The Kelowna Rockets are in off-season mode after a tiebreaker loss to the Kamloops Blazers March 19.
By missing the playoffs, the Rockets were awarded a guaranteed pick in the top six along side the other five teams that did not quality for this season’s WHL playoffs.
READ MORE: Rockets season over after tiebreaker loss to Blazers
The Winnipeg Ice were awarded the first overall pick, and the Prince George Cougars, a Rockets’ B.C. divison rival, won the second and fourth overall picks after a trade from Swift Current.
The fifth overall pick will be the highest first-round spot that Kelowna has had since the 2007 WHL Bantam draft.
With the off-season in full steam for Kelowna, the Rockets will look for the best draft possibilites, as well as developping the team to be ready to go for next season, as the Kelowna Rockets host the 2020 Memorial Cup, meaning they get an automatic berth into the playoff tournament.
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The 2019 WHL Bantam Draft will be held in Red Deer, Alta., May 2, 2019.
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