Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Listening to offers to build for 2026

Rockets GM navigates trade deadline dance

Dec 31, 2024 | 6:00 AM

Let’s call it the trade deadline dance. 

In past years, the Kelowna Rockets have been willing participants in gliding across the dance floor, searching for the next partner—or in this case, ‘trade partner’—and more often than not, they’ve whisked away a player who could make the team more competitive. 

Heading into this WHL trade deadline, which closes on January 9th, Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton is neither the leader nor the follower. Holding the upper hand with no less than two dynamic 19-year-old players that any contending team would covet, the longtime executive must find another general manager willing to meet the fair market value for either a game-changing forward or a world-class defender. 

“Historically we have been buyers,” Hamilton told RocketFAN. “With the awarding of the [2026] Memorial Cup, that has obviously changed the plan.” 

Had the franchise lost the bid for the high-profile event, the Rockets would have adopted an ‘all-in’ approach, adding to a roster that already boasts Andrew Cristall, Caden Price, Jakub Stancl, Max Graham, and, up until his injury, Tij Iginla. 

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“This year we thought we were going to be very, very competitive, and I still think we will be competitive regardless of what we do. We are listening [to offers], and nothing has got my attention enough to get really excited. If we don’t get the opportunity to get the parts we want, we won’t do it and will stay with what we’ve got.” 

So, it begs the question: what is a low-ball offer versus one that reflects fair market value for a forward who is second in WHL scoring, while the other is turning heads as Team Canada’s second-leading scorer at the World Junior Hockey Championships? 

“When you are in our position, they [other general managers] are phoning you,” Hamilton said when asked about reaching out to others to see if a trade can be made. “There has been lots of that, but I would say at best it’s a bunch of tire kickers right now. There will be no discount on what we are trying to move out.” 

Rightly or wrongly, a Memorial Cup host is often trading from an area of weakness, not an area of strength. Other teams know Hamilton has to move his best players to build for 2026, so with the 67-year-old’s hands tied to a certain degree, underwhelming offers are likely the norm with only 10 days left before the dance music finally stops. 

“I think it’s a bit different than when you are loading up to make a run,” Hamilton added. “There are teams that are certainly trying to change the makeup of their team a little bit because they think they can make a run this year, and then there are teams that want to stay the same. I wouldn’t say there are teams that are entirely selling off, but you will see some teams that will surprise you that are trying to add that contacted us, but it’s early, and no one wants to pre-pay early.” 

What is fair market trade value for marquee 19-year-old players? Last season, in a trade between the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos, forward Connor Geekie was sent to the ‘Frontier City’ for two first-round picks—along with three roster players, a second, and a seventh-round selection. Mathew Savoie was also traded from the Wild to the Moose Jaw Warriors for two first-round picks, along with five other selections. That deal did not include a roster player from the Warriors as compensation. 

“Any deal we make, I think we will at least have one high-end 2007 or 2006 player,” Hamilton noted. “That’s what we want. Those are very difficult players to give up for teams that are making a run for it.” 

Across the WHL, there are currently three marquee defensemen who would improve any team: Blades defender Tanner Molendyk, Caden Price, and Seattle’s Sawyer Mynio. 

“Whoever is the first one to be traded would likely set the market value for players like that,” Hamilton speculated. “Right now, our guy is in the World Juniors, so you are not allowed to trade anybody, and I would never do that anyway because I have so much respect for that program and I am so proud of our players who play on that team. All I want Caden to worry about is winning a gold medal.” 

The Kamloops Blazers, as the host team for the 2023 Memorial Cup, had to give up four roster players and 10 draft picks two years ago to obtain Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer. Even with those two, the Blazers never won a WHL title and earned just one win at the tournament before losing in the tie-breaking game in overtime. 

“If we do something now, we will look at it, but we have all summer and next year to do it [trade], and we still have a lot of picks that we’ve accumulated over the last while.” 

“If someone offers us something that is crazy, we would look at that,” Hamilton suggested when asked if any of his veteran players are untouchable at the trade deadline. “I am not going to disrupt the core of this team.”

The Rockets currently sit in the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 29 points, yet have played the fewest games.  

“This team, right from the coaching staff, they need to have a solid second half so we are a team that is learning how to win, and are learning to play tough games in the spring,” Hamilton said.

“That is important to me too.”