2024-25 Kelowna Rockets Training Camp presented by Kelowna Sand & Gravel
Kelowna Rockets Training Camp presented by Kelowna Sand & Gravel is set to get underway on Wednesday, August 28 through Sunday, September 1 at Prospera Place.
“We are thrilled to have this new relationship with Kelowna Sand & Gravel and to have them as the partnering sponsor for Rockets Training Camp this year,” said Rockets Owner, President, and General Manager Bruce Hamilton. “We look forward to growing this partnership with one of Kelowna’s best local businesses.”
Players attending camp will be split into four teams – Team McLean, Team Gorges, Team Weber, and Team Schenn, and will be tested in on-ice practice and game situations. The four teams will then play one another over the duration of training camp in a round robin format, with all four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. Camp will conclude with the third place and championship games on September 1.
The Kelowna Rockets have a rich history in the Western Hockey League and wanted to honour that history, winning culture, and tradition by recognizing four key former members of the club throughout the duration of camp. These former Rockets have the distinction of having the four training camp teams named after them.
Brett McLean
McLean spent four and a half seasons with the Tacoma and Kelowna Rockets from 1994 to 1999. He suited up in 308 regular season games along with 23 playoff contests. He amassed 166 goals and 375 points in the regular season while adding 20 points in the postseason. His spectacular play got his drafted in the ninth round of the 1997 National Hockey League Draft by the Dallas Stars and earned him the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. McLean played in nearly 400 NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers before finishing his career overseas.
Josh Gorges
Kelowna native Josh Gorges left his mark on the Rockets organization, helping the team win the Memorial Cup in 2003-04 and the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2002-03. He spent four total seasons in Kelowna, registering 152 points in 245 career games while adding another 45 points from the backend in 57 playoff games. Gorges was named to both the Western Hockey League’s First and Second All-Star Teams and won a silver medal for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He went onto become a reliable defender for both the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, playing in 783 regular season games and 68 playoff games.
Shea Weber
Shea Weber is one of the most decorated defencemen to play in the modern era. The 2024 electee into the Hockey Hall of Fame spent his junior days patrolling the blue line for the Rockets from 2002 to 2005, helping the Rockets win two league titles as well as a Memorial Cup championship. Weber terrorized opponents with his rugged play style as well as lethal shot, amassing 130 total points in both regular season and playoff action while also racking up 455 penalty minutes. Weber won gold with Canada at the 2004-05 World Junior Hockey Championships before moving onto the Nashville Predators, who he was drafted to in the second round, 49th overall in the 2003 National Hockey League Draft. He went onto win gold with Canada at the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Games as well as gold at the 2006-07 World Hockey Championships. He also helped Canada win the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He was a three-time Norris Trophy finalist with both Nashville and the Montreal Canadiens, was twice named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team and was the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2015-16. He suited up in 1,038 regular season games and another 97 playoff games at the NHL level.
Luke Schenn
Luke Schenn spent four seasons with the Rockets from 2005 to 2008 where he played in 208 total games including both regular season and playoffs. His best with Kelowna came in his final year of junior, suiting up in 57 regular season games scoring seven goals and finishing with 28 points and 100 penalty minutes. He also chipped in with four points in seven playoff games. Schenn helped Canada win gold at the 2008 World Juniors and was selected in the first round, fifth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2008 NHL Draft. The Saskatoon, Sask. native is heading into his eighteenth professional hockey season, where he is four regular season games short of reaching the 1,000-game plateau. Schenn has spent time with Toronto, the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning where he won two Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
Camp is open to the public as fans can enter through the South Minor Hockey entrance at Prospera Place and sit in Sections 116, 101 and 102.
Kelowna will kick off the 2024-25 preseason on the road against the Kamloops Blazers at the Sandman Centre on Friday, September 6. The Rockets will then host the Blazers the next night on September 7.
The Rockets will then wrap up their preseason schedule with a home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants. The Rockets will host Vancouver on Saturday, September 14 before travelling to Ladner to wrap up the preseason against the Giants on Sunday, September 15.
Kelowna will open the regular season on Saturday, September 21 against the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place.
Tickets can be purchased online through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.
Kelowna Sand & Gravel are the sponsoring partner for this year’s Kelowna Rockets training camp. Kelowna Sand & Gravel is the original source for Kettle Valley Granite in Kelowna, BC. They have a range of landscape materials, including natural stone products with a wide variety in size, colour, and shapes, as well as preparation materials like sand and drainage rock. They sell natural stone and hardscape materials to both landscapers and homeowners and look forward to serving all your landscaping needs.
