The Kelowna Rockets return home this weekend for a pair of games against the Calgary Hitmen and Prince George Cougars. The Rockets will take on the Hitmen Friday at 7:05 pm PST and the Cougars at 6:05 pm PST Saturday. Both of the games are available for free on Victory+ and 104.7 the Lizard.
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Photo Credit: Contributed
KELOWNA ROCKETS:
With the roster now looking closer to its full form, Kelowna has started to find it's rhythm, stacking together strong performances and showing more consistency at both ends of the ice. The group feels deeper, more confident, and will look to keep that positive play rolling into this weekend.
This offence, led by veteran forwards Shane Smith (24G, 26A), Ty Halaburda (21G, 21A), Carson Wetsch (13G, 29A), and Tij Iginla (15G, 15A), looks to continue to provide consistent scoring punch and set the tone early, driving Kelowna’s attack with speed, creativity, and finish as they push to keep the momentum going.
The Rockets will look to build off of last weekend, which saw them take two straight games on the road against a very good Portland Winterhawks team.
WHERE THEY RANK:
The Rockets currently sit fifth in the Western Conference with a 20-14-3-2 record
The Hitmen currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 21-10-5-1 record
The Cougars currently sit third in the Western Conference with a 23-16-2-0 record
CALGARY HITMEN:
The Hitmen, who have not lost in regulation this month, look to continue to stay hot against the Rockets Friday. The Hitmen last faced the Tri-City Americans on Wednesday where they won 4-3.
Led by Kale Dach and Julien Maze up front, they are looking to stay near the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Hitmen have a very formidable powerplay that is operating at 29.71% PP and gets all the way up to 37.5% on the road this year. They also have a solid penalty kill, which sits at 82.05%
They are one of the best road teams in the league this year with an 11-3-3-1 record away from the Scotiabank Saddledome.
PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS:
Prince George has been struggling recently, losing seven straight games, with their last victory coming against the Victoria Royals on December 28th, 2025. The Cougars are coming off a pair of losses to the first-place Everett Silvertips last weekend.
Led by Kooper Gizowski and Terik Parascak up front, along with potential top-five pick Carson Carels, the Cougars are still a formidable team who sit above the Rockets in the standings.
The Cougars have some of the best special teams in the league with a 33.79% PP this year while having an 81.16% PK. However, on the road their penalty kill is even better, sitting at 84.62%.
Prince George has been better on the road this year than at home with an 11-6-2-0 record.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
Season Series
- Kelowna vs Calgary: 0-0-0-0
- Kelowna vs Prince George: 1-1-0-0
Last 10 games
- Kelowna: 5-4-0-1
- Calgary: 7-1-2-0
- Prince George: 1-7-2-0
Special teams
- Kelowna: PP 22.52% | PK 78.21%
- Calgary: PP 29.71% | PK 82.05%
- Prince George: 33.79% | PK 81.16%
Photo Credit: Contributed
CZECH POWER:
Tomas Poletin leads the Rockets rookies with 26 points in 27 games. The Rockets also recently welcomed rookie Vojtech Cihar, who has had a strong arrival with 4 points in his first 3 WHL games.
ROSTER MOVES:
The Rockets have made a roster move ahead of this weekend's pair of games. Due to the recent injury of goaltender Josh Banini, they have called up goaltender Nathan Kam from the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL.
POWER RANKINGS:
The Rockets have used three straight wins to help them climb all the way up to 6 on the WHL Week 16 power rankings. This lists them just above the Calgary Hitmen and Prince George Cougars, who sit at 7 and 8, respectively.
2026 NHL DRAFT:
Kelowna currently has two Rockets on the Midterm Rankings of the NHL Central Scouting list as Players to watch ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. Goaltender Harrison Boettiger and goaltender Frantisek Polentin are ranked as "B"-level prospects in the preliminary rankings, which list them as potential second- or third-round picks. This time around, Boettinger was listed as the seventh-best North American goaltender, while Poletin is listed as the fifth-best International goaltender.
OLYMPIC INVITE:
- Rockets Alumnus and 2015 WHL Champion Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers will be representing Team Germany for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Draisaitl played for the Rockets from 2014-2015.
- Rockets Alumnus and 2015 WHL Champion Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets will be representing Team Canada for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Morrissey played for the Rockets from 2014-2015.
- Rockets Alumnus Calvin Thurkauf of HC Lugano of the National League will be representing Team Switzerland for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Thurkauf played for the Rockets from 2015–2017.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON:
The Rockets are 20-14-3-2, including a 6-6-2-2 record at the Prospera Place. On the road this year, the Rockets have a 14-8-1-0 record.
The Calgary Hitmen are 22-10-5-1 Including a 11-7-2-0 record at home. On the road, Calgary has an 11-3-3-1 record.
The Prince George Cougars have a 23-16-2-0 record this year, including a 12-10-0-0 record at home. On the road, Prince George has a record of 11-6-2-0.
WHL REGULAR SEASON MILESTONES:
- Shane Smith – 3 games away from 250 career WHL games
- Ty Halaburda – 3 goals away from 100 career WHL goals.
ROCKETS INJURY REPORT:
- #7 Peyton Kettles – UBI (Indefinitely)
- #10 Tomas Poletin – UBI (Day-to-Day)
- #24 Daniel Pekar – LBI (Day-to-Day)
- #35 Josh Banini – UBI (Week-to-Week)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
The Rockets have two games at home this weekend before going back on the road for two games next week, including Wednesday, January 21st, against the Everett Silvertips and Friday, January 23rd, against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
