Rockets extend Huska's and Frey's contract

Press Release

Kelowna, BC: The Kelowna Rockets are pleased to announce that Head Coach Ryan Huska has signed a two year contract extension and will remain with the hockey club through the 2011-2012 season.

Huska has spent two years as the Rockets head coach and has helped the team to a Western Hockey League Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup. The Rockets record with Huska as the head coach is 85-47-3-9.

Huska stated, “I am very thankful for the opportunity to stay in Kelowna for the next few years. My family and I are excited to be staying here and helping this team and organization grow on and off the ice. I would like to thank Bruce (Hamilton) and the entire Hamilton family for this opportunity.”

Rockets President/General Manager Bruce Hamilton stated, “He has proven himself in the last few years as an outstanding coach. I’m sure he’ll get the opportunity to move up in coaching in the next few years, but we are excited to have him stay here and continue to grow as a coach. We know he’ll continue to develop our players and bring more success to our team.”

Huska has been with the team since 2002 when he was a part time assistant coach. After the 2004 Championship season Huska was promoted to a full time assistant and took his place beside Jeff Truitt on the Rockets bench. He became the head coach just prior to the 2007-2008 season when Truitt left for the American Hockey League.

The Rockets have started the processes of interviewing potential candidates to fill the vacated position after Jeff Finley stepped down.
Huska and the hockey club fully expect coaches Kim Dillabaugh, Ryan Cuthbert and Kim Gellert to continue in the current roles.


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Kelowna, BC: The Kelowna Rockets are pleased to announce that Director of Player Personnel and Head Scout Lorne Frey has signed a three year contract extension and will remain with the hockey club through the
2011-2012 season.

Frey has been with the hockey club since their inception in 1991 in Tacoma/ Lorne is very well respected throughout the league as a passionate and skilled talent evaluator. He is a tireless worker who spends over 250 days a year on the road searching for players in every corner of Western Canada and the US.

Frey stated, “It’s very nice to be accepted by Bruce (Hamilton) and the organization. I’ve been here since the start and have been treated very, very well. We’ve had some success here in Kelowna and I have no plans of going anywhere else. It’s comforting to know that he
(Bruce) has the confidence in me to continue even at my age.”

Rockets President/General Manager Bruce Hamilton says, “We have a tremendous working relationship and he is a great friend and we are very excited to have him stay. It’s never a big deal with Lorne in talking about his contract; it’s just tough tracking him down sometimes.”

“He is one of the main reasons for our success. He does an outstanding job of finding us players to play for our organization.”


(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)