Kelowna Rockets to honour fire crews and RCMP at season opener

Sep 19, 2023 | 1:35 PM

The Kelowna Rockets have announced their roster as they get set to open the new Western Hockey League season Saturday, Sept. 23.

The Rockets, under coach Kris Mallette, will host the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place.

Kelowna’s opening night roster features fourteen forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders. To view the roster, click here.

The Rockets will be honoring the Kelowna RCMP and the fire chiefs from West Kelowna, Wilson’s Landing, North Westside, Lake Country and the Kelowna for all of their hard work during the recent wildfires in a special on-ice ceremony before the home opener.

Tickets for Saturday’s game are only available at Select Your Tickets. Click here for more details.

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The Rockets also announced they have assigned defenceman Lachlan Staniforth and goaltender Nathan Kam to their respective teams for the season.

Staniforth, 16, dressed in four pre-season games for the Rockets, posting an assist. He will spend the season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U18AA of the BCEHL, along with fellow Rockets prospect Kanjyu Gojsic.

Kam, 16, appeared in two pre-season games for Kelowna, posting a 0-0-0-0 record with a 3.53 GAA, .875 save percentage. Kam will play for the CSSHL’s Yale Hockey Academy U18 Prep team which also features fellow Rockets prospects Eli Barrett and Jacob Henderson.

The pair are eligible to suit up as affiliate players for the Rockets this season.

by Corey Fischer

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