CREMONA - A Cremona hockey player will be leaving his home province for British Columbia after being traded to the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kelowna Rockets.
Rhett Stoesser, 19, has played parts of three seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
The Rockets acquired the Cremona goaltender from the Rebels in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection and a 2027 fourth-round selection in the WHL Prospects Draft, the B.C. team announced Thursday.
“We’re excited to bring Rhett to Kelowna,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton in a Nov. 21 prepared statement. “We like his size and his compete in the net.”
Stoesser has played in 65 games over the three seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
The B.C. team notes Stoesser’s best season statistically was in 2022-23 when he played in 25 games and registered a 2.35 goals-against-average as well as a .910 save percentage to go along with a 19-6-0-0 record.
The season earned him the nod as the goaltender for the WHL’s Central Division first-team all-star.
In his career, Stoesser has a 2.77 goals-against-average as well as a .899 save percentage with a career record of 33-21-2-4 and five shutouts. He’s played in seven games this season for the Rebels, going 2-2-1-1.
A day after announcing the trade, the Kelowna Rockets announced the release of its 20-year-old goaltender Jari Kykkanen.
The Lloydminster, Alta. product cleared WHL waivers earlier in the day on Nov. 22. He is now a free agent eligible to join other leagues, the B.C. team says.
“Following the trade yesterday we are forced to make a difficult decision on our goaltending tandem,” said Hamilton. “We thank Jari for his effort and commitment to the Kelowna Rockets and we wish him the best moving forward.”
