle these days than a physical one. With significant players away at the World Junior Hockey Championships including a teammate they have never met, focusing on simply playing the game with so many distractions off the ice isn't easy. Making matters worse is the numerous social media reports of a possible deal(s) involving the team. That said, the leadership group is doing the best they can with so much uncertainty around the team. It was that leadership group that pulled through with a hard fought 6-4 win last night in Kamloops. The Rockets rallied from a 4-2 third period deficit to score four times in the clubs 30th win of the season. It wasn't a game of beauty but gutsy enough to earn its 18th win on opposition ice.
• The turning point came when Blazers forward Luke Harrison was accessed a five minute major penalty for a third period hit on Rockets rookie d-man Devante Stephens. The Rockets went on the power play and scored twice on than extended man advantage and subsequently took over the game. Two power play goals just over a minute apart gave the Rockets a 5-4 lead with Tyson Baillie scoring into an empty net for the two goal win.  
• While Harrison's penalty was costly, Gage Quinney's shorthanded goal when the Rockets trailed 4-2 may have been the tipping point. Up until that Quinney goal 8 minutes into the third period it looked like the Blazers were on their way to their 14th win of the season. With the Blazers threatening to put the game away with Tyrell Goulbourne in the penalty box, Quinney went around 16 year-old rookie defenceman Dawson Davidson and snuck a low shot past Blazers goaltender Cole Kehler. That goal appeared to give the visitors the jump start they needed. Less than two minutes later, Harrison took the five minute major penalty and the Rockets were cooking with gas.
• To be honest, a rough outing for Rockets goaltender Michael Herringer. No less than two or possibly three of the four goals were stoppable pucks. I chalk it up to rink rust. Herringer, who has been sidelined with a lower body injury, played his first competitive game since mid November (November 19th) and it showed. Regardless of the effort, Herringer allowed starter Jackson Whistle some much deserved time off. Herringer is now 5-0-0-0 this season as he shares the duties with Whistle and back up Jack Morrissey.
• Nick Merkley scored twice last night giving him 12 goals on the season. The two goal effort snapped a 8 game goal scoring drought for the 17 year-old. It was his longest goal scoring drought of the season.
• Justin Kirkland collected an assist extending his point streak to seven games. Kirkland has 4+9=13 over that period.
• Tyson Baillie now has as many goals (26) as he had two seasons ago when he scored a career high 26 times as a 17 year-old. 
• The Rockets handed the Blazers their first loss of the season when leading after 40 minutes. The Blazers were 10-0-0-0 up until last night's setback.   

Game notes vs. Blazers

Tonight’s Preview: Happy New Year. It would only be fitting that the Kelowna Rockets play their 39^th game of the season to open 2015 against the arch rival Kamloops Blazers. These two teams’ met last Saturday at Prospera Place with the Rockets earning a 4-2 win. This is only the fourth meeting of the season between these two teams’. Back on September 20^th, the Rockets were a 6-1 winner before earning a 6-4 victory in Kamloops October 15^th. The Rockets face the Blazers 6 more times after tonight including January 9^th and then three times in February (6^th, 7^th and 18^th) and twice in March (13^th and 14^th). The Rockets have won three of their last four games after a 5-3 setback Tuesday night to the visiting Prince George Cougars. Riley Stadel and Justin Kirkland each scored once and added two assists in the teams’ 6^th regulation loss of the season. This is the third game of six straight for the Rockets against teams in the BC Division. After playing 11 of their last 17 on the road, the Rockets are in the midst of playing 9 of 11 games on home ice. Both road games are in Kamloops. Overall, the Rockets have a record of 9-5-2-0 in their last 16 games with points in 11 of those 16. The Rockets host Prince George tomorrow night.

Three Star Balloting:

Player:                          1^st Star    2^nd Star   3^rd Star   Total 

Jackson Whistle:             7              3              2            12

Rourke Chartier:              5              4              2            11

Nick Merkley:                   3              2              4             9

Tyson Baillie:                   1              5              2             8

Madison Bowey:              2              2              3             7

*Other first star winners are: Tyrell Goulbourne and Cole Martin.

                                                              

December’s Difference Makers: Justin Kirkland led all Rockets scorers in December with 5+8=13. Nick Merkley was next on that list with 2+8=10. Dillon Dube collected 8 points with 7+1=8 while Tyson Baillie also had 8 points in the month with 5+3=8. Rourke Chartier played in just 5 games but managed to score 6 times.

Closing in on 40: Rourke Chartier has 35 goals, which is 6 shy of 40 on the season. The last Rockets player to score 40 goals was Myles Bell, who found the back of the net 42 times last season. Bell scored 38 times as an 18 year-old. So this question must be asked. Who was the last 18 year-old Kelowna Rockets player (Chartier is 18) to score 40 goals? Only one player has accomplished that feat. Brett McLean scored 44 times as an 18 year-old during the 1996-97 campaign. McLean had 44+60=104. Jamie Benn scored 33 goals as an 18 year-old and Justin Keller, a former 50 goals scorer, found the back of the net 31 times as an 18 year-old.   

This and That: Dan Lambert played for Canada at the 1989 World Junior Hockey Championships…Who scored last year’s first goal to ring in 2014? Jesse Lees found the back of the net in a 7-2 win in Portland….Nick Merkley has 5+22=27 against BC Division opponents this season….Tyson Baillie has 12 goals against BC Division opponents…Rourke Chartier’s longest scoring drought is just three games…..Rourke Chartier has four goals in two games against the Blazers this season….Rourke Chartier signed a contact with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks on Wednedsday. Chartier was a 5^th round pick of the Sharks from 2014….Did you know the Rockets played their 1400^th regular season game as the ‘Kelowna Rockets’ December 10^th in Lethbridge?...The Rockets are gunning for their 30^th win of the season. It would mark the 14^th time in the last 15 seasons the franchise has achieved that mark. The only blemish over that stretch was a 22 win season in 2006-2007, the only time they have failed to make the playoffs….The Rockets are 36-8-1-1 in the last two seasons against teams in the BC Division…Nick Merkley will represent the WHL at the Top Prospects game next month in St. Catharine’s Ontario….Twenty of the Rockets final 34 games will play played against teams in the BC Division….The team has only two more trips to the U.S. The Rockets are in Seattle February 10^th and in Everett on March 3^rd…Tyson Baillie is two goals shy of his career high 26 he scored in the 2012-2013 season…Cole Martin is now a +90 in the last two seasons…The Rockets have been held to three goals or less only 10 times this season…The Rockets have not been shut-out in 114 consecutive games. The last time the Rockets were held without a goal was March 3, 2013 in a 3-0 loss in Kamloops…Josh Morrissey, Madison Bowey and Kris Schmidli are all participating at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Montreal/Toronto…Cole Martin is playing in career game #247 tonight vs. the Blazers.