Photo Credit: Paige Bednorz
The Kelowna Rockets will kick off their 2022-23 regular season on Saturday night when they host the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place at 7:05 pm.
Saturday’s contest is the lone game of the weekend for the Rockets, they’ll then be off until Friday, September 30th when they’ll head north to face the Prince George Cougars.
Meanwhile, the Winterhawks will open their season on Friday night in Kamloops before facing the Rockets.
It’s the third time that the Rockets have opened their season against the Winterhawks since relocating to Kelowna in 1995. The last time was 20 years ago, falling 3-2 to Portland at Prospera Place on September 20, 2002.
Players to watch
Kelowna
- Andrew Cristall posted three points (1G, 2A) against the Winterhawks last season, the lone goal was his highlight reel lacrosse goal. He recorded five points (4G, 1A), four penalty minutes and a +6 plus/minus rating in two preseason games. The Rockets eighth overall pick in the 2020 WHL Draft will be eligible for the NHL Draft for the first time this June.
- Defenseman Elias Carmichael led the Rockets in preseason scoring with seven assists in five games. The 19-year-old recorded 15 points (3G, 12A) in 57 games last season with the Rockets.
- With Talyn Boyko away at the Rangers camp, it’s expected that goaltender Jari Kykkanen will make the start for Kelowna tomorrow. Kykkanen returned to the Rockets earlier this week from his invite to the Florida Panthers rookie camp/tournament. He made 13 appearances in his first season with the Rockets last year, posting an 8-3-0-0 record with a 2.75 goals-against average, .897 save percentage and a shutout.
Portland
- Defenseman Luca Cagnoni posted 36 points (9G, 27A), 36 penalty minutes and a +32 plus/minus rating through 63 games last season. A late 2004 birthdate, in December, Cagnoni will be eligible for the NHL Draft for the first time this upcoming summer.
- With the Winterhawks top five scorers from last season moving on (Cross Hanas, James Stefan, Clay Hanus, Tyson Kozak and Jaydon Dureau), Gabe Klassen is the leading scorer for Portland remaining on their roster. The 19th overall pick in the 2018 WHL Draft finished sixth in team scoring with 64 points (33G, 31A) through 68 games.
- It’s not known which goaltender the Rockets will face on Saturday. Dante Giannuzzi returns for his 20-year-old season after appearing in 35 games for Portland last season, posting a 19-9-2-2 record with a 3.26 goals-against average and .891 save percentage to go along with two shutouts. The Winterhawks made one pick in this year’s CHL Import Draft, selecting Czechia product Jan Špunar.
