SERIES PREVIEW: (5) Kamloops Blazers vs. (4) Kelowna Rockets

What a way to return to the playoffs.

The Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers are back in the battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup- but to have a shot at the WHL’s top prize, the teams have to go through their bitterest rival.

The 2026 Memorial Cup host Rockets return to the postseason after a one-season absence.

While injuries and a new look roster have led to some up-and-down stretches, the Rockets have found their footing with a 21-8-3-2 record since January 1 to claim home ice in Round One.

Kamloops is playing spring hockey for the first time since hosting the Memorial Cup back in 2023.

The Western Conference 4 vs. 5 matchup features two of the league’s most dynamic forwards.

Utah Mammoth 2024 sixth-overall pick Tij Iginla ripped it up for 90 points (41G-49A) in just 48 games to lead the Rockets in scoring and sit first among all WHL skaters in points-per-game with 1.88.

He’s eager to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a second time after clinching the title with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2023.

On the flip side, Allen, Texas’s JP Hurlbert has piled up 97 points (42G-55A) in 68 games while competing at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge and 2026 WHL Prospects Game.

NHL Central Scouting has ranked the 17-year-old 10th among all North American skaters in its midterm rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.

Kelowna has been busy building a formidable roster that includes Captain and San Jose Sharks prospect Carson Wetsch, New York Islanders pick Tomas Poletin, Humanitarian of the Year finalist Shane Smith, veteran Ty Halaburda and Nashville Predators prospect Hiroki Gojsic.

The Rockets also made an ogopogo-sized splash by bringing in Los Angeles Kings pick and World Juniors MVP Vojtech Cihar.

For all that buzz, the Blazers actually boast more goals as a team.

Three of the WHL’s top goal-scorers play for Kamloops, with Hurlbert flanked by Edmonton Oilers prospect Tommy Lafreniere (38 goals) and Chicago Blackhawks pick Nathan Behm (38).

Kamloops is one of three WHL teams to boast multiple 40-goal scorers.

So will defence be the difference maker in Round One?

See our X Factor section below for more on two potential difference makers in star Blazers blueliner Harrison Brunicke (who became the first South African skater to score in the NHL earlier this season) and 2025 Defenceman of the Year finalist Mazden Leslie.

The bitter B.C. foes faced off for one of the most electric games in modern league history in the 2019 WHL Tiebreaker Game, which saw Kamloops steamroll Kelowna 5-1 to move on to the playoffs.

Kelowna and Kamloops most recently clashed in the 2017 WHL Playoffs, where the Rockets moved on in six games to eventually advance to the Western Conference Championship.

The best-of-seven smackdown gets going on Friday, March 27, at 7:05 p.m. PT at Prospera Place.

The series will move north to Kamloops’ Sandman Centre for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31.

 

2025-26 Regular Season Series: Kelowna leads 4-1-0-1

January 2, 2026- Kamloops 3, Kelowna 2 (SO)
January 3, 2026- Kelowna 1, Kamloops 4
February 20, 2026- Kelowna 3, Kamloops 2 (OT)
February 21, 2026- Kamloops 2, Kelowna 4
March 13, 2026- Kamloops 1, Kelowna 4
March 14, 2026- Kelowna 5, Kamloops 1

GAME BREAKERS

Kamloops: It’s got to be Jeffrey Paul himself. The 6-foot, 182-pound forward essentially didn’t cede his place at the top of the WHL points race until March, but he went out of the season the way he came in- with a hat trick in his penultimate outing. Hurlbert was named WHL Player of the Month for September/October and earned Rookie of the Month honours twice (January, November) and is ranked 10th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in its midterm rankings ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft. Hurlbert has terrorized nearly every team in the WHL in a splashy rookie season- but Kelowna isn’t one of them. The Rockets have held Hurlbert to three assists in six games, but talent like Hurlbert’s, it’s not a matter of if he’ll start scoring- it’s when.

Kelowna: Let the ‘Iggy Iggy Woo Woos’ rain down. After missing nearly a full season of hockey, you can bet the Rockets alternate captain is starving for a chance to play meaningful playoff hockey. Iginla was a force for the Rockets back in 2024, when he put up 15 points (9G-6A) in 11 games to reach the second round, and was one of Canada’s top scorers at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound winger has also been unstoppable versus the Blazers in 2025-26. Kelowna is undefeated against their bitter rivals with Iginla in the lineup (Kamloops’ two wins came while Iginla was at World Juniors) and Iginla leads all skaters in the regular season series with five goals and four assists for nine points.

GOALTENDING

Kamloops: Logan Edmonstone has handled the heaviest minutes of his WHL career beautifully. The Saskatoon, Sask. product is fresh off his first 20-plus win season and bracing for his first trip to the postseason. Edmonstone is 2-3-0-0 in the regular season against the Rockets, but his stats are actually slightly better than his season average, with a 2.96 GAA and a .914 save percentage. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound netminder has faced the second-most shots of any goalie heading to the playoffs (1,396) and he can expect plenty more in round one.

Kelowna: This is the opportunity Harrison Boettiger dreamed of when he came north for his NHL Draft season. Despite a rocky start in the Okanagan (hello, emergency appendectomy), Boettiger has settled in with 25 wins through his rookie season. He’s represented the Dub at the 2025 CHL USA Prospects Challenge, suited up for Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, and he’s been playing his best hockey of the year in the home stretch. Since January 1, 2026, Boettiger is 15-5-0-3 with a 2.64 GAA and a .918 save percentage (Edmonstone is right with him with a 14-8-0-2-1 record, 2.55 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts). The Wheat Ridge, Col. product is 3-1-0-0 against the Blazers while averaging less than two goals against through those matches.

X FACTOR

Kamloops: Harrison Brunicke knows how to play high-stakes hockey. As a rookie, the South Africa-born, Alberta-raised defender broke into the league as the Blazers were preparing to host the 2023 Memorial Cup and ended up scoring a beauty against the OHL’s Peterborough Petes while earning consistent minutes throughout the tournament. Brunicke brings veteran experience and lessons learned from his short stint in the NHL and lines up alongside Blazers Captain Ryan Michael.

Kelowna: There’s no one more well-seasoned than Mazden Leslie. The 2025 WHL Defenceman of the Year finalist is the WHL’s active games played leader at a whopping 347 contests- and he’s got 258 career points (75G-183A) to go along with it. On a Kelowna squad that’s stacked with offensive talent, Leslie is still tied for third in points among all Rockets with 68. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defender is tied with Tij Iginla for the most points of any player in the regular-season series between Kelowna and Kamloops with nine points (2G-7A) in six twirls.

2026 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE