The Red Deer Rebels have traded goaltender Rhett Stoesser to the Kelowna Rockets for a pair of mid-round draft picks.
On Thursday, Nov. 21, the Rebels announced they have received a fourth-round pick at the 2025 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft and a fourth-round pick at the 2027 draft in exchange for the 19-year-old goaltender.
Stoesser was signed by the Rebels after attending training camp in 2022 as a free agent invite. In 65 career appearances with the Rebels, the Carstairs native recorded a 2.77 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and a 33-21-2-4 record with five shutouts. He is 10th on the club’s all-time wins list and fifth on the team’s all-time shutouts list. He was the WHL Central Division Goaltender of the Year in 2022-23.
“We’re excited to bring Rhett to Kelowna,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton.
“We like his size and his compete in the net.”
This season, Stoesser has a 2-2-2 record, with a 3.28 goals against average and .892 save percentage. He has appeared in seven games in 2024-25, while fellow Rebels goaltender Chase Wutzke has appeared in 17.
The Rebels have recalled 16-year-old goaltender Peyton Shore from the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Shore began the 2024-25 season on the Rebels roster before being assigned to Virden on Oct. 7. In seven appearances with the Oil Capitals, he has posted a 2.13 goals-against average and .920 save percentage with a 4-2-0 record and one shutout.
Rebels president and general manager Brent Sutter said the organization is grateful to work with the Oil Capitals through the Western Canadian Development Model.
“We want to thank Head Coach and General Manager Tyson Ramsey and the Oil Capitals coaching staff for their understanding and helping Peyton’s development,” said Sutter.
This is one of two Rebels trade from the past week. On Wednesday, Nov. 20, Red Deer announced it had traded forward Jeramiah Roberts to the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection at the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft.
Roberts, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was selected by the Rebels in round one, 14th overall at the 2022 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. In 49 career games with the club, Roberts has recorded seven goals and nine assists, including a goal and three assists in 17 games this season.
