Rockets welcome fans back to Prospera for first time in 551 days tonight

The Kelowna Rockets will kick off the pre-season tonight when they host the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place.

It’s the first of back-to-back pre-season games between the two teams in Kelowna this weekend.

Rockets head coach Kris Mallette said it’s definitely going to be a strange feeling to have fans in the building again.

"It's going to be a welcome sight for our players to have an atmosphere with people yelling and screaming,” he explained.

“It was interesting last season, essentially just playing with the scouts watching up in the corner. I think everyone is excited all the way from management down to coaches and players."

If you want to attend a Rockets game this season, or any games this season, you will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated.

Who's coming to the rink this weekend to watch the Rockets play?!

We've got a preview for you to get you up to speed on things.

📰➡️ https://t.co/L0uX088RHy pic.twitter.com/n3vuUK4hPf

— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) September 16, 2021

With four veteran players away at NHL training camps, the younger Rockets will have a chance to play more important minutes and show the coaching staff what they have this weekend.

"What you see is what you get for the most part, with a few high-end players missing away at NHL camps,” said Mallette.

“It's a great opportunity for our younger players to get some valuable ice time and show our staff what they're capable of throughout these four exhibition games."

Here are a few notes from the Rockets on what to look out for this pre-season:

• The Rockets are down to three goaltenders battling it out for the crease (Cole Schwebius, Cole Tisdale and Nicholas Cristiano). Schwebius, 20, is also one of four players fighting for one of three overage spots. Tisdale, 19, was selected by the Rockets in the 2017 WHL Draft and has spent the last two seasons in the AJHL. Cristiano, 17, joined the Rockets for the hub season as an affiliate player winning the lone game he played in.
• Kelowna is carrying their top three picks from the 2020 WHL Draft (Andrew Cristall, Caden Price and Marcus Pacheco), the trio are the lone 16-year-old's left on the roster. This weekend's games will be the first taste of WHL action for Price and Pacheco.
• Czech Republic product Gabriel Szturc will get his first chance to suit up in a Rockets uniform, the Rockets 44th pick in the 2021 CHL Import Draft arrived in Canada last week. Due to his late birthdate, the 2003 born forward is heading into his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft. He posted four points (3G, 1A) in five games at the IHF U18 World Championship in Texas earlier this year.
• Seventeen-year-old forward Max Graham will play for his hometown team for the first time. The Kelowna product was acquired from the Everett Silvertips in late August.