Rockets Sign Defenceman Dane Sorensen to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement
KELOWNA, BC — The Kelowna Rockets have signed 2007-born defenceman Dane Sorensen to a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement. Earlier this offseason, the Rockets acquired Sorensen’s rights from the Victoria Royals.
Sorensen, 19, is a 6’1″, 183-pound left-shot defenceman from Los Angeles, California. He spent the 2025-26 season split between the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL and the Brooks Bandits of the BCHL.
In Sioux Falls, the blue-liner established himself as a physical presence, posting 91 penalty minutes in 41 games. After moving to Brooks, he recorded a goal and eight assists for nine points in 12 regular-season games before taking his play to another level in the postseason. Sorensen added a goal and four assists for five points and 32 penalty minutes in 13 playoff games, averaging close to 19 minutes a night during the Bandits’ championship-clinching final series against the Nanaimo Clippers, helping Brooks claim the 2025-26 BCHL title.
The season prior, Sorensen won the US 18U National Tier I Championship with Shattuck-St. Mary’s 18U Prep, giving him back-to-back championship seasons entering his WHL career.
Sorensen’s path to this point runs through one of the most respected development programs in North American hockey. He spent five seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s from the 14U AAA level through the 18U Prep program, accumulating 261 games of experience and consistent growth at each level before stepping into junior hockey. That foundation has produced a player who is reliable and detailed in his own end, strong on the puck, physical in front of the net, and difficult to play against. He is an effective penalty killer who uses his size, leverage, and active stick to disrupt opponents’ plays. While his defensive game is his calling card, he has shown the ability to contribute offensively and move the puck efficiently out of his own zone.
“Dane is the type of defenceman that makes your team harder to play against,” said President & General Manager Bruce Hamilton. “He’s physical, he competes every shift, and he has a high hockey IQ in his own end. The experience he has from winning championships in back-to-back seasons tells you about the competitor he is. We are excited to get him to Kelowna.”
Sorensen previously played alongside Rockets goaltender Harrison Boettiger on the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U AAA program during the 2021-22 season, an existing connection that should help ease his transition into the organization.
