Rockets open main camp

The Kelowna Rockets flung open their training-camp doors on Tuesday morning, and there’s about as many questions regarding this season’s roster as there are players trying out to make the team.

Training camp runs until Friday morning at CNC, and there are 80 hopefuls, divided into four teams, battling for approximately 25 roster spots. Technically, it’s less than 20, because at least a half-dozen spots are locked up, chief among them being starting goaltender Adam Brown. But when it comes to the forwards, that’s where the questions begin.

The first two questions revolve around veterans Evan Bloodoff, 19, and Geordie Wudrick, 20, who may or may not be around later this season. Both are slated to attend the Phoenix Coyotes’ training camp later this month, and it’s possible that both may wind up with the Coyotes.

“Evan and I both leave for Phoenix on Sept. 10th, and we’re both pretty excited about that,” said Wudrick, a 6-foot-4 power forward who was drafted by Los Angeles in 2008 (third round, 88th overall), but didn’t sign with the Kings. Upon becoming a free agent, Wudrick said he mulled over some free-agent tryouts, but chose Phoenix on June 25th.

“This year is kinda different than other years,” said Wudrick, who is in his last season of junior eligibility. “When I was going down to Los Angeles, I was a drafted guy and I was part of the organization, somewhat. I didn’t get signed and now I’m a free agent. When I go down to Phoenix, I’m going down there to make a splash and try to get a contract.”

Wudrick and Bloodoff, however, have their work cut out for them if they’re to make Phoenix’s roster. The Coyotes are a young team on the rise, and Phoenix’s current roster lists 10 forwards who are 24 or younger. So, will they return from Arizona? Likely, but the NHL being what it is today, stranger things have happened.

“I’m excited either way,” said Wudrick, who started last season with the Swift Current Broncos, but was traded to Kelowna in November. “I’ve been really happy here since the trade. It’s a good organization, with (general manager) Bruce Hamilton and (head coach) Ryan Huska, they run such a good ship. It’s awesome. But whatever the case, I’m going to be happy, no matter what — I’ll be excited if I get to play at the pro level, but here’s also plenty more years for that.”

Last season, Wudrick tallied 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points in 62 games. With Kelowna, he had 19 goals and 34 points in 38 games. Bloodoff, meanwhile, spent most of last season recuperating from a right-knee injury (partial ACL tear), playing in just nine games, all near season’s end, where he had three goals. In 12 playoff contests, he had three assists. Phoenix drafted the fast 5-11 left winger in 2009 (sixth round, 157th overall).

Bloodoff, like Wudrick, is also heading into his final season of junior eligibility, though he doesn’t turn 20 until Nov. 21.

“It’s kinda hard to say what’s going to happen,” Bloodoff said in regards to where he’ll play this season. “But both of us will go into camp, show them our stuff, do our best and see what happens from there. If they like us, they’ll keep us, but another season here wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

While Bloodoff and Wudrick contemplate their long-term future, Zach Franco of Winnipeg hopes to make the Rockets’ roster this season. Last season, the 5-11, 160-pound forward played for the Winnipeg South Blues of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, registering 24 goals and 54 points in 51 games. The Rockets selected him in the second round, 32nd overall, of the WHL’s 2008 bantam draft.

“Camp is going good so far,” said Franco, 17, “It was a little bit of an adjustment in the first half (of the first game), but once I got my legs under me, I was ready to go. It’s a big difference from junior A back in Manitoba. The size of the guys are bigger, stronger, faster, so it’s an adjustment period.”

With two more days of camp action, Franco said players “can’t get their hopes too high or get them sunk too low if you have a bad game. You have to keep working hard and try your best.”

Rockets assistant general manager Lorne Frey said the Franco “had a good first day and he’s doing what we think he’s going to do. He’s not an overly big guy yet, but he’s got great skill, great speed and he competes, which is what we're looking for."

Rockets rookie camp

It’s been a busy two days for Lorne Frey, looking over a long scouting list, filled with 130 names from across Canada’s four western provinces and a handful of U.S. states.

And it’ll be a busy couple more days, as the Kelowna Rockets’ rookie camp, which started on Thursday morning, doesn’t wrap up until Sunday afternoon. But, so far, with eight teams each hitting the ice twice daily, Frey likes what he’s been looking at.

Specifically, what Kelowna’s assistant general manager and chief scout is looking at are 15- and 16-year-olds hoping to make an impression — for this year and, for those not eligible to play in the WHL full time this season, for next.

“The main purpose of the camp is for us to see how they’ve developed lately,” said Frey. “We had opportunities to see a lot of these guys this past winter, and, over the past five months or so, a lot of these guys change physically. They’re pretty good hockey players, so we hold a pretty big camp and invite them, and whoever decides to come, comes and competes.

“It gives us a way of keeping track of them, seeing how they improve and how they develop. In the past, we’ve had many individuals surprise us, usually growing three or four inches since spring and they were a much better hockey player than they were four or five months ago.”

Of the 10 players selected by Kelowna in the WHL’s 2010 bantam draft (1995-born players), all but three of them are here: 5-foot-11 defenceman Madison Bowey of Winnipeg (second round, 23rd overall), who had prior commitments; 5-foot-8 centre Cole Linaker of Edmonton (sixth round, 113th overall), who is injured (ACL); and 6-foot-2 forward Hudsen Fasching of Burnsville, Minn. (eighth round, 163rd overall).

Traditionally, the Rockets take 10 players from this camp and invite them to participate in main camp, which starts Monday. So far, it’s safe to say Kelowna’s first selection from this past spring’s bantam draft, defenceman Jesse Lees, will be invited to main camp. He was taken ninth overall.

When rookie camp began on Thursday, it didn’t take long for Lees to impress, with Kelowna’s scouting staff immediately saying the Calgary product stood out from the field. At 15, he’s too young to play in the league full time, though he’s likely to get called up for the league maximum exposure of five games.

Below is a press release from the Rockets on Lees.

KELOWNA — He might be attending his first Kelowna Rockets training camp, but 15-year-old defenceman Jesse Lees is well aware of the Rockets’ rich tradition along the blue-line.

Lees, the Rockets first round pick in this past spring’s WHL bantam draft, is among 130 young prospects skating twice daily at the Rockets annual rookie camp. He’s turned heads with his game during the camp, and the Calgary native says it's been exciting to come to a team that has graduated several defencemen into the NHL.

“I think this is probably the best place there is for me,” said Lees, who the Rockets selected 9th overall in the draft. “There has been lots of great defencemen that have come through here. I'm really excited to be here.”

The Rockets are pretty excited as well by Lees, who played bantam 3A last season in Calgary  and scored 20 goals and added 18 assists in 30 games.

“He’s presenting the complete package,” said Rockets director of player personnel Lorne Frey, who watched a couple other defencemen drafted before the Rockets were happy to choose Lees. “He's got great size, he moves the puck well. He's very intelligent. For the most part, he's very complete. Now he just has to keep getting better and improving.”

At 15, Lees will head back home to play midget hockey in Calgary and is only eligible to play five games for the Rockets this year. It’s his first experience at a junior-hockey camp.

“It's been great,” said Lees, who is listed at 6-foot, 162 pounds. “There's lots of talent here. The tempo is high. I had some nerves but they calm down once you hit the ice.”

The Rockets are happy with their summer draft of 1995 born players despite the fact they didn't have many picks in the middle rounds. After picking Lees, the club traded up to draft Madison Bowey with the first pick of the second round. Bowey is not at rookie camp, as he is playing at the Canadian bantam baseball championships this week.

“Overall, we’re pleased with the guys we drafted,” said Frey. “We only had one pick from the middle of the third round to the middle of the eighth, so we picked nine guys after the eighth round. We're pretty pleased.”

As for Lees, he's pretty pleased as well, skating with an organization that has produced the likes of Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Luke Schenn, Scott Hannan and Tyler Myers.

“I'm loving it,” he said. “I just came in trying to show what I can bring to the team.”

Camp Shots:

Rockets rookie camp is at the CNC in Kelowna and is open to the public. Games take place from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday

Oilers name new play-by-play caller

It appears that Regan Bartel will be calling the Central Okanagan home for at least one more season.

Rumoured to be one of the top two or three candidates for the open play-by-play position with the Edmonton Oilers, the NHL franchise named its new man this afternoon, and, sadly, it wasn't Bartel. Instead, calling Oilers games will be  Jack Michaels, now formerly of the ECHL's Alaska Aces.

Frankly, he must be good if he beat out Bartel, the Kelowna Rockets' play-by-play man, who is well respected in the WHL for his calling.

Below is a press release from the ECHL.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Jack Michaels, the "Voice of the Aces" for eight seasons, has accepted the radio play-by-play position with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League for the 2010-11 campaign.

Michaels joined the Aces after an ownership change in the summer of 2002, and called 679 games for the club which included the 2006 Kelly Cup Championship versus the Gwinnett Gladiators. He also served in various capacities beyond the broadcast booth including travel, team services, corporate sales, website management, and media relations. Michaels earned the 2003 WCHL Broadcaster of the Year award, the 2004 ECHL Broadcaster of the Year award, and earned five trips to the ECHL All-Star Game during his tenure with the Aces. He also claimed four consecutive "Goaldie" awards for Best Play-By-Play as selected by the Alaska Broadcasters Association.

In addition to Michaels, former ECHL broadcasters working in the National Hockey League include John Ahlers and Steve Carroll of the Anaheim Ducks, Tom Callahanof the Nashville Predators, Dave Goucher of the Boston Bruins, Chris Kerber of the St. Louis Blues, Dave Mishkin of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bob McElligott and John Michael of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rob Simpson, who is a producer/host for The NHL Network. Former ECHL broadcasters working in the American Hockey League include Brendan Burke in Peoria, Josh Fisher in Texas, Tom Grace in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Mike Kelly in Springfield, Jason Lockhart in Syracuse, Eric Lindquist in Worcester, Pete Michaud in Norfolk, Joe O’Donnell in Houston, Bob Rotruck in Adirondack, Jason Shaver in Chicago, Dan Weiss in San Antonio and Grady Whittenburg in Binghamton. 

Becanic upbeat on joining Giants

John Becanic remembers the 2006 playoffs as if they happened yesterday. And if he could, he’d rewrite history so it’d come out in his favour.

Only thing is, his new employers might not like that.

On Wednesday, the Vancouver Giants announced the hiring Becanic as an assistant coach, a move that should pay short- and long-term dividends. A former assistant and head coach with the Everett Silvertips (2003-09) and assistant coach with the Seattle Thunderbirds (2009-10), Becanic has plenty of experience. Combine that with head coach Don Hay and his long resume, and the Giants now have arguably the best coaching staff in the league.

“I really like the league and, for me, it’s a fun league to coach in,” Becanic said on Friday from his Snohomish, Wash., home, where his family will remain, while he plans on renting in Vancouver and commuting. “I’m really looking forward to being part of the Giants’ organization.”

Prior to joining Vancouver, Becanic spent six seasons in Everett; four as an associate coach, then two as a head coach, 2008-10, compiling a record of 69-66-7-5. After 2008-09, Everett let Becanic go, and Seattle promptly snapped him up in August of 2009 for one season. Then word came out this spring and summer that Vancouver was looking to add a new assistant coach to its staff after former assistant coach Yogi Svejkovsky left to become the director of hockey operations with a minor hockey organization (Seafair) in greater Vancouver.

“I was a typical coach looking for work, and I immediately expressed interest in Vancouver. I also expressed interest in other head-coaching positions within the league, but nothing really evolved,” said Becanic. “But when it came to Vancouver, the thing that was most appealing was working with Don. If you’re going to be an assistant coach, no matter what level you’re at, you want to go where you’re going to learn something. And, obviously, Don’s success is unparalleled in the last couple of decades.

There’s nobody that’s had his success, so that was an important factor.

“I still believe in being a student of the game. When you’re a head coach, you’re learning mostly from other head coaches in the league that you’re coaching against. And the organization as a whole, with (GM Scott Bonner) and Don, all they want to do is win. There’s no such thing as a rebuilding season and they do what it takes to win. Scott gives the coaching staff its every opportunity to win and they don’t still pat on their roster. If they want to be better, they go out and get players.

“There are organizations in this league, like Kelowna, where winning is a priority. And so, any time you’re part of an organization like that, it makes you better because you work harder when the stakes are so high.”

In the 2006 playoffs, the stakes were pretty high when Everett, with Becanic and head coach Kevin Constantine, took on the Giants, with Hay, in the Western Conference final.

On paper, it looked like Everett had the edge, having gone 6-0 against the Giants in the regular season. When push came to shove, though, Vancouver pushed Everett out of the post-season with a 4-0 series sweep.

On Friday, Becanic recalled that surprising series. The scores were 4-2, 2-0, 5-0 and 5-0. Vancouver outshot Everett 115-93.

“We got Gilbert Brule-d in that series,” said Becanic. “In the first game, he knocked out Ondrej Fiala and Karel Hromas, our two Europeans, with some pretty hard hits. Then goalie Leland Irving tore his groin in the warm-ups of the very first game, so he didn’t play that entire series.

“The Giants were just a really darn good team, and I think that was the first time we got to see a Don Hay team play literally as hard as it could play. Now we were 6-0 against them in the regular season, but that was a little misguiding because five of the six were in shootouts, and Don’s team wasn’t very good in shootouts that season.

“I don’t claim to have any expertise in helping them in shootouts,” Becanic continued with a laugh. “All the areas I excel at, they already seem to be really good at!”

As for the future, Becanic, like most B.C. Division media pundits, is predicting a tight race, with no predictable winner, unlike the loaded Portland Winterhawks, who should claim top spot in the U.S. Division and the Western Conference.

“It’s funny because I joked both with Scott and Don about my last four years in the U.S. Division, about how we’d look at Vancouver and say ‘We’ll see how the Giants do this season because they lost so-and-so, or they lost Evander Kane.’ Every season, they lose key players and every season, lo and behold, they’re at the top of the division,” said Becanic. “I’m really hoping I’m on the other side of the fence this season and I get to be part of that success.

“If the Rockets lose defenceman Tyson Barrie (to Colorado), and we’ve seen stranger things happen, that could be a real hit to their team; he’s a hard player to replace with all the minutes he logs. All those types of factors . . . for all we know, we could lose Craig Cunning ham to Boston or Kelowna could lose Geordie Wudrick (to Phoenix), so there’s all different types of scenarios.

“So, all in all, I think (the B.C. Division) is going to be a real battle. And when you throw in a bunch of games against Portland, Everett, Spokane and Tri-City, — our pretty good teams there — I think there’s going to be a lot of tough games to play in this season and wins are going to be hard to come by. And that’s what makes this a challenge. I think Don respects what I bring, and I think we’re hoping to make each other better, and, along with (assistant Chad Scharff), really be a coaching staff that raises the bar, because I think we’re really going to need that.”

New voice for Blazers

Good news for Kamloops Blazers fans. Not so good for those who follow the Swift Current Broncos.

On Friday, the Broncos announced that play-by-play caller Jon Keen is leaving Swift Current, Sask., and moving west to become the voice of the Blazers. As a reporter for a daily newspaper who sits in front of the visiting radio booth at Kelowna Rockets home games, I can attest that Keen calls very good games.

He also happens to be quite personable, which, when put together with his voice and skills, adds up to a good move by Radio NL in Kamloops to hire Keen.

Now, on the flip side, the Broncos lose another good caller, the third time this decade, with Regan Bartel having moved on in 2000 to join the Kelowna Rockets and Joey Kenward, Bartel’s replacement, leaving to join the Vancouver Giants in 2003. Keen, from Lanigan Sask., was Kenward’s replacement and was the Broncos’ play by play voice for  the past seven seasons. He also did colour commentary on the three seasons prior to handling  play-by-play duties for the Eagle 94.1.

Finding a good caller isn't easy, and it's a tougher job than most people expect. For example, try talking into a microphone for two hours, without making any verbal slips. That's tough. Then, there's this: On top of being verbally correct, fans generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to a caller's play-by-play style: Love 'em or hate 'em. There's no middle ground, though Bartel did a good job of slowly weaning fans in the hate 'em camp to his side.

Notably, Bartel is up for a job with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, according to sources. What if Bartel winds up with the Oil? Would Keen have thrown his hat into the Kelowna ring? I would hope so, because he’s a good caller. 

“I'd like to thank the Broncos organization and staff, both past and present, for being so accommodating and fantastic to work with these last ten years,” Keen said in a press release. “It takes the passion of an entire community to  make junior hockey flourish in the smallest market in the CHL, and it  has been exciting to see that happen here. The city of Swift Current and  the Broncos will always be very special to me, and have contributed  greatly to the development of my professional broadcasting career."

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On Wednesday, the Giants hired former Everett Silvertips head coach John Becanic while also giving bench boss Don Hay a new five-year contract. For more on that, click here for Steve Ewen’s story.

Retaining Hay was a no-brainer. His resume speaks for itself. Hiring Becanic, though, was, in this scribe’s opinion, a brilliant move. Not only does he have head-coaching experience, but in case Hay receives an NHL offer he can't refuse in the near future, the Giants can make a smooth transition by building from within and handing the reins to Becanic instead of having to search elsewhere.

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As we all know, North America is in tight financial times right now. On Wednesday, the Lethbridge Hurricanes, a community-owned team, presented a deficit budget, which was met with questions.

More on this interesting story by Dale Woodard of The Lethbridge Herald can be found here.  

WHL adds second outdoor game

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Spokane we go!

Today, the WHL announced that the Spokane Chiefs will play host to a second WHL outdoor game. Below is the press release. The game will take place on January 15th, 2011.

Now, for those who've never been to Spokane before, I highly suggest you go. It's a good city with plenty of amenities, which is to be expected from a city of approximately 500,000. Best of all, though, it has THE BEST junior rink in the league. There are some good arenas in in the WHL, but, when all is said and done, nothing beats Spokane, though Everett, thanks its great fans, gives its state rival a good run.

About the only negative thing concerning the outdoor game is the timing. The outdoor contest is the second game of a weekend home-and-home set against the Kootenay Ice. The Chiefs visit the Ice on Friday, Jan. 14th, then play Kootenay at home, outside, on Saturday, Jan. 15th, then visit the Everett Silvertips on Sunday, Jan. 16th.

Frankly, I would have preferred to see a game inside Spokane's Veterans Memorial Arena on Friday, then play outdoors at home on Saturday night. But that's just me being picky.

Here is the press release.

Calgary, Alta. — The Western Hockey League and Spokane Chiefs announced today they will host the Rockstar Outdoor Hockey Classic on Saturday, January 15th, 2011 at Avista Stadium against the Kootenay Ice in the WHL’s first ever outdoor game.  Game time is scheduled for 1:00 pm PT.

Bobby Brett, the President of the Spokane Chiefs, said “Since the NHL outdoor game in Buffalo 2008, I have wanted the Spokane Chiefs to play in one. I think it will be an unbelievable event for our players and fans.”

“The WHL appreciates the commitment the Spokane Chiefs have made to stage the first ever WHL Outdoor Game in one of our longest standing and most successful U.S. markets”, said WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “Our WHL fans in Spokane and throughout the US Pacific Northwest and Western Canada will not want to miss this historic outdoor event.

                                                             

Tickets will be sold only on an individual-game basis, as all Chiefs package holders will receive the first opportunity to purchase seats for the game. Tickets will go on sale to the general public for the Rockstar Outdoor Hockey Classic on Wednesday, September 1st. 

Prices will range from $25-$100. Full-season package holders will receive a ticket to the Spokane Chiefs first playoff game in 2011 to give them a full complement of 36 games in their package.

The ice surface will be installed and maintained by a team that includes Willy Bietak Productions out of Santa Monica, Calif., Top Shelf Arena Service’s Mike Craig plus Dan Craig and Dave Gebhardt of the Spokane Public Facilities District. 

Bietak Productions specializes in state-of-the-art portable rinks and installed ice for the Michigan-Michigan State outdoor hockey game in 2001 and for the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. 

Top Shelf Arena Services help oversee all ice surfaces in the NHL and has been a part of all of the NHL’s outdoor hockey events, including last year’s Bridgestone Classic at Fenway Park in Boston.  

Dave Gebhardt is the Operations Manager at the Spokane Arena and has supervised the installation and maintenance of its ice since opening in 1995.  The Arena has hosted the two U.S. Figure Skating Championships, a WHL All-Star game and Memorial Cup under Gebhardt’s direction. 

The event will be the first of two outdoor games played in the league this year. The Calgary Hitmen will host the Regina Pats on February 21st, 2011 at McMahon Stadium.

Media awareness

Now, I bet you're sitting there, just pondering the small, but important, differences between the different types of media.

Riiiiight. No one cares about the media, except for media members. Think of it this way: Who cares what lawyers talk about except for lawyers?

When it comes to the disseminating media, though, there are small, but important, aspects that should be understood. After all, where do you turn to to get your news? The media, that's where.

Traditionally, the best forms of media are print and radio, as, combined with their long, reputable histories, both offer good, in-depth reporting. Television can also do a good job, but, more often than not, TV's version of news is a 30-second soundbyte. Call it flash over substance, though TV can certainly outdo print and radio when it certainly decides to. Sadly, though, those times seem to be fewer despite more channels than ever.

Print's downside is that its news package comes out one day after the news has happened, which can make it seem old in today's world of news-by-the-minute. Print's upside: the largest editorial staff in the media, which results in a lot of news.

Radio's upside: Immediate news. Like, right now immediate. Radio's downside, at least when it comes to sports, is objectivity, mainly due to financial broadcasting contracts with sports teams. Below is a good and terrible example of that. Good, because it underscores this point; bad because it shows terrible decision making.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas radio personality announced that she was fired Monday, two days after wearing a Florida Gators hat to an Arkansas Hogs news conference.

Renee Gork announced on Twitter that she had been fired by KAKS, a northwest Arkansas radio station that calls itself Hog Sports Radio. Gork had worn a Gator hat Saturday to a news conference with Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino.

Petrino, whose team lost to the Gators last season 23-20 at Florida, commented on Gork’s hat after answering a question she asked. “And that will be the last question I answer with that hat on,” Petrino said.

Gork, a Florida graduate, said she grabbed the hat without thinking Saturday because it was raining outside. She also said she sent a letter of apology to the university and Petrino.

“Was hoping to publicly apologize to coach Petrino and UA fans on the show today ... but I won’t get that chance,” Gork wrote on KAKS’ Twitter account. “I’ve been fired.”

Gork could not be reached Monday for comment. There was no telephone listing in her name in the Fayetteville area.

KAKS general manager Dan Storrs confirmed in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that Gork was no longer working for the station but declined to comment further, saying it was a personnel matter.

However, he added, “This radio station is Hog Sports Radio. We are very biased. We support the Razorbacks 100 per cent.”

Making waves

This post isn't hockey related, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

As I've said before, living in any city has its high points and low points. In Kelowna, one high point is living near a number of lakes, including Okanagan Lake, the always stunning Kalamalka Lake, Wood Lake and, near Penticton, Skaha Lake.

A lot of NHLers now call the Central Okanagan home, with the home hot spot for them now being the Lake Country region, which, located on a hilly ridge, offers superb, sweeping views of Okanagan Lake. The prior hot spot used to be the Mission area of Kelowna and its lake-front homes, though it's still a pretty nice place to call home.

Regardless, lakes are a natural drawing point, and Okanagan Lake gets used pretty heavily. When it's not windy, that is, as was the case last week, when winds suddenly swept up. Below is a series of photos taken while vacationing at a beach lot.

Rockets make two trades; part two

By Doyle Potenteau

Tuesday proved a busy day for the Kelowna Rockets.

First, the Rockets announced their schedule for the upcoming WHL 2010-11 season, including their home- and season-opening game on Saturday, Sept. 25th against the Prince George Cougars. Second, the team acquired a 20-year-old defenceman from the Prince Albert Raiders. Third, Kelowna then shipped out veteran rearguard Collin Bowman in what was a straight-up defenceman swap with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Heading to the Central Okanagan are Kevin Smith, a 19-year-old who played 70 games with Moose Jaw last season, and, from the Raiders, Brendon Wall, who is entering his final season of junior eligibility.

“Yes, it has been a busy day,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton. “And our schedule is good. Overall, it’s been a pretty good day.”

Schedule-wise, the Rockets will suit up for a New Year’s Day game, and Kelowna will also play more home games in the second half than in the first (20 to 16). But more on that later. First, the trades, which saw Bowman give up the black, teal and red for the black, red and white of Moose Jaw. According to the Rockets, the 19-year-old, who played three full seasons with Kelowna, requested a trade at the end of last season.

“He asked at the exit meetings to be moved if he could, and it’s taken all summer to find something that’s worked for us,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton. “We couldn’t make a deal without getting a defenceman back, and that was the problem we had.

“With Moose Jaw, there was some interest with (former director of hockey operations) Jeff Truitt, and he and (new director of hockey operations) Alan Millar both decided it was what they wanted. They were looking for somebody who’s been on a winning team and can bring them some leadership.”

With Moose Jaw last season, Smith, who hails from North Vancouver, tallied seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 70 games. The 6-foot-1 rearguard, about to enter his fourth WHL season, also had 76 penalty minutes.

“I’ve watched Smith before, and he played for one of our scouts (Billy Coupland) before in North Vancouver,” said Hamilton. “(Smith) is thrilled and he’s coming up Wednesday to meet with the coaches and the staff. When I talked to him, he was ecstatic.”

As for the Prince Albert trade and landing Wall, Hamilton said the deal was all about depth. Wall played five games last season with his hometown Saskatoon Blades, where he had one goal and one assist, then 62 games with Prince Albert, where he had two goals and 12 points plus 36 penalty minutes.

With Wall, the Rockets now have five 20-year-olds, with over-age forwards Evan Bloodoff, Geordie Wudrick, Tyler Matheson and Kyle St. Denis. However, there are question marks around Bloodoff and Wudrick, who will both be attending the Phoenix Coyotes’ camp, and St. Denis, who has missed most of the last two seasons because of concussions.

“I don’t want to scare anybody, but with what happened with Luke Schenn and Tyler Myers, we have Tyson Barrie floating around out there,” said Hamilton, referring to how Schenn made the NHL as an 18-year-old, while Myers joined the Buffalo Sabres as a 19-year-old. Drafted 64th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2009, the smooth-skating Barrie is entering his 19-year-old season. Last season, the Victoria product led Kelowna in scoring 19 goals and 72 points despite being a defenceman.

“We would be foolish to turn down an opportunity to add another guy,” continued Hamilton. “And over-age wise, nobody has a job in stone here. Phoenix could keep Evan, Phoenix could sign Wudrick and St. Denis is a wild card, because we have no idea whether he could play or not.

“As it is, we have lots of forwards and I’d rather have more defence than not enough. With this trade and with us moving Bowman and bringing in Smith, Smith gives us real potential for an over-age position next season. With Colton Jobke, Mitchell Chapman, Antoine Corbin and MacKenzie Johnston plus some young guys we have coming up, Smith becomes a critical part of this because when you have that many young guys, you need some players who are older and more experienced.”

As for Kelowna’s schedule, the Rockets will play six exhibition games: Friday, Sept. 3rd in Ladner against the Vancouver Giants; Saturday, Sept. 4th at home to Vancouver; Friday, Sept. 10th in Kamloops; Saturday, Sept. 11th at home to Kamloops; Friday, Sept. 17th in Chilliwack; and Saturday, Sept. 18th at home to Chilliwack.

Concerning the regular season, part of the schedule has Kelowna playing a double-header in Portland, on Oct. 29 and 30, to save on travel time, much like the Rockets’ normal double-headers in Prince George (Nov. 19-20 and Feb. 4-5).

The Rockets’ pre-Christmas prairie trip this season consists of five games in Alberta, with contests against Red Deer, Edmonton, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and Calgary, Dec. 10th to 17th. After playing host to Everett on Tuesday, Dec. 28th, then Kamloops on Thursday, Dec. 30th, Kelowna will take on Spokane at Prospera Place on New Year’s Day at 7:05 p.m.

February will be a dry month, with Kelowna only playing four home games, though that’s offset with eight home dates in January and six in the first three weeks of March.

“I like playing at home game after Christmas,” said Hamilton, “and we get games on Dec. 28th and the 30th plus New Year’s Day (Saturday, Jan. 1st). I think it’ll be an electric night in the building because people will be ready to have some fun.”

Rockets make two trades

Tuesday proved a busy day for the Kelowna Rockets.

First, the Rockets announced their schedule for the upcoming WHL 2010-11 season, including their home- and season-opening game on Saturday, Sept. 25th against the Prince George Cougars. Second, the team acquired a 20-year-old defenceman from the Prince Albert Raiders. Third, Kelowna then shipped out veteran rearguard Collin Bowman in what was a defenceman swap with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Heading to the Central Okanagan are Kevin Smith, a 19-year-old who played 70 games with Moose Jaw last season, and, from the Raiders, Brendon Wall, who is entering his final season of junior eligibility.

With Moose Jaw last season, Smith, who hails from North Vancouver, tallied seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 70 games. The 6-foot-1 rearguard, about to enter his fourth WHL season, also had 76 penalty minutes.

Wall played five games last season with his hometown Saskatoon Blades, where he had one goal and one assist, then 62 games with Prince Albert, where he had two goals and 12 points plus 36 penalty minutes.

The Rockets say Bowman, a 19-year-old who played three full seasons with Kelowna, requested a move to another team at the end of last season.

“Collin thought a change might be best for him,” said Rockets president/general manager Bruce Hamilton. “I worked away at this all summer trying to find a suitable deal for Collin and most importantly for the Kelowna Rockets. It was imperative we got a defenceman in return.”