Having won two of their past three games, it appears the Kelowna Rockets have turned the corner on their previous nine-game losing streak.
On Wednesday night, Kelowna (9-13-2-0) is eyeing three wins in four games, but they face a formidable opponent: The Wenatchee Wild (16-8-2-0).
After a slow start, where the defending Eastern Conference champions lost seven of nine games, the Wild have righted their ship, having won five of their past six, including their past four games.
In their last outing, Wenatchee doubled up Spokane 4-2, with first-round NHL draft pick Conor Geekie tallying a goal and an assist.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Manitoba was taken 11th overall by Arizona in 2022. Wenatchee’s roster also features centre Matthew Savoie (ninth overall pick in 2022, Buffalo Sabres).
“They’re a good team this season,” Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton said of the Wild, who relocated from Winnipeg to Washington state during the off-season.
“They have remnants from last season’s team and they have three world-class players. They’re good and we’ll have our hands full.”
Notably, forward Zach Benson is still on Wenatchee’s roster. The 18-year-old from Chilliwack was selected 13th overall by Buffalo this year, and it appears he’s made the Sabres’ roster for good, having now played 12 NHL games.
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NHL teams have nine games to decide if 18-year-olds will make the team. Any more than that, and they’re on the hook for the player’s NHL salary for the season.
Last season, he tallied 36 goals and 98 points in Winnipeg. If the Sabres somehow send him down, he’d return to Wenatchee, as there is no AHL option for 18-year-olds.
In Western Conference standings, Wenatchee is currently third with 34 points. Kelowna is ninth out of 11 with 20 points.
While there’s currently a points gulf between the two clubs, it’s only a matter of time before Kelowna and Wenatchee – only 4.5 hours apart – blossoms into a good rivalry.
Wednesday’s game will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs. Kelowna won the opener, 5-3 on Sept. 30, with the Wild defeating the Rockets 4-0 on Oct. 28.
However, that’s down the road. Right now, the Rockets are focused on tonight’s game – the last one local fans will see for the next four weeks.
Thanks to a never-seen-before scheduling quirk, Kelowna will play eight consecutive road games.
The road trip fun begins Dec. 1-2, when they visit Vancouver, then Seattle. After that, the squad is prairie-bound for a five-game East Division swing, Dec. 9-16.
After the Christmas break, Kelowna will visit Kamloops on Dec. 27 before hosting the Blazers on Dec. 29.
“We have 19 home games after Christmas that are going to be real important for us,” said Hamilton, whose roster has been battling injuries this season, including their top scorer and top goalie.
Andrew Cristall, who leads Kelowna in scoring with 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists), has missed six games while Kari Kykkanen missed nine.
Last Saturday, Kykkanen made 43 saves in a 4-2 win over Seattle. Cristall had two goals and an assist.
“We have 19 home games after Christmas that are going to be real important,” said Hamilton. “We’ve got to be healthier and people are going to get excited about watching Andrew Cristall and Tij Iginla play, too.
“We have some players who are going to generate interest, but our team has to play better, too. That’s a big thing.
“We should have four or five more wins, and that would place us in the middle of the pack. So we have some hill-climbing to do, but we have lots of time right now.”
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