What Kelowna Rockets does

The Kelowna Rockets is a private junior ice hockey franchise based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. The club was established in 1995 (with franchise lineage dating to 1991) and competes in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League (WHL) under the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) umbrella. The franchise won the Memorial Cup in 2004 and operates home games at Prospera Place in Kelowna, serving the Okanagan Valley community with live sports entertainment and youth player development.

The team's product surface centers on live game attendance and ancillary monetization: tickets are sold through multiple tiers — single-game, season, mini packs, group, and corporate suite rentals — via the Select Your Tickets platform, while merchandise is sold direct-to-consumer at Rocketsteamstore.com. Supplementary revenue streams include a 50/50 raffle program with online jackpot tracking at rockets5050.com, live game streaming through the Victory+ platform, and radio broadcast coverage through 1047 The Lizard. Corporate sponsorship is diversified across partners including Winmark, Bark and Fly, and Canco Petroleum. Community-facing programs (Tradition, Education, Fundraising) and a Billet Family homestay program support player welfare and local engagement.

On the player development side, the franchise operates within the WHL/CHL ecosystem, which channels elite junior-age talent toward NCAA, professional, and NHL careers. The team held the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft first overall pick (Madden Daneault) and produced the 2025-26 CHL Second All-Star Team honoree (Tij Iginla), with a documented alumni network actively playing in the NHL and international leagues. The organization is privately owned, employs 11-50 staff, and does not publicly disclose revenue or ownership structure.

Name

Kelowna Rockets

Legal name

Kelowna Rockets

Website

https://kelownarockets.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Kelowna Rockets is a private junior ice hockey franchise in the WHL's B.C. Division, developing young players toward professional careers while selling tickets, merchandise, streaming, and sponsorships to Okanagan Valley fans and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Junior Ice Hockey Entertainment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Hockey Leagues (MPAKAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Live Sports Leagues & Tours (MPAGAMAA)

Keywords

• Junior hockey entertainment
• Game ticket sales
• Team merchandise store
• Live game streaming
• Community hockey programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Kelowna Rockets operate as a Western Hockey League (WHL) junior ice hockey franchise that generates revenue primarily by selling live game attendance through single-game tickets, season tickets, mini packs, group tickets, and suite rentals. Secondary revenue comes from an official online team merchandise store, a game-night 50/50 raffle, live streaming subscriptions through Victory+, and community programs such as the billet family homestay initiative.

Product overview

The Kelowna Rockets website serves as the official digital platform for the Western Hockey League (WHL) team. The primary product offering is live hockey entertainment through game attendance tickets, available via multiple purchase options including single game tickets, season tickets, mini packs, group tickets, and suite rentals. Supporting products include an online merchandise store (Rocketsteamstore.com), 50/50 raffle program (rockets5050.com), game-day program publications, and live streaming via Victory+. The website also facilitates community engagement through the billet family program for player accommodations. The platform operates under the chl.ca domain infrastructure, connecting to third-party services for ticketing (Select Your Tickets/Evenue) and merchandise sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Game Tickets Single-game admission tickets sold to individual fans and families for individual WHL home games at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
• Season Tickets Full-season ticket packages granting dedicated fans access to all regular-season home games at Prospera Place.
• Group Tickets Discounted bulk ticket packages for organized groups, corporate outings, and community teams attending Rockets home games together.
• Suite Rentals Premium private luxury suites available for rent to corporate clients and private groups for game-day hospitality experiences at Prospera Place.
• Online Team Merchandise Store Official e-commerce store at Rocketsteamstore.com selling Rockets-branded jerseys, apparel, and memorabilia to fans.
• 50/50 Raffle Program Game-night raffle program where half of proceeds go to the ticket-holder winner and the remaining half support charitable causes, tracked online at rockets5050.com.
• Live Game Streaming via Victory+ Subscription-based online video streaming service for watching Rockets games remotely via the Victory+ platform.
• Billet Family Program Homestay program matching Rockets players with approved local host families who provide accommodation and support during the WHL season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces players advancing to NCAA and NHL (e.g., Tij Iginla named to CHL Second All-Star Team 2025-26)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• 1047 The LizardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial radio broadcast partner for the Kelowna Rockets, providing live game audio streaming and radio coverage of team events.
• WinmarksupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner with logo placement on the official website.
• Bark and FlysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner with logo placement on the official website.
• Canco PetroleumsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor partner with logo placement on the official website.
• Victory PlussupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLive streaming partner for Rockets games via victoryplus.com platform.
• Western Hockey League (WHL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WHL is the primary league and governing body for the Kelowna Rockets, operating as part of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) system. The Rockets compete in the B.C. Division.
• Canadian Hockey League (CHL)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization overseeing the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. CHL provides league-wide platforms like CHL TV for streaming and organizes national events including the Memorial Cup.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Calgary Hitmen: WHL Central Division team based in Calgary. A larger-market WHL franchise with a longer professional pedigree, useful as a comparable for what a successful WHL team in a Western Canadian market can scale to.
• London Knights: OHL franchise under the CHL umbrella. Comparable as a marquee CHL junior hockey franchise with strong brand recognition, NHL development pedigree, and a similar ticketing/merchandise/streaming revenue stack — useful as a comparable for brand-driven upside.
• Edmonton Oil Kings: WHL Central Division team with an NHL-affiliated parent (Edmonton Oilers) and Memorial Cup pedigree. Comparable as a high-development WHL franchise operating the same CHL TV streaming and merchandise model.
• Vancouver Giants: WHL B.C. Division team based in the Lower Mainland. Comparable as a B.C.-based WHL franchise with a larger market footprint, the same league-wide distribution deal (CHL TV/Victory+), and overlapping sponsorship inventory.
• Brandon Wheat Kings: WHL Eastern Conference team in a similarly sized Canadian market. Comparable as a small-market WHL franchise that depends on community engagement, sponsorship, and player-development reputation rather than a large metro fanbase.
• Penticton Vees: Fellow WHL B.C. Division rival based in nearby Penticton, B.C. They compete in the same division, share the same league economics and governance, and split the Okanagan Valley fan base with the Rockets — making them the most direct comparable.
• Kamloops Blazers: WHL B.C. Division rival located a few hours from Kelowna. The Blazers share the same WHL broadcast, scheduling, and sponsorship structure, and they compete for B.C. junior hockey fans and CHL prospects.
• Everett Silvertips: WHL U.S. Division team based in Everett, Washington. Comparable as a WHL franchise with a similar product offering (tickets, suite rentals, streaming, merchandise) and an active junior hockey development focus.
• Prince George Cougars: WHL B.C. Division rival in northern British Columbia. Another small-to-mid-market WHL franchise operating under the same league economics, comparable in scale and product offering to the Rockets.
• Victoria Royals: WHL B.C. Division peer based on Vancouver Island. Operates under the identical WHL/CHL league structure with the same product mix (tickets, merchandise, streaming, billet program), making it a structurally comparable franchise.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Kelowna_Rockets
• Facebookfacebook.com/KelownaRockets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelowna-rockets
• Instagraminstagram.com/kelownarocketswhl
• TikToktiktok.com/@kelownarocketswhl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kelowna Rockets