In comparison to last season, the Kelowna Rockets have managed a much more tolerable and invigorating start to the current campaign. At 5-3-1 through nine games, the Rockets occupy a much more lofty perch than their 2-9 standard a year ago at this time.
In fact, the Rockets are tied for second overall in the western conference, trailing only the Vancouver Giants. Of course, it is very early in the regular season and while there is reason to be optimistic, there certainly are some legitimate concerns.
“It starts with our older players, it starts with them,” said head coach Adam Foote after the Rockets 5-2 home-ice loss Saturday against the Kamloops Blazers. “It’s a good lesson to learn early in the season.
“We have to…be a harder team to play against. This is what you want to find out — where you’re at and what you have to work on. The thing I want to address first is I think our older players have to be better.”
The core group of veterans consists of three 20-year-old players — forwards Kyle Topping and Leif Mattson, along with defenceman Carson Sass.
Topping and Mattson are durable forwards who have spent their entire WHL careers in Kelowna. Topping has scored four times and added seven assists this season, while Mattson has chipped in with nine assists, five on the power play.
Sass, who played over 215 games with the Red Deer Rebels, is new to the Western Conference and its style of play. He is a quality defender, though not an offensive threat, collecting a total of 36 points in his career.
Behind the overage group, 19-year-old forwards Liam Kindree and Michael Farren have to up their game this season. On the blue line, newcomer Sean Comrie and returnee Devin Steffler, both 19, will have to deliver consistent play.
Among those drafted by National Hockey League teams, forwards Nolan Foote (TB) and Dillon Hamaliuk (SJS), along with defenceman Kaedan Korczack (VGN) have to be top producers night in and night out.
There is an intriguing group of youngsters in Kelowna, with Alex Swetlikoff, Mark Liwiski, Jake Poole, Trevor Wong, and import Pavel Novak up front.
The future looks bright with this group and continued development will be crucial. Novak, 17, the Rockets’ lone import and a very pleasant surprise, currently leads the team in scoring.
Someone will have to emerge in this Memorial Cup season, but it’s a big ask to suggest any of these players can be dominant in the Western Hockey League at 17 or 18 years of age.
Against Kamloops on Saturday, in front of the largest crowd of the season at Prospera Place in Kelowna (5,428), the Blazers were clearly the better team on the night.
“It was a winnable game; we just didn’t grab it,” Kindree said after the loss at home to Kamloops. “They’re a good club and we have to respect them.
“They’re a heavy team, but we can beat them with our speed. We’re a faster team. We’re a smarter team. We were tired mentally and physically and it was proven out there. Their size and ability to get pucks on net and crash the net took advantage of that.”
Both Kamloops and Kelowna had played the previous night in Washington, where each team registered a victory on the road.
The Rockets and Blazers will meet eight more times this season. Kelowna has not beaten Kamloops since a 2-0 win on February 23, 2019. Including regular, post- and pre-season, the Blazers have won the last eight meetings between the divisional rivals.
If there is perhaps a hole in the Rockets lineup at this point, it would appear to be that type of big, gritty, physical presence — a player other teams would have to be consistently conscious of.
While the game has changed over the years and those in the know will talk about the speed of the game, the likes of Ryley Grantham, Mitch Callahan, Chance Braid, and Tyrell Goulbourne come to mind as former Rockets who excelled in their specific roles during some of Kelowna’s recent WHL success.
Frankly, at this juncture, the Rockets do not look like a team that opponents are afraid of – at home or on the road.
Rockets fuel…Four of the Rockets’ five wins have come against U.S. Division teams. Kelowna has yet to play Portland. The night before their loss to Kamloops, the Rockets hammered the T-Birds in Seattle, 8-3…Against B.C. Division foes, the Rockets are 1-3-1. They have yet to play Victoria…Hamaliuk leads the team with five goals and also leads with a plus-5 rating…Goaltender James Porter, now 19, has yet to play this season. Prior to the current campaign, Porter appeared in a total of 77 games for Kelowna…Roman Basran has started and finished eight of the Rockets’ nine games this season. Cole Schwebius played once, surrendering three goals in the Rockets’ 4-0 loss at Langley to the Vancouver Giants…The Rockets are 12-for-46 on the power play, third best in the WHL, while the penalty killing units have struggled. The Rockets have given up 10 power-play goals. Only the Regina Pats (1-9) have given up more, with 11…Kelowna has been efficient on home ice, protecting its turf at Prospera Place with three wins in four starts…The local faithful have been supportive so far as average attendance is 4,989 per contest. That’s good for fourth overall in the Western Hockey League through October 14, which also makes Kelowna the highest draw in the WHL among Canadian-based teams. Portland (5,724), Everett (5,391) and Spokane (5,261) lead the way…The Swift Current Broncos, who now reside in the Central Division, visit Kelowna Wednesday night. Puck drop is 7:05pm. Coincidentally, the Broncos played in Kelowna last season as an East Division team and the game on October 23, 2018 marked Adam Foote’s coaching debut after the firing of Jason Smith. The Rockets won that contest, 3-2.
(DUBNetwork would like to thank Paige Bednorz of the Kelowna Rockets for post-game audio.)
