Shorthanded Rockets still smash Ice
Without Merkley and Dube, Kelowna routs Kootenay 7-3 on road
The Okanagan Sunday The Kootenay Ice are rebuilding. The Kelowna Rockets are attempting to reload on the fly.
Between now and the WHL’s roster deadline on Jan. 10, the Rockets will be getting a glimpse into their future.
With Kelowna in the midst of a seven-game road trip leading into the holiday break — including Saturday’s stop in Cranbrook against the Ice — the Rockets plan to work several prospects into their depleted lineup.
Kelowna is already missing key forwards Nick Merkley and Dillon Dube, who are attending Canada’s selection camp in Blainville, Que., for the upcoming worldjunior tournament in Montreal and Toronto from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5.
That camp, which has 31 players auditioning for 22 spots, opens today and runs through Wednesday, though Canada’s roster doesn’t need to be finalized until Dec. 25.
Merkley would appear to have a strong chance of making Team Canada after being one of the final cuts last year, while Dube would need to have an impressive camp to stick around.
Import forwards Tomas Soustal, of the Czech Republic, and Calvin Thurkauf, of Switzerland, will also be leaving the Rockets in the coming days to represent their respective countries at the world juniors for the second year in a row.
In their absence, Kelowna intends to dress the likes of Ted Brennan, who suited up against Kootenay and previously played a couple games in Victoria, and Liam Kindree, who is leading the B.C. Major Midget League in scoring with 35 points, including 16 goals, through 20 games entering this weekend. They were Kelowna’s third- and fourth-round picks, respectively, from the 2015 bantam draft and both turn 17 in January.
“It’s always an opportunity for others to step in, and some of these kids deserve that chance,” said Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton, who has become accustomed to losing players to the world juniors over the years.
Debuting for the Rockets during this stretch, which includes a half-dozen games after the break but before the deadline, will be Erik Gardiner, acquired from Regina (along with James Hilsendager) in return for Jonathan Smart.
Gardiner, a 17-year-old forward who nearly cracked the Pats’ roster out of training camp, is already playing junior with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos and hit the ground running there with 20 points, including 13 goals, in 24 games.
“He’s going to come in and battle with four or five guys at that end of the roster and see what he can do,” Hamilton said of Gardiner. “He might end up sticking with us (for the rest of the season), but we definitely see him as a quality piece for the years to come.”
The Rockets will also get their first regularseason look at Kaedan Korczak, the team’s top pick in this year’s bantam draft.
Kelowna traded up in the first round to take Korczak — the 10th player selected, though technically 11th overall with Portland forced to pass again — and he hasn’t disappointed as a sophomore in Saskatchewan’s midget league.
Korczak, who turns 16 on Jan. 29, is second in team scoring for his hometown Yorkton Maulers with 16 points, including six goals, in 22 games as a defenceman.
“We will get him in after Christmas because his team didn’t make it to the Mac’s tournament,” Hamilton said of Korczak. “Ideally, we wanted him next week, but his team plays right up until (the WHL break) and they are in a fight (in the standings).
“We know he’s going to have a bright future with us, and he’ll get his games (this season — allowed to play five as a 15-year-old, then join Kelowna full-time once Yorkton’s campaign is over).” The Rockets might also debut Colum McGauley at some point, the 16-year-old forward acquired from Spokane for Tanner Wishnowski earlier this season.
McGauley is playing junior B for his hometown Nelson Leafs and has produced nine points, including five goals, through 23 games as a KIJHL rookie.
In addition to those new faces, Kelowna will be increasing the roles of 16-year-old regulars Nolan Foote and Konrad Belcourt, while also giving more minutes to 17-year-old forwards Leif Mattson, another early-season acquisition (from Brandon for a late-round draft pick), and Jack Cowell, who made the team out of training camp as a listed player.
“I think you’re going to see more out of some of these guys we’ve got here,” Hamilton said. “I keep reminding people that Cowell played high-school hockey last year and Mattson didn’t play hardly (34 combined games between midget and Junior A).
“Both those kids were proven scorers in minor hockey, but it just takes time — and same with McGauley when he gets here.”
ROCKETS 7, ICE 3
Calvin Thurkauf and Jake Kryski paced Kelowna to a predictable blowout with four-point performances in a 7-3 victory over host Kootenay.
Both scored twice and tallied two assists, with the Rockets also getting goals from Rodney Southam, on a shorthanded breakaway, Leif Mattson, with his second of the season, and Kole Lind, with his team-leading 17th.
For Thurkauf, who opened the scoring and then made it 3-0 for Kelowna at the first intermission, the goals were his 14th and 15th of the season. He has now scored six goals in Kelowna’s last three games.
Kryski netted his eighth and ninth goals as insurance in the third period, with the Rockets already leading 5-2 after 40 minutes.
Brodan Salmond only had to make 15 saves to backstop his fourth straight win as Kelowna’s backup goaltender.
The Rockets (19-11-1-0) are in Lethbridge tonight for a 5 p.m. PT puck-drop against the streaking Hurricanes (17-11-2-2), who beat the Swift Current Broncos 5-4 in overtime on Saturday.
It will be a battle between two of the WHL’s hottest teams — both have won four straight and Kelowna has earned at least a point in seven consecutive games (6-0-1-0, 8-1-1-0 over last 10) while Lethbridge is unbeaten in regulation over its last 11 contests (10-0-1-0, 9-0-1-0 over last 10).