Enthusiasm runs high within every competitive hockey team when a new season approaches, but head coach Kris Mallette and players with the sa国际传媒 Rockets are ready to soar with the 2024-2025 Western Hockey League regular season only hours away.
The Rockets kick off the regular season at home tonight at Prospera Place against the Portland Winterhawks. Game time is 6:05 p.m.
Not only do the Rockets have a core of more than a dozen returning players, but eight of them are participating in National Hockey League training camps, which shows the kind of talent he will have at his disposal this season, said Mallette.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 get excited for the home opener, I honestly don鈥檛 think you鈥檙e in the right business,鈥 he said when asked how he feels on the opening day of the season. 鈥淭heresa国际传媒 always so much optimism at the beginning of the year as every team starts off tied for first place.
鈥淚 know that our group is a determined bunch and the guys got a good taste of success last year making it to the second round of the playoffs. With so many returning players coming back this season, our expectations are high.鈥
Mallette didn鈥檛 get to spend the summer getting away from hockey and going to the beach with his family as he was selected as head coach of the Team Canada Under-18 squad that competed in the Ivan Hlinka tournament in August.
鈥淚t was basically a one-month commitment with the junior team, so you have to get smart on how to make time for your family as I鈥檝e been involved with the Under-18 program the last three seasons. It doesn鈥檛 come as any surprise for me.鈥
Having eight players away at NHL camps means the roster for tonight won鈥檛 be as strong, but he expects most of them to return early in the season and be the core of a contending team this season, said Mallette.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 been quite some time since we鈥檝e had that many players able to have that opportunity to attend NHL camps,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t bodes well for our scouting staff and the great job they鈥檝e done with the group that we鈥檝e got. When they come back, if they all come back, we鈥檒l gladly accept them with open arms.鈥
Tij Iginla, the son of NHL legend Jarome Iginla, was selected sixth overall by the Utah hockey club and will be attending his first professional training camp this week and next.
While hesa国际传媒 hopeful Iginla will return for another full season with the Rockets, Mallette knows theresa国际传媒 a definite chance he could crack the Utah lineup.
鈥淓very player that gets drafted into the NHL realistically has to think they at least have a chance to make the team,鈥 he said. 鈥淎t this level, they鈥檙e not just happy and content with just trying out. Tij is no different. Hesa国际传媒 going into Utah with intentions of making the team, but thatsa国际传媒 way out of our control.
鈥淥bviously, it bodes well for both Tij and our organization if that were to happen. Once again, if he doesn鈥檛 make the NHL this season, we鈥檒l sure be glad to have him back and be a leader on this yearsa国际传媒 team.鈥
The WHL regular season is long, difficult and exhausting, but every team faces the same challenges and getting off to a good start is often the difference between making the playoffs and missing out, said Mallette.
鈥淚 think it comes with the expectation that we as a group have set for ourselves,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou want to build that confidence as quick as possible, again recognizing you can have a good start and go one way or have a poor start and still find your rhythm in the second half.
鈥淭hatsa国际传媒 what we did as a group last season. We didn鈥檛 have the greatest start and were able to finish really strong and carry that into the first round of the playoffs. Our players are well aware of what it takes to succeed in this league so they know they have to be well prepared starting (tonight) in the opener.鈥
After training camp and the exhibition season, Mallette said this yearsa国际传媒 Rockets should be a well-balanced squad with no obvious weaknesses.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e a pretty complete squad,鈥 he said. 鈥淔rom goaltending out, we鈥檙e solid. I think the balance of our defence corps is a group that has played together in the league for a couple of years now and they鈥檙e confident.
鈥淯p front, we鈥檝e got a great mix of offensive players, as well as some guys who can fill roles as more defensively sound guys. I think we鈥檙e just a complete team top to bottom and one thatsa国际传媒 going to be really competitive.鈥
Coaching a team that gets the incredible fan support the Rockets have enjoyed for many years is simply a pleasure, said Mallette.
Very few teams pack their home barn for virtually every home game the way the Rockets do and the players and coaching staff truly appreciate the support, he said.
鈥淲e have a loyal fan base that have been a part of some really good teams in the past,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e stuck with us through the last couple of years while we were kind of rebuilding since 2020.
鈥淭hey are loyal and passionate fans that expect us to play a certain way and compete. I think this yearsa国际传媒 group is going to live up to that bill.鈥
The goal every year is to make the playoffs and see if the team can go on a long playoff run, said Mallette.
With so many young players the past couple of seasons, winning a league title wasn鈥檛 perhaps realistic, but this yearsa国际传媒 team has incredible talent and has set very high goals, he said.
鈥淭his year is definitely different than the past couple of years,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e have set some goals as a group to take steps in the right direction and build off what we did last year.
鈥淚tsa国际传媒 not easy, but again, the natural progression is to be better than we were last season. Thatsa国际传媒 our goal as a group. We want to compete for first place in our division and our conference.鈥
The coaching and support staff with the Rockets is outstanding and makes coming to work every day a pleasure, said Mallette.
鈥淚鈥檝e been really fortunate to work with support staff who most have been here for quite some time with me,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey make my job easy. I鈥檓 surrounded by true professionals who are always striving to push to be better, challenge each other to be better and make the players develop every year.鈥
Following tonightsa国际传媒 game, the team will be off until Sept. 27 when they host Kamloops Blazers at Prospera Place.
Single game and season tickets can be purchased at:
Rockets games will be broadcast on 104.7 FM the Lizard this season with Regan Bartel calling the play.
Games can be watched on WHL Live.
