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By Vernon Matters Staff
No McKenna, no problem

Rockets-Tigers pre-season games in Yukon still a go

Jul 16, 2025 | 11:25 AM

Despite Gavin McKenna heading to Penn State, the WHL pre-season games in the Yukon this fall are still a go.

The marquee matchups between the Kelowna Rockets and Medicine Hat Tigers will go ahead as planned in Whitehorse this September.

WHL Commissioner Dan Near says both games are already sold out, and the league is thrilled to return to the North.

McKenna, a projected first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a hometown hero in Whitehorse, was the main draw for the event, but Near says interest hasn’t wavered.

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