Rockets Rookie Camp 2009
r Lorne Frey will have his hands, and eyes, full over the next three weeks.
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r As of Tuesday afternoon, approximately 175 players had registered for the Kelowna Rockets‘ annual rookie camp, a four-day affair that will run Thursday, Aug. 20, to Sunday, Aug. 23, at Prospera Place. Then, following rookie camp, main camp starts up on Monday and runs to Sunday, Aug. 30.
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r Approximately 60 players are expected for main camp. But back to next week‘s rookie camp, which underscores how winning attracts attention.
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r In 2004, after the Rockets won the Memorial Cup on home ice, a record 240 players attended rookie camp.
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r This time around, with Kelowna having advanced to last season‘s Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Que., where the WHL champions advanced to the final but lost to the OHL‘s Windsor Spitfires, the Rockets saw another spike in player interest.
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r Rockets management ranks this month‘s camp as second only to 2004.
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r “Usually there are 10 to 15 no-shows at every camp, but we‘re still having people apply and trying to get in,” said Frey, Kelowna‘s assistant general manager and chief scout. “And this really bewilders me because we sent out less invitations this year than we had any other year. “I‘m like everyone else – because of the economy, I thought a lot of people would be staying close to home instead of travelling.
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r “But the next thing you know, we‘re getting a lot of kids across Western Canada here.”
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r Expected players in next week‘s rookie camp include Kelowna‘s top five selections from the 2009 WHL bantam draft: Right-winger Jason Siebert of Abbotsford, selected in the first round, 17th overall; centre Colton Heffley of Swift Current, second round, 39th overall; left-winger Ryan Berlin of Edmonton, 61st overall (third round); defenceman Bradon Seyl of Revelstoke, 83rd overall (fourth round); and left winger Tyrell Goulbourne of Edmonton 105th overall (fifth round).
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r “Our draft picks will certainly be there,” said Frey, adding there could be a half-dozen surprise players but wouldn‘t give any details. “Last year, draft wise, it seemed a lot of the players were the same, but we were fortunate with our picks. But we also have some kids coming in that we‘re very curious to see . . . some were on the draft bubble and maybe they could have been drafted but haven‘t been.
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r “So, for the most part, we‘re pretty impressed with the kids that are coming here, especially from the standpoint that these players will make our camp better. And we‘re excited to see some of the players again, to see how they‘ve developed after a four- or five-month hiatus.”
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r The following is the schedule for Rookie Camp:
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r Wednesday August 19 – Registration – 4:00pm-5:00pm
r Players Meeting – 5:00pm – 5:30pm
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r Thursday August 20 – Sunday August 23 – On Ice Sessions – 7:00am – 10:00pm
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