Kelowna Rockets fans will recognize three very familiar skaters at the Sherwin Williams Game in 2019. The game, which highlights 40 of the Canadian Hockey League’s top prospects eligible for the 2019 NHL draft, will celebrates its 24th showcase in 2019. It has featured some of hockey’s greatest stars during their youth like Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall, Steven Stamkos, and Roberto Luongo.
Nolan Foote, Lassi Thomson, and Kaedan Korczak are amongst the 16 WHL skaters that will play in the game. The 40 total players will be divided into either Team Cherry or Team Orr and look to impress before the NHL draft in June 2019. The trio of Rockets players were also featured in the WHL’s Players to Watch list in November, and all 40 players were chosen to the game by NHL clubs.
“The Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game provides scouts and general managers the unique opportunity to evaluate talent competing in a best-on-best showcase,” said Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting Director. “All 31 NHL clubs contributed to the roster selection and have a great interest in this priority scouting event to see which players can elevate their game under the spotlight.”
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The three Rockets are the most from any WHL team invited to the game, they were selected along side rival skaters from the Vancouver Giants, the Tri-City Americans, and ten other WHL teams.
Foote has 31 points in 31 games this season and leads the Rockets with 18 goals. Thomson, a rookie, has 22 points this season and will represent Team Finland at the IIHF Would Juniors in late December in Vancouver. Korczak has 17 points with the Rockets this season and helped Canada win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup back in August.
Thought the Rockets players are on the NHL’s draft projections, all three players should still be on Kelowna’s roster when they host the Memorial Cup at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
Kelowna will conclude their four game road trip this weekend against Medicine Hat, and will be back on home ice on Dec. 29 after the holiday break.
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