The 2024 WHL Prospects Draft has come and gone and with it, the Kelowna Rockets drafted 10 players who could one day suit up with an Ogopogo on their chest.
Of the ten players the Rockets chose, three were in the top four of the tallest players selected on Thursday, including their top pick Owen Hayden.
"Owen's a big puck-moving defenceman," said Rockets head scout Terry McFaul.
"He's very sound defensively, can be physical and plays with a lot of bite. His skating is getting better and better all the time. He's 6'6” right now and will probably grow a little bit more. He does a lot of things like another big fellow we had here a few years ago, Tyler Myers."
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him. Defenceman Owen Hayden can do it all.#WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Fu2W8NGSTU
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) May 9, 2024
After taking Hayden ninth overall, the Rockets selected Nathan Cole with the 33rd pick.
Cole appeared in 27 games with the Edge School U15 Prep team and accumulated 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists.
The forward also managed 57 penalty minutes and tallied eight points in five playoff games this season.
The Rockets then traded the 38th pick for a conditional second-round pick next year and a third-round selection in 2027.
We have another deal to announce. #WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/0dqDEJP0Qu
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) May 9, 2024
Next up was Jake Hargrave, who was taken 57th overall by Kelowna.
The 2009-born defenceman tallied 27 assists and 33 points in 25 games with the Swift Current Broncos U15 AA squad this year.
Kelowna then took netminder Linden Sobocan 60th overall in the third round.
Sobocan had a 2.82 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 16 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep this year.
The Rockets were poised to pick 61st overall, but they sent that pick to the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round and a 2027 third-round pick.
The rest of Kelowna’s picks include:
Next up for the Kelowna Rockets is the 2024 CHL Import Draft at the beginning of July.
The Rockets have the 32nd and 92nd overall picks in that draft.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
