Rockets Open Training Camp
Close to 150 young hockey players are hitting the Capital News Centre ice this weekend as the Kelowna Rockets 2012 Western Hockey League rookie camp is underway with games taking place from Thursday through Sunday.
The 15- and 16-year-old players are vying for an invite to the Rockets main training camp which begins Monday and are looking to impress Rockets scouts, coaches and management.
“We always look forward to this time of the year,” said Rockets director of player personnel Lorne Frey. “Everyone is excited to get going. We get a chance not only to see our drafted players but some of the kids that have decided to attend our camp and maybe over the course of the summer they have grown a bit. We are glad they are here and we will see what transpires over the course of the next few days.”
Only a handful of players will be invited to the Rockets main camp while the majority will disburse back to their hometowns for another year of minor hockey.
Rockets veterans are arriving back in Kelowna and the team’s main training camp begins with player registration on Monday with camp taking place next Tuesday to Thursday before the club’s exhibition schedule begins.
The Rockets will play seven exhibition games this season, prior to the start of the WHL regular season.
Home exhibition dates are: Sept. 1 vs. Vancouver, Sept. 8 vs. Victoria and Sept. 15 vs. Tri-City.
Kelowna opens the WHL regular season with a home and home set against Kamloops as the two rivals will play Sept. 21 in Kamloops and Sept. 22 in Kelowna.