Kelowna Rockets set to begin quest to 2026 Memorial Cup
One team has already confirmed its spot in the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota Canada: the host Kelowna Rockets.
In their 30th season, the Rockets are guaranteed to play in their fifth CHL championship. And preparations are well underway.
Owner, president and general manager Bruce Hamilton, alongside assistant general manager Curtis Hamilton and head coach Derrick Martin, have made several additions in the offseason while a returning nucleus – highlighted by a healthy Tij Iginla – has the Rockets sights on a fifth WHL title before they welcome the hockey world to the Okanagan Valley in May.
| Key offseason additions | Key returnees |
| Tomas Poletin (NYI) | Tij Iginla (UTA) |
| Carson Wetsch (SJ) | Hayden Paupanekis (MTL) |
| Mazden Leslie | Hiroki Gojsic (NSH) |
| Daniel Pekar | Will Sharpe (LA) |
| Harrison Boettiger (2026) | Kalder Varga (2026) |
Twenty-two years on, the Kelowna Rockets are hoping to repeat history.
The club won its lone Memorial Cup title on home ice in 2004 and next year, they’ll look to repeat that feat.
Gone are future NHLers Shea Weber, Josh Gorges and Blake Comeau. In their place now stands future stars Tij Iginla, Tomas Poletin and Hiroki Gojsic.
The Rockets are no strangers to the Memorial Cup. They are four-time WHL champions (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015) and next year will be their sixth appearance at the tournament. In 2004 as hosts, Justin Keller scored the game-winner with 6:26 to play in a 2-1 win over Gatineau while they suffered heartbreak in the finals of 2009 and 2015 after losses to Windsor and Oshawa.
But now the focus is on this next wave and how they can write their names into history.
After a 2024-25 campaign that saw the Rockets win just 18 games and the departure of star Andrew Cristall at the trade deadline, general manager Bruce Hamilton has added some serious talent to the roster for the upcoming campaign.
The club acquired San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch from Calgary while they traded up to the no. 1 overall pick in the 2025 CHL Import Draft to select New York Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin. Mazden Leslie – a nominee for WHL Defencemen of the Year last season – was acquired from Vancouver where he de-committed from the NCAA to come to Kelowna while American goaltender and 2026 NHL Draft prospect Harrison Boettiger will man the pipes.
Add that to the club’s star returnees and the Rockets will ice one of the stronger rosters in the WHL. Utah Mammoth prospect Tij Iginla is fully healthy after he appeared in just 21 games a year ago while Nashville Predators prospect Hiroki Gojsic looks set to return for a third season. Trade deadline acquisitions in Montreal Canadiens prospect Hayden Paupanekis and LA Kings prospect Will Sharpe will only benefit from a full season with the Rockets while the club also boasts high-end 2026 NHL Draft prospect Kalder Varga.
To drive home their talent, ahead of the 2025-26 season, Kelowna is ranked at no. 9 in the CHL Top 10 rankings Delta Hotels by Marriott.
“It’s going to be exciting to have that much talent on the ice with just one team,” Leslie said. “We’re only going to get better throughout the year playing with each other more so it’s really exciting to see how it unfolds.”
Behind the bench, Derrick Martin steps into his first full campaign with the Rockets. A midseason replacement for Kris Mallette last year, his bench has been bolstered by the additions of legendary WHL coach Don Hay as associate coach as well as Rockets alumnus and former NHLers Josh Gorges and Brandon McMillan as assistant coaches.
Perhaps the ultimate challenge for the Rockets this season will be not looking too far ahead. The club will seek its first Ed Chynoweth Cup in 11 years and have aspirations of heading into the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota Canada through the front door.
“You’ve got to not get too far ahead of yourself and focus on where you’re at right now,” Leslie said. “You don’t play the year knowing you’re going to be at the Memorial Cup; you play to win a WHL title first.”
The Rockets will open their season Sept. 19 when they welcome Spokane to Prospera Place. The game can be seen LIVE for free on Victory+
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