For Diarmuid Kelly, the shock and disappointment of being traded from the Kelowna Rockets to the Red Deer Rebels lasted all of about, oh, 24 hours.

"It was kind of tough because there's a great bunch of guys there, but it looks like there's a lot of good guys here too," the 18-year-old centre said Thursday.

"This is going to be great. I’m looking forward to it."

Kelly, acquired Tuesday in return for a fourth-round pick in next year's Western Hockey League bantam draft, won't be making his Rebels debut until closer to the end of October.

The Red Deer native suffered a concussion in the Rockets' final preseason game two weeks ago against the Kootenay Ice, and has been advised to avoid contact for another 12 days.

"It was an open-ice hit. I put my head down for one second and that was it," said Kelly.

"I went to see the doctor today and he told me to stay at home and just rest. It’s too bad, because I'd prefer to join the team on the road."

 The Rebels left this morning on a five-game trip that starts tonight in Swift Current.

The fact he'll continue his WHL career in his hometown won't faze Kelly, who notched six goals and added 10 assists in 50 games as a Rockets rookie last season.

"I'm just going to make like one of the guys. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself because I’m playing at home," he insisted.

"In fact, I'm going to use that as motivation. I’ll have a lot of support here."

The six-foot-one, 190-pound pivot enjoyed his moments in the sun last winter, picking up two points — including the winning goal — in an upset victory at Calgary in mid-December, then scoring in a 4-2 loss to the Rebels the following night.

"Because of injuries, I was on the second line at that time," said Kelly.

"When the injured players came back I didn't play that much. It was tough."

For whatever reason, Kelly didn't fit into Kelowna's plans this season.

"They just told me this (trade) would be an opportunity for me to go somewhere where I was going to play," he said.

"It was a numbers thing, I guess. They had too many guys in my age group and I guess Red Deer didn’t have enough.

"I'm just excited to be here."

Meanwhile, tonight’s clash between the Rebels (4-0-0) and Broncos (4-0-1) in Swift Current will feature the only undefeated teams in the league.

While the Rebels have exploded out of the gate, GM/head coach Brent Sutter agreed the lengthy road trip — five games in eight days — will offer a better indication of his team’s potential.

"It will be a good test for us," said Sutter. "But our road trip actually started last Sunday (6-2 win at Lethbridge). It was game one of six on the road.

"We started off right and if we continue to play the way we're capable of playing, we'll be fine.

"All you can ask of the guys is to work hard and give us a chance to win. If we can makes the best of our opportunities, stay strong defensively and use our speed, we’ll have a real good chance."

Sutter noted that the extended road trip will allow his club to continue to gel.

"It will be good for our team. We're a close group and the way the guys have bonded . . . I feel better about our team that way than I did last spring or at any time in the past year," he said.

"The guys all get along well, and that's important. You need good team morale and I think this will just add to it."

Shane Bendera will start in the Red Deer net tonight, with Michael Garnett getting the nod Saturday in Saskatoon, his hometown.

The Rebels will play Monday afternoon in Brandon, before heading back to Saskatchewan for games Wednesday in Moose Jaw and two nights later in Prince Albert.

Red Deer’s next home game is Oct. 20 against the Kootenay Ice.