Kelowna Rockets will play nine of their first 12 games at home to start the 2023-2024 season

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor-file

Fans of the Kelowna Rockets will get a good look at the 2023-2024 edition of the team over the first month of the upcoming season.

The full Western Hockey League schedule released Tuesday sees the Rockets play nine of their first 12 games on home ice, including a five game homestand.

Five of those nine will feature teams from outside the BC Division including the season-opener Saturday, Sept. 23 against Portland and the first ever visit from the Wenatchee Wild a week later.

The Wild are the former Winnipeg Ice who relocated to the Washington State city after the team was sold to Wenatchee interests.

The Rockets longest road swing of the season is a seven game trip beginning Dec. 1 and including their five-game East Division trip just prior to Christmas.

They close out the season six months after it began Saturday, March 23 at home to the Vancouver Giants.

The schedule includes 14 Saturday night games and nine midweek Wednesday affairs. They also have seven Friday dates as well as the traditional Monday afternoon Family Day game Feb. 19.

They will play each BC Division team eight times and each US Division four times, except Tri-City who they play five times, including three in Kennewick, Wash.

Central Division teams will make their first swing through the Okanagan since the pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 season.

The team unveiled its four game pre season schedule Monday.

Season tickets for the upcoming season are now available.