Jake Pilon: Ready to tackle the challenge
It’s been a busy 72 hours for Jake Pilon, the Rockets newest goaltender who was acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings on Monday afternoon.
The 6’3″, 194-pound netminder woke up in Edmonton on Monday morning, following news of the trade he made the nearly three-and-a-half-hour drive back home to Calgary where he hopped on a flight to Kelowna later that night.
“It’s a bit of a crazy time, but I’m super excited to be here and can’t wait for the season,” said Pilon in an interview with kelownarockets.com following his second practice with the Rockets on Tuesday.
“It was a quick flight, I was here for practice the next morning with Eli (Wilson, the Rockets goaltender coach). The practices have been good, the guys have been great and it’s been nice to meet everyone.”
The one person that Pilon is eager to meet is veteran goaltender Jari Kykkanen, who departed on Monday to attend the Calgary Flames rookie camp and will suit up at the Young Stars Classic later this week. The two have talked via Snapchat, but are excited to get to know one another.
Pilon, who will turn 17 next month, was originally an eighth-round draft pick of the Oil Kings (no. 177) in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft. Last season he spent the 2022-23 season with the Calgary NW Flames U18 of the AEHL, where he posted an 11-6-1 record, 3.27 GAA and .904 SV%.
“It’s for sure a big jump, to the WHL. I’m super excited to have this opportunity, it’s unreal to be in this league at seventeen.”
Jake’s parents are also a couple of high-performance athletes as well. His dad, Jeff, was an offensive tackle who spent ten seasons with the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders, where he won a pair of Grey Cups in 2001 and 2008. His mom, Kelly, was a simmer at Syracuse University.
When asked how he found his way onto the ice instead of on the turf or in the water, he said he didn’t have much of a choice.
“My mom wouldn’t let me play football so I had to find another sport. The gear mostly was the reason I wanted to be a goalie, I just loved it. My first coach was Doug Crashley was a goalie and he got me into it.”
Pilon will see the ice during the Rockets final weekend of the preseason when Kelowna hosts the Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals this Friday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale now at Select Your Tickets, the official ticket provider of the Rockets.
Tickets can be purchased:
- Online at selectyourtickets.com
- By calling Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050
- Or by visiting the Select Your Tickets box office at the Prospera Place box office. The box office is open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00p.m. Monday through Friday, and opens at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday home game days
The Kelowna Rockets will host the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday, September 23 for their home opener at Prospera Place. Tickets are on sale now at selectyourtickets.com, the Select Your Tickets box office at Prospera Place or by phone at 250-762-5050.