Kelowna Rockets kick off 25th WHL season at home tonight

KELOWNA – The Kelowna Rockets begin defense of its WHL Championship tonight at Prospera Place, kicking off its 25th anniversary season against Kamloops in the start of a home-and-home series this weekend.

Tickets are available for the Sept. 25 game through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050.

The Rockets will raise the 2014-15 WHL Championship, Western Conference and B.C. Division banners prior to the game, the start of three games in three nights for the Rockets, who also play Saturday in Kamloops and Sunday in Vancouver.

Kelowna returns 17 players from its roster of a year ago and heads into the season having veterans Nick Merkley, Rourke Chartier, Tyson Baillie and Devante Stephens returned to the team this week from NHL training camps.

Jackson Whistle, Justin Kirkland and Cole Linaker had returned earlier and form the nucleus of the club to start the season, along with second year player Dillon Dube and returning defenseman Joe Gatenby, now in his third season with the Rockets.

Gatenby and Stephens are joined on the back-end by rookie Cal Foote, the six-foot-3 son of NHLer Adam Foote and 6-foot-6 rookie Braydyn Chizen, among a young group of defenceman.

Friday's game marks the start of the Rockets 25th year in existence and is also the beginning of the WHL's 50th season.

Kelowna will also play host this season to game 1 of the 2015 Subway Super Series between Team WHL and Team Russia on Nov. 9 at Prospera Place as part of the selection process for each countries World Junior Championship team.