Kelowna Rockets fire head coach Kris Mallette

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 11, 2025.

sports@medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

The Kelowna Rockets have made a major shakeup in their hockey operations 16 months ahead of hosting the CHL Memorial Cup.

The Rockets announced they have relieved head coach Kris Mallette of his duties, naming Derrick Martin as interim head coach.

“I’d say it’s been a tough week. We moved some of our best players and acquired some solid, good young people that are joining our organization. I just felt that with the new players here, if we were going to make a coaching change that now would be appropriate time,” Rockets’ president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said in a release.

Mellette has won three-straight gold medals with Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky tournament, also coaching team CHL at the inaugural CHL vs. U.S. prospects game in November.

Mallette was promoted from assistant coach to head coach of the Rockets in February, 2020 and was officially named head coach in March of that same year. With Mallette behind the bench, the Rockets had a record of 121-107-19.

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