Memorial Cup Preview: Rockets Battle Everett In Memorial Cup In WHL Playoff Rematch

The Kelowna Rockets will look for revenge against the Western Hockey League Champion Everett Silvertips in the Rockets last round-robin game in the 2026 Memorial Cup. The Rockets and Silvertips met in the second round of the WHL playoffs and Everett took that series in five games. The Rockets will now look to to take revenge.

The Rockets, who have their backs up against a wall, need this win in order to qualify for a tiebreaker/semifinal game.

MEMORIAL CUP SCHEDULE

• Round-Robin – Game 1 – Friday, May 22 – Kitchener vs. Kelowna (6 p.m. PT)
• Round-Robin – Game 2 – Saturday, May 23 – Everett vs. Chicoutimi (6 p.m. PT)
• Round-Robin – Game 3 – Sunday, May 24 – Kelowna vs. Chicoutimi ( 6 p.m. PT)
• Round-Robin – Game 4 – Monday, May 25 – Everett vs. Kitchener (6 p.m. PT)
• Round-Robin – Game 5 – Tuesday, May 26 – Chicoutimi vs. Kitchener (6 p.m. PT)
• Round-Robin – Game 6 – Wednesday, May 27 – Kelowna vs. Everett (6 p.m. PT)
• Tie-Breaker (*if necessary) – Thursday, May 28 (6 p.m. PT)
• Semi-Final – Friday, May 29 (6 p.m. PT)
• Championship Final – Sunday, May 31 (4 p.m. PT)

KELOWNA ROCKETS

The season is on the line Wednesday night for the Kelowna Rockets.

After dropping their opening two games at the Memorial Cup, the Rockets head into a must-win showdown against the Everett Silvertips, needing a victory to keep their tournament hopes alive and earn a spot in the playoff round. The game also gives Kelowna an opportunity for redemption against the same Everett team that ended their WHL playoff run earlier this spring.

Much of the Rockets’ offence runs through Tij Iginla (41G, 49A), whose standout season has established him as one of the WHL’s top offensive threats. The sixth-overall selection of the Utah Mammoth finished the regular season with 41 goals and 49 assists for 90 points in just 48 games before adding another 12 points in the playoffs. He has already scored once at the Memorial Cup.

Kelowna’s veteran leadership group has also played a major role throughout the season. Captain Carson Wetsch (22G, 50A), a prospect of the San Jose Sharks, recorded 72 points during the regular season while continuing to provide leadership and physical play. Overage forward Shane Smith (33G, 35A) delivered one of the best seasons of his WHL career with 33 goals and 35 assists, earning the 2026 Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy.

The Rockets also benefited from an injection of young talent. Czech forward Vojtech Cihar (12G, 19A) joined the club after capturing tournament MVP honours at the 2026 World Junior Championship. The Los Angeles Kings prospect quickly became one of Kelowna’s most productive players, posting 31 points in 31 games before leading the team in playoff scoring with 13 points in nine games.

Fellow rookie Tomas Poletin (20G, 15A) also made an immediate impact in his first WHL season. The New York Islanders draft pick scored 20 goals during the regular season and has already contributed offensively during the Memorial Cup with an assist.

Additional scoring depth has come from Hayden Paupanekis (15G, 22A) and Hiroki Gojsic (19G, 22A), two more NHL prospects from the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, respectively, who have continued to contribute offensively while bringing size and physicality to the lineup.

One of the more unique stories on Kelowna’s roster this Memorial Cup has been veteran Mazden Leslie (18G, 50A). After transitioning from defence to forward for the Memorial Cup, the longtime WHL veteran has also made an impact early in the tournament, scoring once while leading the Rockets in shots through two games. Leslie had one of the strongest offensive seasons of his WHL career this year, recording 68 points.

On the back end, trade deadline acquisitions Parker Alcos (5G, 25A) and Keith McInnis (10G, 23A) added stability and experience to the defence corps. Alcos, a prospect of the Vancouver Canucks, quickly became an important two-way contributor after arriving from the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Meanwhile, Rowan Guest (1G, 24A) and Nate Corbet (3G, 11A) continue to provide a physical presence on the blue line, while Pittsburgh Penguins second-round pick Peyton Kettles recently returned from injury to give Kelowna another experienced option defensively. 

In goal, draft-eligible netminder Harrison Boettiger (2.83 GAA, 0.911 SV%) handled the majority of the workload during the regular season, posting a .911 save percentage and ranking among the WHL’s top goaltenders. Josh Banini (3.35 GAA, 0.890 SV%) also played an important role and elevated his game during the playoffs, particularly against Everett, where he stopped 82 of 84 shots faced. With both goaltenders already seeing action at the Memorial Cup, the Rockets have options heading into Wednesday’s elimination game.

For the Rockets, the situation is straightforward heading into Wednesday night: win and the Memorial Cup run continues. Lose, and the season comes to an end.

WHERE THEY RANK

• Kelowna Rockets: 7th in the Western Hockey League (38-19-6-3)
• Everett Silvertips: 1st in the Western Hockey League (57-8-2-1)

Everett Silvertips

The Everett Silvertips who were Ed Chynoweth Cup champions as Western Hockey League Champions will look to improve to 2-1 at the 2026 Memorial Cup in Wednesday night’s battle between them and the Kelowna Rockets

The Silvertips were a powerhouse in the Western Hockey League all season and led the league with fifty-seven wins and one hundred and seventeen points. The Silvertips would then go 16-2 in the postseason, beating the Portland Winterhawks, Kelowna Rockets, Penticton Vees and Prince Albert Raiders

Offensively, the Finnish duo of Matias Vanhanen (21G, 66A) and Julius Miettinen (35G, 41A) led the Silvertips. Vanhanen, second among rookies in assists and first in the regular season, followed his playoff performance with twelve goals and twelve assists for twenty-four points. So far in the Memorial Cup Vanhanen has two goals and one assist in two games. Miettinen, a Seattle Kraken Prospect has the highest points-per-game rate on the team and, in the playoffs, led the WHL with fourteen goals and twenty-seven points. Miettinen and Vanhanen were one and two, respectively, among forwards this year in +/- rating.

Detroit Red Wings first-round pick Carter Bear (36G, 41A) was also a massive producer for the team and he continued his success in the playoffs, where he had seven goals and fifteen assists. He has one goal so far in the Memorial Cup. Overage forwards Zachary Shantz (27G, 38A) and Rylan Gould (21G, 29A) were two other massive parts of the Silvertips offence. In the postseason, Shantz had fourteen points while Gould had ten. 

Defensively, the Silvertips are led by the projected first overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, Landon Dupont (18G, 55A). Dupont, who was fifth among blueliners in points in the regular season, would then follow that up with five goals and eighteen assists for twenty-three points, second among defencemen in the playoffs. Dupont has two assists in two games at the Memorial Cup.

Outside of Dupont, Anaheim Ducks draft pick Tarin Smith (16G, 55A) is another top offensive defenceman in the WHL, but he is unavailable for the Memorial Cup due to injury. Kayd Ruedig (16G, 20A) played parts of the season with Portland and Kamloops and is another key blueliner for the Silvertips. In the playoffs he had two goals and four assists for six points.

2026 NHL Draft-Eligible Defenceman Brek Liske (7G, 17A) saw his offensive game explode in the playoffs with four goals and thirteen assists in eighteen games. Philadelphia Flyers draft pick Luke Vlooswyk (1G, 7A) brings a shutdown element to the Silvertips blueline

In net, Anders Miller (2.30 GAA, 0.914 SV%) gets most of the work. Miller, one of the top netminders in the league, started the season with the Calgary Hitmen before the Silvertips acquired him on October 13th, and his thirty-one wins ranked second in the WHL. He also ranked second in the WHL with 4 shutouts. In the playoffs he played every minute between the pipes and went 16-2 with a sparkling 1.91 GAA and 0.932 SV%

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Kelowna Rockets Memorial Cup History

• 2003: WHL Champion – Finished 3rd
• 2004: Host – Memorial Cup Champions
• 2005: WHL Champion – Finished 4th
• 2009: WHL Champion – Finished 2nd
• 2015: WHL Champion – Finished 2nd

Everett Silvertips Memorial Cup History

• This is the Silvertips first time qualifying for the Memorial Cup

Special teams: Regular Season

Kelowna: PP 23.1% | PK 80.3% 

Everett: PP 30% | PK 80.2%

Special teams: Playoffs

Kelowna: PP 14.7% | PK 79.3% 

Everett: PP 27.7% | PK 83.8%

Top Performers: Regular Season

Kelowna Rockets:

• Tij Iginla: 41 Goals, 49 Assists, 90 Points.
• Carson Wetsch: 22 Goals, 50 Assists, 72 Points.
• Shane Smith: 33 Goals, 35 Assists, 68 Points.

Everett Silvertips

• Matias Vanhanen: 21 Goals, 66 Assists, 87 Points.
• Carter Bear: 36 Goals, 41 Assists, 77 Points.
• Julius Miettinen: 35 Goals, 41 Assists, 76 Points

Top Performers: Playoffs

Everett Silvertips:

• Vojtech Cihar: 6 Goals, 7 Assists, 13 Points.
• Tij Iginla: 7 Goals, 5 Assists, 12 Points.
• Hayden Paupanekis: 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 5 Points.

Everett Silvertips

• Julius Miettinen: 14 Goals, 13 Assists, 27 Points
• Matias Vanhanen: 12 Goals, 12 Assists, 24 Points.
• Landon Dupont: 5 Goals, 18 Assists, 23 Points.

MEMORIAL CUP BLOODLINES

Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla and defenceman Nate Corbet are continuing family legacies at the Memorial Cup.

Iginla’s father, Jarome Iginla, won back-to-back Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers in 1994 and 1995. Current Rockets associate coach Don Hay was also behind the bench for both of those championship teams.

Corbet’s father, Rene Corbet, also has Memorial Cup experience, having played in the 1991 tournament with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT!

While the Kelowna Rockets face a significant challenge down 0-2 in the 2026 Memorial Cup, their path to Victory is not impossible and has been done before. 

In the 2009 Memorial Cup, the Ontario Hockey League Champion Windsor Spitfires found themselves in a similar situation, down 0-2 after two games. They would then go on to win their last round-robin game before winning the tie-breaker game, then the semifinal, and then the Memorial Cup Final.