[{"id":55705,"date":"2026-04-14T10:15:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:15:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55705"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:21:19","slug":"2025-26-award-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/2025-26-award-finalists","title":{"rendered":"Three Rockets Named WHL Award Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the 2025\u201326 season progressed, different parts of the Kelowna Rockets organization made their mark. That was recognized this week, as three key members of the Rockets were named finalists for major Western Hockey League awards.<\/p>\n

It starts with Tij Iginla<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

After an injury-shortened season a year ago, the 19-year-old returned with something to prove and delivered one of the most dominant offensive seasons in the WHL. Iginla led the league in points per game (1.88), finishing with 90 points in just 48 games, while setting new career highs in both assists and total points.<\/p>\n

His name now sits among the finalists for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, awarded to the WHL\u2019s Player of the Year. It is a moment that carries added significance, as his father, Jarome Iginla, captured the same honour\u00a0nearly three decades ago. For the Rockets, it is an opportunity to see a new chapter of history written, as no Kelowna player has ever claimed the award.<\/p>\n

While Iginla\u2019s impact has been felt every night on the ice, Shane Smith<\/span><\/span> has made his mark in a different, equally meaningful way.<\/p>\n

Acquired mid-season, Smith quickly became a leader both in the room and in the community. Inspired by his niece Maia, who was diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth, Smith pledged to donate $25 for every point he recorded to the Canadian CMV Foundation. By season\u2019s end, that commitment turned into $1,675 raised during the regular season, along with increased awareness for a cause that extends far beyond the game.<\/p>\n

Now a finalist for the Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy for the third straight season, Smith\u2019s impact is a reminder of what it means to represent more than just a team crest.<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes and behind the roster is a familiar name.<\/p>\n

In his 35th season of leading the organization, Bruce Hamilton<\/span><\/span> has once again built a contender. The Rockets\u2019 fourth-place finish in the Western Conference is the result of a season defined by calculated decisions from key acquisitions. Prior to puck drop this season, Hamilton added San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch, along with veteran blueliner Mazden Leslie. The offseason also saw Hamilton recruit U.S.-born netminder Harrison Boettiger, who is on the radar for the 2026 NHL Draft. Before the 2026 WHL Trade Deadline passed, Hamilton had bolstered his depth and veteran presence with the addition of Vancouver Canucks prospect Parker Alcos, Overagers Shane Smith and Ty Halaburda, and others. Two of Hamilton\u2019s savviest moves came in the form of imports. During the 2025 CHL Import Draft, he selected New York Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin with the first overall pick. Later in the campaign, he acquired Los Angeles Kings prospect Vojtech Cihar via trade and was successful in recruiting him to Kelowna following the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.<\/p>\n

Hamilton\u2019s work has earned him a nomination for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy, recognizing WHL Executive of the Year. Hamilton has won the honour of WHL Executive of the Year on two occasions (1992\u201393, 2002\u201303).\u00a0It is an honour that reflects not just this season but also a legacy that includes four WHL championships and a Memorial Cup.<\/p>\n

Together, these three nominations tell the story of a season in Kelowna, one built on talent, character, and leadership at every level of the organization.<\/p>\n

And with playoff hockey underway, that story is still being written.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the 2025\u201326 season progressed, different parts of the Kelowna Rockets organization made their mark. That was recognized this week, as three key members of the Rockets were named finalists for major Western Hockey League awards. It starts with Tij Iginla. After an injury-shortened season a year ago, the 19-year-old returned with something to prove…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55705","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\/14101529\/award-finalist.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\/55705","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=55705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55700,"date":"2026-04-11T23:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T06:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55700"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:45:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T22:45:09","slug":"halaburda-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/halaburda-update","title":{"rendered":"Update on Ty Halaburda"},"content":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2013 <\/b>The Kelowna Rockets would like to provide an update on forward Ty Halaburda following the injury sustained during Game 2 in Everett.<\/span><\/p>\n

Halaburda has been released from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett and will travel home to Victoria today with his family.<\/span><\/p>\n

He will be out for the remainder of the season as he recovers from a head injury. The Rockets medical staff will oversee his care moving forward, and he is expected to rejoin the team later this month.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Kelowna Rockets would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the medical staff at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett for their care and support. The organization would also like to thank the Everett Silvertips front office staff for their outstanding support throughout this process.<\/span><\/p>\n

The organization wishes Ty a full and speedy recovery and will continue to support him throughout his rehabilitation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KELOWNA, BC \u2013 The Kelowna Rockets would like to provide an update on forward Ty Halaburda following the injury sustained during Game 2 in Everett. Halaburda has been released from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett and will travel home to Victoria today with his family. He will be out for the remainder of the season…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55700","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\/11230721\/halaburda-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\/55700","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=55700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55698,"date":"2026-04-11T21:40:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55698"},"modified":"2026-04-11T21:44:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:44:56","slug":"apr-11-2026-game-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/apr-11-2026-game-recap","title":{"rendered":"ISight Optometry Game Recap: Rockets Fall 4\u20132 to Silvertips in Game 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets dropped Game 2 of the second round in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, falling 4\u20132. They now trail the series 2\u20130 as they head back to Kelowna for games 3 & 4. Goals from Hayden Paupanekis and Owen Folstrom led the Rockets offensively, while goaltender Harrison Boettiger made 34 saves in the loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

BOXSCORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

GAME SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening period saw Kelowna come out strong, generating a ton of early offense and outshooting Everett heavily. However, it was Everett who opened the scoring at 4:56, as Zackary Shantz (3) finished a play from Brek Liske and Landon DuPont to make it 1\u20130. The Rockets responded late in the frame, with Hayden Paupanekis (2) scoring at 17:39 off a setup from Tomas Poletin and Ty Halaburda to tie the game 1\u20131 heading into the second.<\/span><\/p>\n

Everett took control early in the middle frame, as Jaxsin Vaughan (3) struck just 1:19 in, finishing a play from Nolan Chastko and Jaxon Pisani to give the Silvertips their first lead. Kelowna answered back at 6:58, with Owen Folstrom (1) scoring his first of the playoffs off a tip from a point shot by Jacob Henderson to tie it 2\u20132.\u00a0<\/span>However, the Silvertips regained the lead on the powerplay at 15:35, when Carter Bear (1) buried a chance off of a Landon DuPont shot that missed the net. Shea Busch picked up the other assist, giving Everett a 3\u20132 lead heading into the third.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the third period, Everett added insurance at 9:01 on the powerplay, as Julius Miettinen (6) finished a setup from Carter Bear and Matias Vanhanen to extend the lead to 4\u20132, which would stand as the final. Rockets Forward Ty Halaburda left the game after a collision in the third period. Updates will be provided on his status shortly.<\/span><\/p>\n

ADDITIONAL STATS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shots on Goal: Kelowna 39 | Everett 38<\/span>
\n<\/span>Power Play: Kelowna 0\/6 | Everett 2\/3<\/span>
\n<\/span>Faceoffs: Kelowna 33 | Everett 38<\/span><\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rockets will now return to Prospera Place for games three and four. Game three is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14th at 7:05 pm PST. Game four is the following night on April 15th at 7:05pm PST. Tickets for both games are available on selectyourtickets.com.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets dropped Game 2 of the second round in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, falling 4\u20132. They now trail the series 2\u20130 as they head back to Kelowna for games 3 & 4. Goals from Hayden Paupanekis and Owen Folstrom led the Rockets offensively, while goaltender Harrison Boettiger made 34 saves in the loss.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55698","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\/11214006\/apr-11-final-score.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\/55698","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=55698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55688,"date":"2026-04-10T22:08:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T05:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55688"},"modified":"2026-04-10T22:15:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T05:15:03","slug":"apr-10-2026-game-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/apr-10-2026-game-recap","title":{"rendered":"ISight Optometry Game Recap: Rockets Fall Game One to Silvertips"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets dropped Game 1 of the second round in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, falling 4\u20131 to trail the series 1\u20130. Ty Halaburda scored his first goal of the postseason, while goaltender Harrison Boettiger made 36 saves in the loss. Kelowna will have an opportunity to split the series in Everett with a win in Game 2 tomorrow night.<\/span><\/p>\n

BOXSCORE<\/a> | HIGHLIGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

GAME SUMMARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opening frame featured a fast-paced start from both teams, with plenty of scoring chances at both ends. The first ten minutes remained scoreless before Everett struck first, as Shea Busch (2) scored on the powerplay at 11:50 to give the Silvertips the first lead of the series. Dawson Gerwing appeared to respond later in the period, but his goal was waved off, and Everett carried a 1\u20130 lead into the second.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kelowna answered quickly in the middle frame, as Ty Halaburda (1) scored just 23 seconds in with a beautiful shot for his first of the playoffs to tie the game. However, the Silvertips regained the lead minutes later when Matias Vanhanen (4) won a puck battle infront of the Rockets net to make it 2\u20131 at 4:20. Everett extended their lead at 16:14, with Julius Miettinen (5) finishing a breakaway to make it 3\u20131 heading into the third period.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the third, the only goal came on an Everett empty-netter at 18:17, as Vanhanen (5) scored his second of the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Goaltender Harrison Boettiger made 36 saves on 39 shots, continuing his strong play.<\/span><\/p>\n

ADDITIONAL STATS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shots on Goal: Kelowna 22 Everett 40<\/span>
\n<\/span>Power Play: Kelowna 0\/5 | Everett 1\/3<\/span>
\n<\/span>Faceoffs: Kelowna 33 | Everett 41<\/span><\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Game 2 is set for Saturday, April 11 at 6:05 PM PST and will be available to watch for free on Victory+ and 104.7 The Lizard. The series will then shift back to Prospera Place for Games 3 and 4 on April 14th and 15th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Kelowna Rockets dropped Game 1 of the second round in the 2026 WHL Playoffs, falling 4\u20131 to trail the series 1\u20130. Ty Halaburda scored his first goal of the postseason, while goaltender Harrison Boettiger made 36 saves in the loss. Kelowna will have an opportunity to split the series in Everett with a win…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":580,"featured_media":55689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[595],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-55688","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\/10215733\/apr-10-final-score.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\/55688","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=55688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":55685,"date":"2026-04-09T16:48:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T23:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/?p=55685"},"modified":"2026-04-09T17:40:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T00:40:33","slug":"round-two-preview-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-rockets\/article\/round-two-preview-2026","title":{"rendered":"Series Preview: Rockets Battle Silvertips In Second Round Matchup"},"content":{"rendered":"

After sweeping the Kamloops Blazers, the Kelowna Rockets will face the Everett Silvertips in the second round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs. The Silvertips are coming off a first-round sweep of the Portland Winterhawks after finishing the regular season atop the CHL, making them a formidable opponent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This matchup marks the first WHL playoff meeting between the two teams since 2010, when the Rockets defeated Everett in seven games. Although Kelowna lost every regular-season meeting against the Silvertips, they scored first and held the lead in each contest. <\/span><\/p>\n

Excluding their third matchup, the Rockets led for roughly 65% of the season series, demonstrating how often they controlled play despite the losses.<\/span><\/p>\n

ROUND 1 SCHEDULE<\/b><\/p>\n