Catching up with Jason Smith
The Kelowna Rockets have been very busy of late, with 98 hopefuls scrimmaging this past week during rookie camp.
The organization has transitioned to main camp now, with upwards of 50 players in the mix.
The 2018-19 Western Hockey League regular season is still about four weeks away and the Rockets, like many other WHL teams, have plenty of work to do. Whether it’s called a “re-build” or a “re-tool”, there are significant holes to fill.
It is indeed an unusual situation in these parts as the Rockets graduated six core players at the end of last season. Gone are 20-year-olds Gordie Ballhorn (Usports), James Hilsendager (Usports) and Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia Flyers), along with high end forwards Kole Lind (Vancouver Canucks), Dillon Dube (Calgary Flames) and defenceman Cal Foote (Tampa Bay Lightning).
In fact, the Rockets top four scorers are gone.
DUBNetwork spoke with head coach Jason Smith last week and posed a few questions about the training camp experience and the season ahead.
Smith is thoughtful and soft-spoken, despite carving out an impressive 17-year National Hockey League career as a fierce and reliable defenceman. The 44-year-old is in his third season behind the Rockets bench. The coaching staff also includes returnees Kris Mallette, Travis Crickard and Adam Brown.
Ice chips…Main camp began with fitness testing on Friday and workouts run this weekend and throughout the week…The Rockets will play three pre-season games at Prospera Place; Friday (Victoria Royals), Saturday (Prince George Cougars) and September 8 (Kamloops Blazers). Kelowna travels to Kamloops for a tilt on September 7. The regular season home opener is set for September 22 against the Blazers.
