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Hamilton Positive on WHL Future

June 20, 2010 - Kelowna Capital News

By Warren Henderson - Kelowna Capital News

With Bruce Hamilton at the helm, the Western Hockey League's board of governors clearly approve of the direction being charted out for their 22-team circuit.

The president and GM of the Kelowna Rockets has been re-elected to serve another two-year term as the WHL's chairman of the board.

Hamilton, who filled the position from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2008 to present, is honoured to be asked back for another term.

"It's an honour when your peers select you," said Hamilton, who was re-elected at the WHL meetings last week in Calgary. "It's pretty gratifying when no one runs against you and I guess it means they have confidence in you.

"It's a job that does tie up quite a bit of time, but it's an opportunity to have a real influence on where the league is headed."

As the chairman, Hamilton serves as head of the WHL's executive committee and is a member of the Canadian Hockey League's board of directors.

As was the mandate of former chairman and longtime friend Ed Chynoweth, Hamilton said his vision for the next two years will include overseeing the health of the WHL's small market teams.

"We need to make sure our smaller market franchises continue be viable and enjoy the same benefits as the big teams," said Hamilton. "Those teams are vital to those communites and they're vital to our league. Places like Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Swift Current need to be looked after."

Closer to home, Hamilton looks forward to building a healthier and more stable situation in Prince George. Attendance at Cougars games has been falling continually over the past several seasons in the northern B.C. city.

Solidfying the Chilliwack Bruins position in a highly competitive hockey market on the Lower Mainland will also be one of the league's priorities.

"Chilliwack had a tough year fan-wise with Abbotsford coming into the American Hockey League," said Hamilton. "We think they're adjusting there, that they'll be ready to go and take some steps this season."

Hamilton said the introduction of a fully-inegrated web site connecting all three major junior leagues in September will is one of the most exciting developments for the WHL from a marketing standpoint.

"It's going to be one of the biggest web sites in Canada and, it'll be much like the sites the NHL, NBA and Major League Baseball have going. It'll have a tremendous impact when it comes to marketing our product nationally."

On the subject of expansion, Hamilton said not to expect any newborn teams in the near future. While there is great demand for expansion franchises, Hamilton said the overall stability of the league has to be taken into account first.

"I think right now the only possibility would be the move of an existing franchise to another city, not an expansion team," he said. "Our priority is to maintain our player pool and the quality of play in the league rather towards the money that comes from expansion."