The Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League have revealed their Quarter-Century Team and two Edmonton Oilers were included — Leon Draisaitl and Tyson Barrie.
Honouring our great history with the Kelowna Rockets quarter-century team based on your votes 🚀#OnceARocketAlwaysARocket pic.twitter.com/V4rL5vBWQJ
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) February 15, 2025
They were the only two players who went on to play for the Edmonton Oilers at some point after their junior careers wrapped up. Draisaitl was named to the first team, which included the likes of Jamie Benn and Shea Webber, while Barrie was on the second team, which included names such as Luke Schenn and Blake Comeau.
Draisaitl played for the Rockets only for one season, playing 32 regular-season games. He was dynamic, scoring 53 points (19 goals and 34 assists) and adding 28 points (10 goals and 18 assists) in 19 playoff games. He helped guide his team to the 2015 Memorial Cup Finals, where they fell short in overtime to the Oshawa Generals.
As for Barrie, he spent his entire WHL career as a member of the Rockets where he emerged as one of their most impactful defencemen in four full seasons there. His breakout came in the 2008-09 campaign where he led all Rockets blueliners in scoring with 52 points (12 goals and 40 assists) in 68 games while adding 18 points (four goals and 14 assists) in 22 playoff games en route to the 2009 Memorial Cup Finals where they fell to the Windsor Spitfire.
That helped catch the attention of the Colorado Avalanche who took him in the third round of that draft and eventually worked his way into becoming a solid offensive defenceman at his peak. Barrie would eventually join Draisatil in Edmonton for parts of three seasons before getting included in the Mattias Ekholm trade.
As for how they have done this season, things could not have gone any more differently for the two players. Draisaitl is having another strong season that is getting him Hart Trophy consideration, leading the Oilers in scoring with 83 points (40 goals and 43 assists) in 55 games and leading the league in goals. Barrie has struggled with the Calgary Flames with only three points (a goal and two assists) in 13 games and even had a two-game stint in the AHL at one point.
