Kelowna Rockets name Curtis Hamilton GM after Bruce Hamilton’s 35-year run

Curtis Hamilton has been named general manager of the Kelowna Rockets, becoming only the second person to hold the position in franchise history. Bruce Hamilton remains the club’s president and governor.

Kelowna Rockets/WHL

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The Kelowna Rockets have made the first change at general manager in franchise history, promoting Curtis Hamilton to the position after Bruce Hamilton held the job for 35 years.

The Western Hockey League club announced the move Aug. 26, making Curtis Hamilton only the second general manager in Rockets history. He had served as assistant general manager since December 2022.

Bruce Hamilton, who has been general manager since the franchise began as the Tacoma Rockets in 1991, will remain president and governor of the club. He also continues as chairman of the WHL Board of Governors.

Bruce Hamilton had held the president and general manager positions since the franchise’s beginning in Tacoma and remained in both roles after the team moved to Kelowna for the 1995-96 season.

In announcing the change, Bruce Hamilton said the game and the players entering it have changed significantly during his time as general manager, and he believes the organization will benefit from a younger perspective. He said he will remain available to Curtis Hamilton as he settles into the position.

During Bruce Hamilton’s tenure as general manager, the Rockets won four WHL championships and captured the Memorial Cup in 2004. He was named WHL Executive of the Year in 1992-93 and again in 2002-03.

Curtis Hamilton has spent the past several seasons working across the Rockets’ hockey operations. As assistant general manager, his responsibilities included roster construction, player personnel, scouting, transactions and work connected to both the WHL Prospects Draft and CHL Import Draft.

Hamilton had previously served as an assistant coach with Kelowna during the 2020-21 WHL hub season. He later returned to professional hockey before ending his playing career in 2022 and joining the Rockets’ front office full-time. “I am excited for the opportunity and challenge of the new role,” Hamilton said in the team’s announcement.

A Kelowna product and the son of Bruce Hamilton, Curtis Hamilton played four seasons in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades before beginning a 10-year professional career.

The Edmonton Oilers selected him 48th overall in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft. He made one NHL appearance with Edmonton and played more than 200 games in the American Hockey League, while also playing professionally in Czechia, Finland, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Hamilton also represented Canada internationally at the under-18 and world junior levels and was part of Canada’s championship team at the 2018 Spengler Cup. While playing in the British Elite Ice Hockey League, he earned a master’s degree in sports management from Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

The management change was announced on registration day for the Rockets’ 2026 training camp, which ran Aug. 26 to 30 at Prospera Place. Kelowna opens its four-game preseason schedule Sept. 4 on the road against the Kamloops Blazers.

The Rockets begin the regular season Sept. 19 against the Vancouver Giants and play their home opener Sept. 26 against the Penticton Vees at Prospera Place.

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