Dach move to Seattle ‘a trade that had to be made’

Despite his injury at the World Junior Hockey Championship last week, the trade of Kelowna Rockets captain Colton Dach to the Seattle Thunderbirds was one that had to be made, according to voice of the Rockets Regan Bartel.

Writing for RocketFAN.ca, Bartel said the 19-year-old’s value was at a premium given his selection to Team Canada as one the best junior players in the country.

Dach was the leading scorer for the Rockets last season, and he led the team in road goals.

“Had he remained in Kelowna, we wouldn’t have seen him back in the lineup until early March [given his injury],” Bartel notes. “By then, the Rockets playoff fate may have been already decided.”

GM Hamilton reflects on Dach move

Speaking to Bartel following the announcement, Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton said a number of teams had shown an interest in Dach.

“ I decided early on whoever was going to give us the best offer was going to be the team, and it didn’t matter what team it was,” Hamilton said. "A high draft pick was critical.”

For the trade, the Rockets have a first-round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft (originally Regina’s), a conditional second-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft (originally Everett’s). They also acquire 18-year-old forward Ty Hurley and 17-year-old defenceman Ethan Mittelsteadt from the T-Birds.

Hamilton said Dach’s injury had precipitated the move.

“We were going to go two months here without him and that’s just a long time to wait. We felt we needed to get moving,” he explained. “We wanted to get a couple of bodies in here but more importantly acquire some assets that we could start to refill the cupboard.”

For the full interview with Bruce Hamilton head to RocketFAN.