The first half of the season for the 琉璃神社 Rockets definitely had its ups and downs 鈥� but in the end, they came out even.
After 13 games, the team found themselves above .500 with a record of 7-4-2, playing fun but high-scoring and intense games.
But then there was a month-long stretch that wasn鈥檛 so kind to the team. From Oct. 27 to Nov. 18, the Rockets lost nine games in a row, being outscored 35-20 in that stretch.
During that time, the Rockets fell from fourth in the WHL鈥檚 Western Conference down to 11th.
However, the team has turned it around in the stretch drive to the holiday season, despite a long road trip through the Prairies. Since Nov. 21, the team is 8-3-0-0.
With that, the Rockets are 15-15-2-0 going into the holiday break, sitting seventh in the Western Conference.
Bright Spots
Forwards Andrew Cristall and Tij Iginla have been excellent for the Rockets through the team鈥檚 first 32 games.
Cristall, the Washington Capitals prospect, is seventh in WHL scoring with 18 goals and 34 assists for 52 points in 26 games. He has missed six games with various injuries.
In the entire CHL, he鈥檚 ninth overall in points.
The off-season acquisition of Iginla is looking like a brilliant move by Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton.
Iginla leads the team with 25 goals this season, which is also sixth in the WHL. He has 42 points on the season.
Trading Places
Hamilton has been busy on the phones and has had to make some tough decisions with his roster in the first half of the season.
Because of the WHL鈥檚 rule where each roster can only have three 20-year-old players, Turner McMillian was released in the year.
Since then, Hamilton has made six trades, including recently trading veteran defenceman Jackson DeSouza to the Brandon Wheat Kings for defenceman Kayden Sadhra-Kang.
In the five other trades combined, they have brought in forward Luke Schelter, goaltender Jake Pilon, a 2025 5th round draft pick, a 2024 6th round draft pick, and a 2027 seventh round draft pick.
Going out in the trades were forward Logan Peskett, a 2025 5th round draft pick, a 2025 sixth round draft pick, and a conditional 2027 sixth round draft pick.
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A rivalry will be renewed after the holiday break for the Rockets with a home-and-home matchup against the Kamloops Blazers, Dec. 27 at Prospera Place and Dec. 28 in Kamloops. It will be the first home game for 琉璃神社 since Nov. 29.
