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Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets
open a four game home stand tonight when they welcome the Saskatoon Blades to
Prospera Place. This is the lone meeting of the season between the two teams.
The Rockets traveled to Saskatoon last season (December 19th) and
lost 5-3. The Rockets host the Swift Current Broncos tomorrow night before
welcoming Everett next Wednesday (October 19th) and Tri City on
October 21st. The Rockets enter the weekend with a record of
3-5-0-0, having played six of their first eight games on the road. On a recent
five game road trip, the team was able to win twice against Lethbridge (6-3)
and Edmonton (1-0). The hockey club is coming off a 5-0 loss in Red Deer
Saturday night. The Rockets fired 38 shots at the Rebels net but were shut out
for the second time this season. Brodan Salmond took the loss in goal.
Milestone Makers: Forward Riley Stadel will
play in his 250th career game tonight vs. the Blades…Nick Merkley
has played 185 WHL regular season games….Jake Kryski is 6 games shy of 150
games in his career…Alumni Duncan Kieth enters this NHL season with the Chicago
Blackhawks with 833 regular season games played, the most of any active player
that wore a Rockets uniform. New Jersey Devils’ Vern Fiddler is next with 818
regular season games played. Shea Weber of the Montreal Canadiens has 763 games
under his belt followed by Josh Gorges of the Buffalo Sabres with 683…The
Kelowna Rockets have 15 players on opening day rosters in the NHL.
Broadcasters Bits: The Rockets reduced
their roster Tuesday by releasing 19 year-old forward Tate Coughlin. Originally
listed by the team, Coughlin played 107 games with the Rockets …Kole Lind turns
18 on Sunday…The Rockets were 5-3-0-0 after 8 games last season and 6-3-0-0
after 9 games…Goalie Brodan Salmond celebrated his 18th birthday last
Saturday…Sixteen year-old Nolan
Foote is one of 66 players participating in the 2016 Under-17 Hockey Challenge
in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario October 27th to November 5th …The
team scored 34 goals after 8 games last season. This season the team has 16
goals after 8 games..The Rockets have acquired 17 year-old forward Leif Mattson
from the Brandon Wheat Kings for a 9th round bantam pick. Mattson,
from Thompson, Manitoba, was the Wheat Kings 8th round selection in 2014…Nick Merkley is three points shy of
200 for his career…The Rockets lead the WHL in penalty minutes with 175….The
Rockets have been shorthanded a league high 54 times….Nine members of the
Rockets participated in NHL training camps. Tomas Soustal and Gordie Ballhorn
earned tryouts with Edmonton and Dallas respectively. Nick Merkley (Arizona),
Lucas Johansen (Washington), Dillon Dube (Calgary), Devante Stephens (Buffalo),
Calvin Thurkauf (Columbus), Braydyn Chizen (Minnesota) and Justin Kirkland (Nashville)
are all drafted players.
Three Identified by
NHLCS: Three
members of the Kelowna Rockets have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s
‘Player’s to Watch List’. Defenceman Cal Foote is an ‘A’ prospect. Kole Lind is
a ‘B’ prospect while defenceman Jonathan Smart is a ‘C’ prospect. The NHL draft
is this June in Chicago. Foote’s father, Adam, was a second round pick of the
Quebec Nordiques (22nd overall) in 1989. Adam Foote played his
junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Smith Guides Team: The Kelowna Rockets
made a head coaching change at seasons end. After just one year on the job,
Brad Ralph parted ways with the team on May 9th. Then on July 6th,
Jason Smith was hired as Brad Ralph’s replacement. Smith is the Rockets fourth
coach in the last four years. Smith, who retired September 2, 2009, played 16
seasons in the NHL before joining the coaching staff of the NHL’s Ottawa
Senators, a role Smith has held for the last four seasons’.
Roster
Stats:
Player
total:
24
Year by
Year Breakdown:
20’s – 3 Stadel, Herringer, Southam
19’s – 7 Johansen, Merkley, Soustal, Stephens,
Wishnowski, Ballhorn
18’s – 7
Dube, Kryski, Lind, Borstmayer, Chizen, Salmond, Thurkauf
17’s - 6 C.
Foote, Topping, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell, Smart, Mattson
16’s – 2
N. Foote, Belcourt
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