Game Day Preview: The Kelowna Rockets
face the Victoria Royals for the first time this season. The Rockets enter the
game with a record of 1 and 5, which is one of the slowest starts in franchise
history. The 2006-2007 team had a win and a shootout loss in its first 8 games.
The Rockets are coming off a 5-0 shutout loss Wednesday to the Vancouver
Giants, which marks the first time since October 9, 2015 when they were held
off the scoresheet, at home, to the visiting Victoria Royals. Last season, the
Rockets were 4-3-1-0 in the seasonal series against the Royals, with five of
the eight being decided by two goals or less. Over the years, no one team has
shown dominance over the other. The Rockets are 18-12-2-0 in the last 32
meetings against their BC Division cousins. After tonight’s game the Rockets
are in Seattle (Kent) tomorrow night for an early 6 pm start before welcoming
the T-Birds to Prospera Place next Wednesday.
Digg’n Deeper: Kole Lind was the
team’s leading point producer last season vs. the Royals with 5+8=13 while
Dillon Dube had 6+6=12. Leif Mattson had 4 goals in seven games. James Porter
played in five games, sporting a record of 2-0-1-0 with a goals against average
of 4.11
Trade Winds Blow: The Rockets made a
trade with the Victoria Royals Saturday September 29th. The team
acquired 20 year-old Lane Zablocki for a conditional 7th round and
conditional 4th round bantam draft pick. Zablocki is a third round
NHL draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings (2017 – unsigned). In the 2016-2017
campaign, Zablocki scored 28 goals split between the Regina Pats and Red Deer
Rebels. Zablocki has played with the Pats, Rebels, Hurricanes and the
Royals. Zablocki never played a game
with the WHL team that drafted him in 2013 – the Prince George Cougars.
Broadcasters Notebook:
We’ve
got the Cup! The Rockets were awarded the 2020 Memorial Cup on Wednesday. The
ten day tournament will take place May 22nd to 31st. It marks the
second time in franchise history the team has hosted (2004) and will mark its 6th
appearance at the prestigious event. The team has made previous appearances in
2003, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2015….Happy Birthday to rookie d-man Cayde Augustine
who turns 17 today…The Royals and Rockets meet up in Victoria October 19th
and 20th….Five members of the Kelowna Rockets have been named to NHL
Central Scoutings “Players to watch’ list. Forward Nolan Foote is an ‘A’
prospect, meaning a first round candidate. Kaedan Korczak is a ‘B’ prospect
which means he is projected to be selected in the second or third round. Roman
Basran, Kyle Topping and Lassi Thomson are ‘C’ prospect, which means they could
be taken in the third to the seventh round…. The Rockets have not opened the
scoring in 5 of the 6 games this season….The Rockets have trailed going onto
the third period in 5 of the 6 games…Rookie Ethan Ernst earned his first career
WHL point last Friday in Prince George with an assist, on Connor Bruggen-Cate’s
third period goal….Head Coach Jason Smith returns for his third season at the
helm. Both assistant Kris Mallette and Travis Crickard enter their 5th
seasons in the WHL….The Rockets are in their 24th season in the
Okanagan after relocating from Tacoma for the start of the 1995-1996 season…The
Rockets have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons…The team has averaged 104
points in the last 6 seasons including a franchise high 118 in the 2013-2014
campaign when the hockey club lost only 11 times.
New Faces: The team welcomes
three rookies back on the defensive core. Listed player Devin Steffler is
joined by Finnish born blueliner Lassi Thomson. Joining those two is 17
year-old Cayde Augustine (turns 17 October 5th). Up front, the team
has added 16 year-old Ethan Ernst (3rd round pick in 2017), 17
year-old Kyle Crosbie (8th round pick in 2016),and acquired 20 year-old
Ryan Bowen via trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season. The team also
obtained the playing rights to Mark Liwiski, a third round bantam pick of the
Silvertips from 2016….Lane Zablocki was acquired in a trade with Victoria in
late September.
Roster
Stats:
Player
total:
24
Year by
Year Breakdown:
20’s (1998) – 2 Zablocki, Chizen, Bowen
19’s (1999) - 5 Topping, Mattson, Gardiner, Bruggen-Cate,
Cowell
18’s (2000) - 10 Tomson, Brennan, Porter, Foote, Zabransky, Kindree,
Brennan, Kushniryk, Pow, Steffler,
17’s (2001) - 6
Korczak, Crosbie, Basran, Liwiski,
Wilton, Augustine
16’s (2002) - 1 Ernst
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150
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