Kelowna Rockets

The Kelowna Rockets are a junior ice hockey team based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The Rockets play in the Western Hockey League (WHL), out of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). They play their home games at Prospera Place.[1]

Kelowna Rockets
CityKelowna, British Columbia
LeagueWestern Hockey League
ConferenceWestern
DivisionB.C.
Founded1991 (1991)
Home arenaProspera Place
ColoursTeal, Red, Copper, Black, White
         
Owner(s)Bruce Hamilton
General managerBruce Hamilton
Head coachKris Mallette
WebsiteKelownaRockets.com
Franchise history
1991–1995Tacoma Rockets
1995–presentKelowna Rockets
Championships
Regular season titles3 (2002–03, 2003–04, 2013–14)
Playoff championshipsEd Chynoweth Cup
4 (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015)
Conference Championships
4 (2002–03, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2014–15)
Memorial Cup
1 (2004)

The Rockets have won the WHL championship four times and have made it to the Memorial Cup finals three times, winning once. The Rockets captured the Memorial Cup for the first time in franchise history in 2004, the same year they were selected to host the event. The Rockets returned to the Memorial Cup finals in both 2009 and 2015, losing to the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and the Oshawa Generals in 2015.

Franchise history

Established in 1991, the team began as the Tacoma Rockets, previously playing in Tacoma, Washington, and playing their home games at the Tacoma Dome. Prior to the 1995–96 season, the team relocated to Kelowna, playing their home games at the city's Memorial Arena. Following the 1998–99 season, they moved into their then-new home arena, Prospera Place. The team's logo pays tribute to the famed Ogopogo monster, of the Okanagan Lake.

1991–94: early years
Former Tacoma Rockets logo. Used 1991–94.

Marcel Comeau was hired to be the first coach of the Rockets, and stayed with the team all four seasons.[2] In 1992–93, head coach Marcel Comeau won the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as the WHL coach of the year, and the CHL Coach of the Year Award as well.[2]

1995–2004: new ownership
Logo used from 1995–96 to 1999-2000

The 1995–96 season saw the decision to relocate the Rockets to Kelowna, British Columbia.

2004: Memorial Cup Champions

Kelowna qualified for three-straight Memorial Cup tournaments in the years 2003, 2004 and 2005. They won the Memorial Cup for the first time in franchise history in 2004, coincidentally the same year they were selected to host the event.

2009: return to the Cup

For the fourth time in seven years, the Rockets would play in a Memorial Cup tournament.[3]

2015: return to the Cup 2
Further information: 2015 Memorial Cup

After five years of failing to qualify for the Memorial Cup, the Rockets broke the slump in 2015 after defeating the Brandon Wheat Kings 4–0 in the WHL finals. They went on to record one win and two losses in the tournament, clinching a spot in the tournament semi-finals. The Rockets then routed the Quebec Remparts 9–3 in the semi-finals, setting-up a game against the Oshawa Generals. Kelowna and Oshawa played hard and forced an overtime. Kelowna then lost the game when Anthony Cirelli, only 1 minute 28 seconds into overtime, banged in a rebound from Carlisle against Jackson Whistle.

Team uniforms
Current uniforms.

Since 2000, the Rockets' uniforms have featured a logo resembling the legendary Okanagan Lake monster, Ogopogo. Their current third jersey features the monster's head, taken from their shoulder patch design. The team's colours are jaguar teal, athletic red, copper gold, orange sun, black and white. In 2009, their jerseys were slightly modified to fit the Reebok Edge system.[4]

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1995–96 72 35 33 4 – 338 309 74 4th West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
1996–97 72 35 35 2 – 298 314 72 4th West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
1997–98 72 33 35 4 – 234 253 70 5th West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
1998–99 72 25 42 5 – 224 282 55 6th West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
1999–00 72 25 40 4 3 193 228 57 5th West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2000–01 72 37 23 7 5 259 240 86 1st West Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2001–02 72 31 26 10 5 257 232 77 4th B.C. Lost Western Conference final
2002–03 72 51 14 6 1 311 164 109 1st B.C. Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup semifinal
2003–04 72 47 21 4 0 185 125 98 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference final; Won Memorial Cup
2004–05 72 45 13 12 2 215 139 104 2nd B.C. Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup round-robin
2005–06 72 46 22 1 3 243 188 96 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal
2006–07 72 22 41 5 2 156 245 53 5th B.C. Out of playoffs
2007–08 72 38 26 2 6 248 215 84 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2008–09 72 47 21 1 3 267 178 98 2nd B.C. Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup final
2009–10 72 35 31 2 4 224 225 76 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal
2010–11 72 43 28 0 1 240 201 87 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal
2011–12 72 31 31 4 6 217 242 72 3rd B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2012–13 72 52 16 3 1 309 178 108 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal
2013–14 72 57 11 0 4 310 182 118 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference final
2014–15 72 53 13 5 1 305 183 112 1st B.C. Won Championship; Lost Memorial Cup final
2015–16 72 48 20 4 0 269 218 100 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference final
2016–17 72 45 22 5 0 283 206 95 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference final
2017–18 72 43 22 5 2 280 249 93 1st B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2018–19 68 28 32 6 2 169 209 64 4th B.C. Lost tie-breaker game to Kamloops
Out of playoffs
2019–20 63 29 28 3 3 181 208 64 4th B.C. Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 16 10 5 1 0 58 53 21 3rd B.C. No playoffs were held
2021–22 68 42 20 1 5 250 207 90 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2022–23 68 27 37 4 0 210 256 58 4th B.C. Lost Western Conference quarterfinal
2023–24 68 33 30 4 1 250 258 71 2nd B.C. Lost Western Conference semifinal

WHL Championship history

Memorial Cup finals history
  • 2004: Win, 2–1 vs. Gatineau
  • 2009: Loss, 1–4 vs. Windsor
  • 2015: Loss, 1–2 vs. Oshawa

Current roster

Updated March 30, 2024.[5]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Drafted
9 Canada Brett Calhoon LW L 19 2023 Oliver, British Columbia Undrafted
19 Canada Michael Cicek C R 20 2023 Winnipeg, Manitoba Undrafted
2 Canada Landon Cowper D L 17 2023 Whitehorse, Yukon Eligible 2024
28 Canada Andrew Cristall (A) LW L 19 2020 Burnaby, British Columbia 2023, 40th Overall, WSH
6 United States Jackson Gillespie D R 17 2022 Keller, Texas Eligible 2025
29 Canada Hiroki Gojsic RW R 17 2023 Langley, British Columbia Undrafted
7 Canada Max Graham (A) LW L 19 2021 Whitehorse, Yukon Undrafted
16 Canada Ty Hurley LW L 19 2023 Sherwood Park, Alberta Undrafted
11 Canada Tij Iginla LW L 17 2023 Lake Country, British Columbia Eligible 2024
15 Canada Trae Johnson LW L 18 2023 Martensville, Saskatchewan Undrafted
5 Canada Carter Kowalyk D L 18 2024 St. Albert, Alberta Undrafted
30 Canada Jari Kykkanen G R 19 2019 Lloydminster, Alberta Undrafted
17 Canada Kayden Longley LW L 18 2021 Wainwright, Alberta Eligible 2024
23 Canada Ethan Mittelsteadt D L 18 2023 Victoria, British Columbia Eligible 2024
12 Canada Will Munro RW R 18 2020 Swan River, Manitoba Undrafted
18 Canada Ethan Neutens C R 18 2020 Cochrane, Alberta Undrafted
31 Canada Jake Pilon G L 17 2023 Calgary, Alberta Eligible 2025
4 Canada Caden Price D L 18 2020 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 2023, 84th Overall, SEA
8 Czech Republic Marek Rocak D R 18 2022 Valasske Klobouky, Czech Republic Undrafted
27 Canada Kayden Sadhra-Kang D L 20 2023 Richmond, British Columbia Undrafted
10 United States Luke Schelter RW R 20 2023 Centennial, Colorado Undrafted
3 Canada Lachlan Staniforth D L 16 2022 Abbotsford, British Columbia Eligible 2025
22 Czech Republic Gabriel Szturc (C) C L 20 2021 Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic 2024, FA, TBL
24 Canada Dylan Wightman LW L 21 2019 Kelowna, British Columbia Undrafted

NHL alumni

List of Rockets' alumni to play in the National Hockey League (NHL):

See also
  • List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia

References
  1. "Select Your Tickets > Kelowna Rockets". SelectYourTickets.com. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
  2. "1972 NHL Amateur Draft – Marcel Comeau". Hockey Draft Central. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  3. "WHL Champion Kelowna Rockets set sights on Memorial Cup". WHL. May 13, 2009. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  4. "CHL, WHL and Reebok Hockey launch new EDGE Uniform System – WHL Network".
  5. WHL Network, Western Hockey League, retrieved March 30, 2024
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