KELOWNA — Ask almost any Kelowna Rockets player, coach or scout how their summer was — the likely response — “short!”
But that’s a good thing in the world of WHL hockey, with the Rockets coming off their longest run in more than a decade. We don’t need to get into the overtime heartbreak; if you want a refresher, you can click here.
It’s now nothing but smiling faces at Prospera Place, with a fresh crop of 100 rookie hopefuls hitting the ice for the 2015 rookie camp.
“Just to come to the best team in the WHL’S camp is great,” says rookie invite, Darian Boychuk, who travelled from Manitoba to be here.
Most of this year’s rookie invites are 15-year-old’s, although a handful of 16-year-old’s have also received the nod to attend.
Head scout Lorne Frey has hand-picked nearly every player. While he admits there’s not a lot of room on this year’s squad, that’s not what rookie camp is about for most players. Even if they were the next Connor McDavid, 15-years-old’s can only play five regular season games in the WHL. For the undrafted, it isn’t about making the cut, it’s about making the clubs protected list.
“If they excel and we think they can be a Rocket in the future we have to do that,” says Frey.
While it’s a huge honour just to get the invite to Rockets rookie camp, realistically only a handful of players will make the cut to attend main camp.
Rookie camp wraps up on Friday and last year’s WHL champions hit the ice for main camp on Saturday.
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