Four current Kelowna Rockets headed to NHL Rookie Camps
Four current Kelowna Rockets players will attend National Hockey League rookie camps/tournaments later this week.
Netminder Talyn Boyko (New York Rangers) and forward Colton Dach (Chicago Blackhawks) skipped the Rockets camp reporting directly to their respective teams.
Goaltender Jari Kykkanen (Florida Panthers) and defencemen Noah Dorey (Edmonton) will depart Kelowna to join NHL clubs that invited them as undrafted players.
The Rangers selected Boyko in the fourth round (No. 112) in the 2021 NHL Draft. He appeared in 46 games for Kelowna last season after a trade from Tri-City in November, posting a 28-12-1-3 record with two shutouts, a 2.79 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. The Drumheller, AB product became the seventh Rockets goaltender to be named the Rockets MVP for the season. He is currently unsigned by New York.
In his first season with the Rockets, Dach led the Kelowna in points (79), assists (50) and shared the team lead in goals (29) through 61 games during the regular season. The 19-year-old also led the team in shots on goal with 274 and power play points with 27 (9G, 18A). He was named to the WHL’s B.C. Division First All-Star Team, this past summer he attended Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team summer camp. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with Chicago after they selected him in the second round (No. 62) in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old is not AHL eligible this season and must either play in the NHL with the Blackhawks or be returned to Kelowna.
Dorey attended Edmonton’s development camp this past July after going undrafted in the 2022 NHL Draft. Last year he was invited to the Boston Bruins development camp last fall after going undrafted in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 6’3, 192-pound defenceman put up a career-high 21 points (3G, 18A) during the 2022-23 season.
The Edmonton Oilers will be playing in the 2022 Young Stars Classic at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, BC from Friday, September 16 to Monday, September 19.
Kykkanen also attended the Panthers development camp this past summer after going undrafted. The 6’3, 185-pound goaltender made 13 appearances in his first season with the Rockets last year, posting an 8-3-0-0 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, .897 save percentage and a shutout.
Tickets for the Rockets two remaining home preseason games and the regular season home opener on September 24 versus the Portland Winterhawks are now on sale through Select Your Tickets. Tickets can be purchased online through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.
