A pair of weekend games against the defending Western Hockey League champion Kelowna Rockets should be a good measuring stick for the Chilliwack Bruins.

Chilliwack visits Kelowna tonight and hosts the Rockets tomorrow, 7 p.m. at Prospera Centre.

But early in the season, these Rockets bear scant resemblance to the team that roared through the league last year.

Kelowna is 1-2-1-0 through four games and just a point up on the Bruins in the B.C. division.

They’re already missing a number of key pieces from last year’s team, and now injuries are starting to drain away whatever depth remains.

The injury bug bit hardest during the first period of a 4-1 loss to Kamloops last Friday in which the Rockets lost defencemen Tyson Barrie (knee) and Mitchell Chapman (shoulder) along with forward Max Adolph (ankle).

In 12 years as a player and coach in the WHL, Rockets bench boss Ryan Huska can’t recall seeing three players go down in one period.

“It kind of left us scrambling, because you’re looking down the bench to see who you can use where,” he told the Kelowna Capital News. “It puts a strain on your team, but that just means everybody else has to step up and do the job.”

Of the most recent injuries, Barrie is expected to be out for two to three weeks. Chapman may be back within two weeks but Adolph will be out a month.

Also on the long-term injury list are Evan Bloodoff (knee, 4-6 months) and goaltender Mark Guggenberger (pelvis).

Kelowna general manager Bruce Hamilton was forced to pull the trigger on a trade with Saskatoon this week, acquiring Victoria native Tyler Matheson to fill the void.

“With the injuries we suffered, we needed to acquire someone who could play,” Hamilton said of the deal that cost the Rockets a seventh round bantam draft pick.

The limping Rockets would love to get some reinforcements from National Hockey League camps, but the cavalry is slow to arrive.

Hulking defenceman Tyler Myers is making a good case to stick with the Buffalo Sabres, and Colin Long looks like he’ll be playing in the American Hockey League for the San Antonio Rampage (Phoenix Coyotes affiliate).

Jamie Benn appears to have won a job with the Dallas Stars.

Still, the Rockets figure to be a daunting opponent for the Bruins.

Stepan Novotny will require a lot of defensive attention. The second-year Czech has six goals and nine points through four games after accumulating 19 goals and 41 points in 69 games last year.

Fellow sophomore Mitchell Callahan has one goal and three assists thus far, with 19-year-old Brandon McMillan picking up four helpers. The Kelowna offence would benefit greatly if veteran Kyle St. Denis (one point) found his stride, but Huska believes his team has the goods to compete if they play Rockets hockey.

“It’s not one or two guys being out of the lineup that loses you games,” he said. “The way our team is now, we have to play 60 minutes to have success.”

On the Bruins side, Chilliwack looks to rebound from a disappointing 7-6 loss to the Prince George Cougars last Saturday.

The Bruins fell behind 4-0 within 10:15 of the first period, and trailed 6-1 early in the second period before rallying.

Rookie Travis Belohrad picked up his first WHL goal in the loss, and says the Bruins have to solve their slow-start woes.

“We didn’t come out ready to play against Prince George,” Belohrad admitted. “We just need more mental focus beforehand. It starts on the first shift, and not 10 minutes in.”