[{"id":55769,"date":"2026-05-13T09:29:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T16:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55769"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:09:22","slug":"carson-wetsch-elc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/carson-wetsch-elc","title":{"rendered":"Rockets captain Carson Wetsch signs entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2014<\/strong> The Kelowna Rockets congratulate Carson Wetsch on signing a three-year NHL Entry Level Contract with the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n

Wetsch, 20, served as captain of the Rockets in 2025\u201326, posting 22 goals and 50 assists for 72 points in 65 regular-season games. He added four points in eight playoff appearances. The 6’2″, 201-pound right wing from North Vancouver, BC was selected by San Jose in the third round, 82nd overall, in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.<\/p>\n

Wetsch spent four seasons in the WHL, beginning his career with the Calgary Hitmen in 2022\u201323. Over three seasons in Calgary he accumulated 124 points (68G, 56A) in 180 regular-season games, representing Canada at both the 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge and the 2024 World U18 Championship. The Rockets acquired him from the Hitmen in May 2025, and he turned in his most complete campaign yet.<\/p>\n

“Carson is a player who earned everything through hard work. He came to Kelowna, took on the captaincy, and was exactly what you’d want from your leader every night. He is hard on pucks, responsible in his own end, and committed to winning,” said President & General Manager Bruce Hamilton. “He plays a heavy two-way game and his compete level never wavered all season. Four years in this league has prepared him well and we couldn’t be happier to see him rewarded with an NHL contract.”<\/p>\n

Wetsch’s signing marks the third NHL Entry Level Contract signed by a Kelowna Rocket this season, joining Vojtech Cihar (Los Angeles Kings) and Peyton Kettles (Pittsburgh Penguins). In total, five current Kelowna Rockets have signed ELC’s \u2014 Wetsch, Cihar, Kettles, Tij Iginla (Utah Mammoth), and Hiroki Gojsic (Nashville Predators).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2014 The Kelowna Rockets congratulate Carson Wetsch on signing a three-year NHL Entry Level Contract with the San Jose Sharks. Wetsch, 20, served as captain of the Rockets in 2025\u201326, posting 22 goals and 50 assists for 72 points in 65 regular-season games. He added four points in eight playoff appearances. The 6’2″,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/05\/12152032\/carson-wetsch-elc-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55769","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55769"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55769\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55764,"date":"2026-05-07T18:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T01:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55764"},"modified":"2026-05-07T18:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T01:35:26","slug":"2026-whl-draft-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/2026-whl-draft-recap","title":{"rendered":"Kelowna Rockets Select Eleven Players in the 2026 WHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC<\/strong> \u2014 The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce their selections from the 2026 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft, adding eleven promising young players to the organization’s pipeline. The Rockets made selections across thirteen rounds, highlighted by the first overall pick in the draft.<\/p>\n

ROUND 1 \u2014 1st OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Madden Daneault | Forward | Red Deer, AB<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Kelowna Rockets selected forward Madden Daneault with the first overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. The 15-year-old from Red Deer, Alberta was the consensus top prospect in this draft class after a historic season with the Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA in the AEHL, recording an astonishing 65 goals and 84 assists for 149 points in 34 games, leading the entire league in goals, assists, and points. Daneault earned AEHL U15 First All-Star Team honours in back-to-back seasons (2024-25 and 2025-26), was named Playoff MVP in 2024-25, and won both MVP and Top Forward at the John Reid Memorial in consecutive years. He also stood out at the Alberta Cup, recording 13 points in 5 games for Team Alberta Black. A right-shooting forward standing 5’11” and 175 lbs, Daneault brings elite offensive production and exceptional hockey sense to the Rockets’ prospect pool.<\/p>\n

ROUND 3 \u2014 52nd OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cole Chudyk | Forward | Lamont, AB<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rockets selected forward Cole Chudyk in the third round. The 15-year-old from Lamont, Alberta skated for the Calgary IHA U15 Prep in the CSSHL, posting 14 goals and 18 assists for 32 points in 24 games. Chudyk was part of a CSSHL U15 Champion squad in 2025-26 and also saw time with the Calgary IHA U17 Prep. He was a key contributor at the John Reid Memorial (7 points in 5 games) and helped Team Alberta Black at the Alberta Cup. A right-shooting forward at 5’8″ and 154 lbs, Chudyk adds skill and a championship pedigree to the Rockets’ forward group.<\/p>\n

ROUND 4 \u2014 78th OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke Trann | Defenseman | Prince Albert, SK<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kelowna added blue-line depth by selecting Luke Trann in the fourth round. The 14-year-old left-shooting defenseman from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan is one of the bigger players in the draft class at 6’1″ and 165 lbs. Trann spent the 2025-26 season with the Prince Albert Pirates U15 AA in the SAAHL, putting up 7 goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 22 regular season games, demonstrating excellent offensive instincts for a defender. He added 6 assists in 8 playoff games. Trann’s combination of size and playmaking ability makes him an intriguing long-term defensive prospect.<\/p>\n

\u2014 TRADE ALERT \u2014<\/strong>
\nPrior to the 6th Round, the Kelowna Rockets acquired pick #122 from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for Kelowna’s 2027 6th Round Pick (via Seattle). The Rockets immediately used the selection on…<\/p>\n

ROUND 6 \u2014 122nd OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zachary Martin | Defenseman | Maple Grove, MN<\/strong><\/p>\n

With their first sixth-round pick, the Rockets selected American defenseman Zachary Martin. The 15-year-old left-shooting blueliner from Maple Grove, Minnesota played for the MN Walleye 14U AAA in the MNHP, recording 3 goals and 9 assists for 12 points in 16 games. Standing 5’9″ and 161 lbs, Martin brings an American flavour to the Rockets’ defensive pipeline.<\/p>\n

ROUND 6 \u2014 132nd OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cohen Short | Forward | Kelowna, BC (Local Pick)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rockets stayed close to home with their second sixth-round selection, picking Kelowna-born forward Cohen Short. The 15-year-old played for the Okanagan HA U15 Prep in the CSSHL, scoring 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 29 games. Short took his season to the next level when he joined the Okanagan HA U17 AAA team for the playoffs, where he went on to win a CSSHL U17 AAA Championship. He added 3 goals and 1 assist in 2 playoff games at the U17 level and represented Team Green at the BC U16 Cup. A right-shooting forward at 5’11” and 146 lbs, Short is a proven winner who will be a familiar face to Kelowna.<\/p>\n

ROUND 7 \u2014 161st OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacob Fleming | Goaltender | Huntington Beach, CA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kelowna selected goaltender Jacob Fleming in the seventh round, adding American netminding depth to the organization. The 14-year-old from Huntington Beach, California played for the Dallas Stars Elite 14U AAA, posting a strong 2.76 GAA and .913 save percentage over 35 games (27-8-0 record) in the 14U AAA circuit. Fleming stands 5’10” and 141 lbs, and made three starting appearances at the US 14U National Championships with the Stars.<\/p>\n

ROUND 8 \u2014 178th OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jace Williams | Forward | Cawston, BC (Okanagan Local)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rockets added another local product in the eighth round, selecting Cawston, BC native Jace Williams. The 14-year-old forward already stands at 6’4″ and 155 lbs. Williams skated for the Okanagan HA U15 Prep in the CSSHL, recording 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points in 20 games, and added 3 points in 4 playoff games. He also represented Team Teal at the BC U16 Cup, scoring twice in four games. Williams’ extraordinary size and local roots make him an exciting pick for Rockets fans in the Okanagan.<\/p>\n

ROUND 10 \u2014 224th OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jasper Schelter | Defenseman | Calgary, AB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kelowna selected defenseman Jasper Schelter in the tenth round. The 14-year-old holds dual USA\/Canada citizenship, born in Denver, Colorado but raised in Calgary, Alberta. Schelter played for STAR Hockey Academy U15 Prep in the CSSHL, where he racked up 76 penalty minutes in 30 games, demonstrating a physical, competitive edge. He also played 3 games with the STAR Hockey Academy U17 Prep. Standing 5’11” and 154 lbs, Schelter’s gritty, defensive-minded game adds a different dimension to the Rockets’ blue-line depth chart. Jasper is a younger brother to former Kelowna Rockets forward Luke Schelter.<\/p>\n

ROUND 11 \u2014 247th OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jayden Ni | Forward | Vancouver, BC<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the eleventh round, the Rockets selected Vancouver-born forward Jayden Ni. The 15-year-old played for St. George’s School U15 Prep in the CSSHL, posting an impressive 28 goals and 31 assists for 59 points in 30 games, earning CSSHL U15 Second All-Star Team (BC) recognition. He also appeared twice with the St. George’s U17 Prep squad. Standing 5’9″ and 145 lbs, Ni’s offensive instincts and point production late in the draft make him an excellent value pick for the Rockets.<\/p>\n

ROUND 12 \u2014 270th OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taylor Mowbray | Forward | St. Albert, AB<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rockets selected forward Taylor Mowbray with their twelfth-round pick. The 14-year-old from St. Albert, Alberta had a strong season with the KC Squires U15 AAA in the AEHL, recording 35 goals and 46 assists for 81 points in 34 games, earning AEHL U15 Second All-Star Team honours. He added 12 points in 10 playoff games and contributed 9 points in 5 games for Team Alberta Gold at the Alberta Cup. A left-shooting forward at 5’9″ and 141 lbs, Mowbray’s high-end production in the ultra-competitive AEHL makes him one of the steals of this draft.<\/p>\n

ROUND 13 \u2014 293rd OVERALL<\/strong><\/p>\n

David Ring | Forward | Kenora, ON<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kelowna closed out their draft by selecting forward David Ring in the thirteenth round. The 14-year-old from Kenora, Ontario, played for RINK HA Winnipeg U15 Prep in the CSSHL, notching 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 26 games, while also making an appearance with RINK HA Winnipeg U17 AAA. He added 6 points in 5 John Reid Memorial games. A left-shooting forward standing 5’11” and weighing 162 lbs, Ring rounds out a deep Rockets draft class.<\/p>\n

ROCKETS’ 2026 DRAFT SELECTIONS AT A GLANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Round<\/th>\nPick<\/th>\nPlayer<\/th>\nPos.<\/th>\nHometown<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\n1st Overall<\/td>\nMadden Daneault<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nRed Deer, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\n52nd Overall<\/td>\nCole Chudyk<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nLamont, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\n78th Overall<\/td>\nLuke Trann<\/td>\nD<\/td>\nPrince Albert, SK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n122nd Overall<\/td>\nZachary Martin<\/td>\nD<\/td>\nMaple Grove, MN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n132nd Overall<\/td>\nCohen Short<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nKelowna, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\n161st Overall<\/td>\nJacob Fleming<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nHuntington Beach, CA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\n178th Overall<\/td>\nJace Williams<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nCawston, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\n224th Overall<\/td>\nJasper Schelter<\/td>\nD<\/td>\nCalgary, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\n247th Overall<\/td>\nJayden Ni<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nVancouver, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\n270th Overall<\/td>\nTaylor Mowbray<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nSt. Albert, AB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
13<\/td>\n293rd Overall<\/td>\nDavid Ring<\/td>\nF<\/td>\nKenora, ON<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2014 The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce their selections from the 2026 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft, adding eleven promising young players to the organization’s pipeline. The Rockets made selections across thirteen rounds, highlighted by the first overall pick in the draft. ROUND 1 \u2014 1st OVERALL Madden Daneault | Forward |…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/05\/07183442\/draft-recap-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55762,"date":"2026-05-06T17:10:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T00:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55762"},"modified":"2026-05-06T17:10:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T00:10:03","slug":"daneault-goes-first-overall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/daneault-goes-first-overall","title":{"rendered":"Kelowna Rockets Select Madden Daneault First Overall in 2026 WHL Prospects Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC<\/strong> \u2013 The Kelowna Rockets have selected forward Madden Daneault<\/span><\/span> with the first overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

Daneault, a product of Red Deer, Alberta, put together a remarkable 2025\u201326 season with the Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA program, recording 65 goals and 84 assists for 149 points in just 34 regular season games while serving as team captain.<\/p>\n

The 5-foot-10, 168-pound forward added 22 points in nine playoff games and also appeared at the U18 AAA level with the Red Deer Chiefs.<\/p>\n

Daneault was named to the AEHL U15 First All-Star Team for the second consecutive season while leading the league in goals, assists, and points. He was also named MVP and Top Forward at the prestigious John Reid Memorial Tournament after recording 15 points in six games.<\/p>\n

On the provincial stage, Daneault registered 13 points in five games at the Alberta Cup representing Team Alberta Black.<\/p>\n

\u201cMadden is a complete 200-foot player that impacts the game in all areas of the ice,\u201d said Kelowna Rockets Director of Player Personnel Terry McFaul<\/span><\/span>. \u201cHe competes at a very high level, has elite offensive instincts, and scores at an exceptional rate. We believe he has all the tools to become a special player in our organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daneault becomes the first player selected first overall by the Rockets franchise since its inception as the Tacoma Rockets in 1991.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2013 The Kelowna Rockets have selected forward Madden Daneault with the first overall pick in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft. Daneault, a product of Red Deer, Alberta, put together a remarkable 2025\u201326 season with the Red Deer Rebels U15 AAA program, recording 65 goals and 84 assists for 149 points in just 34…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/05\/06145906\/daneault-1st-overall-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55754,"date":"2026-04-28T09:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55754"},"modified":"2026-04-28T09:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:31:15","slug":"kelly-guard-2003-04-memorial-cup-kelowna-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/kelly-guard-2003-04-memorial-cup-kelowna-rockets","title":{"rendered":"Kelly Guard\u2019s 2003-04 Season Remains One of the Greatest in Memorial Cup History"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Kelowna Rockets entered the 2003\u201304 season, expectations were already high. They were just coming off a WHL championship and the organization had built a contender once again, one capable of competing for a WHL Championship while also preparing to host the 2004 Memorial Cup on home ice.<\/p>\n

They had talent throughout the lineup, experience in key areas, and a fanbase ready for a historic season.<\/p>\n

They also had Kelly Guard<\/span><\/span> in goal.<\/p>\n

More than two decades later, Guard\u2019s 2003\u201304 campaign remains one of the greatest individual seasons ever produced by a Rockets goaltender and one of the most dominant goaltending performances in Canadian Hockey League history.<\/p>\n

Fresh off helping Kelowna reach the 2003 Memorial Cup the season prior, Guard returned even better. In 62 regular season appearances, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan product posted a 44-14-4 record, along with 13 shutouts, a .925 save percentage, and a remarkable 1.56 goals-against average.<\/p>\n

That goals-against average set a WHL and CHL single-season record at the time.<\/p>\n

Night after night, Guard gave the Rockets stability and confidence. He was calm under pressure, efficient in his movements, and nearly impossible to beat when Kelowna was protecting a lead. For a team with championship aspirations, he became the backbone of everything.<\/p>\n

The Rockets went on to lose in the conference finals against the expansion Everett Silvertips, but they still had the opportunity to compete for the Memorial Cup in front of their home crowd at Prospera Place.<\/p>\n

With the spotlight at its brightest and pressure at its highest, Guard delivered his finest performance yet.<\/p>\n

In four Memorial Cup games, he posted a 0.75 goals-against average, a .971 save percentage, and one shutout while leading the Rockets to the first Memorial Cup championship in franchise history.<\/p>\n

For his efforts, Guard was named the winner of the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup’s MVP and also received the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup\u2019s Most Outstanding Goaltender.<\/p>\n

Only four goaltenders since 1972 have earned Memorial Cup MVP honours, placing Guard among some of the most elite company in tournament history.<\/p>\n

The 2003\u201304 Rockets are remembered as one of the finest teams ever iced in Kelowna. Their Memorial Cup triumph on home ice remains one of the defining moments in the city\u2019s sports history.<\/p>\n

At the heart of that championship run was Guard.<\/p>\n

His numbers remain remarkable. His performances remain memorable. And when the moment demanded the most, he was at his best.<\/p>\n

Today, Guard continues to give back to the game, helping develop the next generation of talent as goaltending coach for the Bakersfield Condors<\/span><\/span>, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

As Kelowna prepares to welcome the Memorial Cup back in 2026, it is only fitting to remember one of the greatest goaltending seasons the tournament has ever seen.<\/p>\n

Kelly Guard did more than backstop a champion. He helped define an era.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the Kelowna Rockets entered the 2003\u201304 season, expectations were already high. They were just coming off a WHL championship and the organization had built a contender once again, one capable of competing for a WHL Championship while also preparing to host the 2004 Memorial Cup on home ice. They had talent throughout the lineup,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/28092938\/200504_KRMH_0004.jpg",2160,1440,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55754\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55752,"date":"2026-04-24T11:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T18:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55752"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:11:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:11:03","slug":"behind-the-scenes-kelowna-rockets-taste-test-papa-johns-pizzas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/video\/behind-the-scenes-kelowna-rockets-taste-test-papa-johns-pizzas","title":{"rendered":"Behind The Scenes: Kelowna Rockets Taste Test Papa Johns Pizza’s"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[596],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-596","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/23111047\/BehindtheScenes_S01E7_artwork.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2570761","partner_id":"31020","player_id":"47908","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/sd\/2570761.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/ld\/2570761.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/hsd\/2570761.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/fhd\/2570761.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/streaming\/2570761\/2570761.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/webp\/2570761.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55750,"date":"2026-04-23T11:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55750"},"modified":"2026-04-23T11:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T18:07:09","slug":"behind-the-scenes-kelowna-rockets-make-papa-johns-pizzas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/video\/behind-the-scenes-kelowna-rockets-make-papa-johns-pizzas","title":{"rendered":"Behind The Scenes: Kelowna Rockets Make Papa Johns Pizza’s"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55751,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[596],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","category-596","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/23110658\/BehindtheScenes_S01E6_artwork.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":{"video_id":"2570757","partner_id":"31020","player_id":"47908","width":"16","height":"9","360p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/sd\/2570757.mp4","240p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/ld\/2570757.mp4","480p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/hsd\/2570757.mp4","1080p":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/fhd\/2570757.mp4","hls":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/streaming\/2570757\/2570757.m3u8","webp":"https:\/\/cdn.target-video.com\/live\/partners\/31020\/webp\/2570757.webp"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55747,"date":"2026-04-22T10:04:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55747"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:04:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T17:04:53","slug":"shane-smith-humanitarian-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/shane-smith-humanitarian-2026","title":{"rendered":"Shane Smith Named Winner of 2026 Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC<\/strong> \u2013 Kelowna Rockets forward Shane Smith<\/span><\/span> has been named the winner of the 2026 Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player who best demonstrates outstanding community service.<\/p>\n

Acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a mid-season trade, Smith made an immediate impact both on and off the ice during the 2025\u201326 campaign. In 61 regular season games, Smith recorded 33 goals and 35 assists for 68 points while playing a key role in the Rockets\u2019 success.<\/p>\n

Away from the rink, Smith\u2019s contributions were equally meaningful. Leading by example with school visits and other events, Smith made a personal pledge this season, donating $25 for each point he scored to the Canadian CMV Foundation, in honour of his niece, Maia, who was diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth. In total, Smith donated $1,800, and, in the process, raised awareness of congenital CMV \u2013 a common viral infection that can pass from mother to baby during pregnancy. CMV can cause health problems in some babies, which is why awareness, prevention, and early detection are important. CMV impacts one in 200 newborns in Canada.<\/p>\n

This marks the first time Smith has won the award and the third consecutive season he has been recognized as a finalist, having previously earned nominations while playing with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers.<\/p>\n

Smith becomes the first Kelowna Rockets player to win the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy since Ty Hurley<\/span><\/span> in 2023\u201324.<\/p>\n

The Kelowna Rockets congratulate Shane on this well-deserved recognition!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2013 Kelowna Rockets forward Shane Smith has been named the winner of the 2026 Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the Western Hockey League player who best demonstrates outstanding community service. Acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a mid-season trade, Smith made an immediate impact both on and off…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/22100018\/smith-humanitarian-2026-whl-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55743,"date":"2026-04-21T09:52:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55743"},"modified":"2026-04-21T09:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:52:21","slug":"banini-goalie-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/banini-goalie-of-the-week","title":{"rendered":"Banini Named WHL Goalie of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce that goaltender Josh Banini has been named the Mary Brown\u2019s WHL Goaltender of the Week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Banini earned the honour after appearing in two games during the Rockets\u2019 second-round series against the Everett Silvertips, stopping 82 of 84 shots for a stellar 0.976 save percentage and 1.12 goals-against average. His performance between the pipes was a key factor in Kelowna\u2019s Game 4 comeback victory, and he followed it up with a remarkable 53-save effort in Game 5, pushing the contest to overtime.<\/span><\/p>\n

The weekly recognition marks the first time Banini has been named the WHL Goaltender of the Week.<\/span><\/p>\n

His 53-save performance in Game 5 also etched his name into the record books, becoming the first Rockets goaltender in nine years to record 50 or more saves in a playoff game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Banini appeared in 29 regular season games this year, posting a 12-11-2-2 record along with a 3.35 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. Known for elevating his play in key moments, Banini has been particularly strong against Everett, recording a 2.91 goals-against average and .931 save percentage across six career appearances.<\/span><\/p>\n

Banini’s recent performance continues to demonstrate his ability to perform at his best when it matters most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets are proud to announce that goaltender Josh Banini has been named the Mary Brown\u2019s WHL Goaltender of the Week. Banini earned the honour after appearing in two games during the Rockets\u2019 second-round series against the Everett Silvertips, stopping 82 of 84 shots for a stellar 0.976 save percentage and 1.12 goals-against average.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/21095157\/banini-goalie-of-the-week-apr-13-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55743\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55741,"date":"2026-04-20T16:42:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T23:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55741"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:42:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T23:42:08","slug":"2026-nhl-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/2026-nhl-playoffs","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Lead WHL with Eight Alumni in 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets will once again be well represented on hockey\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

Eight Rockets alumni are competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the highest total among WHL clubs and tied for the second-most among all CHL teams.<\/p>\n

That group includes Leon Draisaitl<\/span><\/span>, Jamie Benn<\/span><\/span>, Colton Dach<\/span><\/span>, Kaedan Korczak<\/span><\/span>, Colton Sissons<\/span><\/span>, Tyler Myers<\/span><\/span>, Luke Schenn<\/span><\/span>, and Lassi Thomson<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

From league MVPs and team captains to rising contributors and Stanley Cup champions, Rockets alumni continue to leave their mark across the National Hockey League.<\/p>\n

Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers <\/b>(Kelowna 2014-15)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Leon Draisaitl is set to appear in his eighth career Stanley Cup Playoff run, all with the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are aiming for another deep push after back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final. Draisaitl had another dominant season, recording 35 goals and 62 assists for 97 points in just 65 games. He has not played since March 15 due to a knee injury and is considered a game-time decision for Game 1 against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. A proven playoff performer, Draisaitl has totaled 52 goals and 89 assists for 141 points in 96 career postseason games, with his 1.47 points-per-game ranking second among active players (minimum 20 games). The last time the Oilers played the Ducks in the postseason (in 2017) Draisaitl tallied 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 7 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colton Dach – Edmonton Oilers <\/b>(Kelowna 2021-23)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Colton Dach is preparing for his first NHL Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. The former Rocket is looking to contribute to another deep run for the Oilers. Originally drafted by Chicago, Dach spent parts of two seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to Edmonton alongside Jason Dickinson on March 5, 2026, in exchange for Andrew Mangiapane and a conditional first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Dach recorded 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in 61 games this season and will join fellow Rockets alumnus Draisaitl as the Oilers take on the Ducks in the opening round.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamie Benn – Dallas Stars <\/b>(Kelowna 2007-09)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Jamie Benn is skating in his ninth Stanley Cup Playoff run, all as captain of the Dallas Stars. He is looking to lead the franchise to its first Stanley Cup since 1999. Benn, a veteran of 121 playoff games, ranks fourth among active NHL players in playoff games played without a Stanley Cup. Over his postseason career, he has recorded 28 goals and 52 assists for 80 points. Benn posted 36 points (15G, 21A) in 60 regular-season games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tyler Myers – Dallas Stars <\/b>(Kelowna 2006-09)<\/em>
\n<\/b>The Dallas Stars acquired Tyler Myers from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline, reuniting him with former Rockets teammate Jamie Benn. The two last played together on the 2009 Kelowna Rockets team that won the WHL championship and advanced to the Memorial Cup. Myers is now in his eighth playoff run, recording 16 points (7G, 9A) in 62 career postseason games. Myers had 11 points (1G, 10A) in 73 regular-season games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaedan Korczak – Vegas Golden Knights <\/b>(Kelowna 2017-21)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Drafted in the second round in 2019, Korczak is appearing in his second career playoff run. With limited postseason experience to date, he is expected to play a larger role on Vegas\u2019 blue line this spring. Korczak suited up in 78 games this season, tallying 16 points (3G, 13A).<\/span><\/p>\n

Colton Sissons – Vegas Golden Knights <\/b>(Kelowna 2010-13)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Sissons posted 11 points (6G, 5A) in 66 regular-season games and brings significant playoff experience, appearing in 72 career postseason games with 27 points (11G, 16A). Now in his ninth playoff run, Sissons is no stranger to deep postseason success, having helped the Nashville Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luke Schenn – Buffalo Sabres <\/b>(Kelowna 2005-08)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Acquired from the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline, Schenn has appeared in four games with Buffalo so far. He recorded 7 points (1G, 6A) in 50 regular-season games and provides a physical presence on the blue line. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay (2021, 2022), Schenn has played in 58 career playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lassi Thomson – Ottawa Senators <\/b>(Kelowna 2018-19)<\/em>
\n<\/b>Lassi Thomson split the season between the Ottawa Senators and their AHL affiliate in Belleville, recording three assists in 11 NHL games. Thomson has yet to make his Stanley Cup Playoff debut but could factor into the lineup during Ottawa\u2019s first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes following injuries in Game 1. The former first-round pick is looking to help the Senators win their first playoff series since 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets will once again be well represented on hockey\u2019s biggest stage. Eight Rockets alumni are competing in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the highest total among WHL clubs and tied for the second-most among all CHL teams. That group includes Leon Draisaitl, Jamie Benn, Colton Dach, Kaedan Korczak, Colton Sissons, Tyler Myers, Luke…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/20164007\/good-luck-2026-nhl-playoffs-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55741"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55741\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55738,"date":"2026-04-20T10:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55738"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:16:12","slug":"2026-css-final-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/2026-css-final-rankings","title":{"rendered":"Pair of Rockets Featured in NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets have had a pair of goaltenders recognized in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s Final Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

Harrison Boettiger<\/span><\/span> was ranked 10th among North American goaltenders, while Frantisek Poletin<\/span><\/span> was listed 6th among international goaltenders.<\/p>\n

Boettiger has played a major role in the Rockets\u2019 success this season after making the jump to the WHL from the U.S. National Team Development Program. In his first WHL campaign, the 18-year-old posted a 25-10-4-1 record, along with a 2.83 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.<\/p>\n

His 25 victories were tied for the eighth-most in the WHL, while his .911 save percentage ranked fourth among qualified league goaltenders.<\/p>\n

He continued that strong form into the playoffs, posting a 3.06 goals-against average and .907 save percentage through eight appearances and now looks ahead to the 2026 Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n

Boettiger was previously ranked 7th among North American goaltenders in Central Scouting\u2019s midterm rankings released in January. He was also named a \u201cB\u201d rated prospect on the Players to Watch list in October, projecting as a potential second or third-round selection.<\/p>\n

Poletin, the younger brother of Rockets forward Tomas Poletin<\/span><\/span>, also earned recognition following a strong season in Finland.<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old was the youngest goaltender ranked by Central Scouting. He appeared in 13 games for Pelicans U20 in Finland\u2019s top junior league, posting a 2.38 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.<\/p>\n

Poletin was previously ranked 5th among international goaltenders in the midterm rankings after also receiving a \u201cB\u201d rating on the preliminary watch list earlier this season.<\/p>\n

Both goaltenders are among the top prospects eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, set for June 26\u201327 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets have had a pair of goaltenders recognized in NHL Central Scouting\u2019s Final Rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. Harrison Boettiger was ranked 10th among North American goaltenders, while Frantisek Poletin was listed 6th among international goaltenders. Boettiger has played a major role in the Rockets\u2019 success this season after making the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-595","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/32\/2026\/04\/20100914\/2526-final-css-rankings-horizontal.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]