Rockets GM Interview In A Nut Shell

• Rockets' GM Bruce Hamilton says he can't complain with the teams 22 wins this season yet he remains frustrated with a lack of secondary scoring. Hamilton says the team won't win in the playoffs if Jamie Benn and Colin Long are the only ones scoring. Hamilton points to the players that are now in their third year that are not contributing regularly on the scoreboard.
• Hamilton is pleased with the development of rookie Mitchell Callahan and says Stepan Novotny is showing he is developing into a solid player. On the back end Hamilton speaks highly of Collin Bowman and Tyson Barrie.
• Hamilton says the coaching staff have done a "good" job, but he says they are learning too. Hamilton say "they have to take a step here too" and they are no different than the players. Hamilton would like to see more emotion from the bench and the coaches need to do a better job of getting after the officials if questionable calls go against them.
• Hamilton spoke about the goaltending. He says Adam Brown has been "real good" while Kris Lazaruk has been "average". Hamilton says someone has to step up and solidify the number one goaltending duties and doesn't rule out Brown taking that spot if Lazaruk doesn't prove himself as a consistent performer over the final 35 games of the season.
• Hamilton says unfortunately the Western Conference has three of the top goaltenders in the WHL in Vancouver's Tysen Sexsmith, Spokane's Dustin Tokarski and Tri City's Chet Pickard. Hamilton says his team only gives up 25 shots a night, so the need to bring in a top flight goaltender shouldn't be necessary. He just wants his goaltenders to ramp up their game.
• As for trades? Hamilton told me he believes his team is close to competing with the Giants if his team is totally healthy. He explained that fans shouldn't forget that the Rockets have been without arguable the teams best player until he went down 2 months ago to an injury - Kyle St. Denis. Hamilton believes the team is short a defensman, with ten other teams around the league singing a similar tune.
• Would he make a home run trade? Hamilton says he won't give away the future. Hamilton says a 'home run' trade for a marquee defenseman would go far beyond giving up just a first round bantam pick. Hamilton says the asking price for a top end defenseman right now is a first round pick, a top four defenseman and one of the teams top young prospect like a Collin Bowman. Hamilton says it makes no sense to grab a guy like that for three months.
• Hamilton is in Ottawa today in get some insight into the status of Mikael Backlund. Hamilton says talks are "moving along" and its up the Calgary Flames and Backlund's agent J.P Barry on where he plays after the world juniors.
• The interview with Hamilton can be heard on our broadcast tomorrow night at 6:30 on AM 1150. Remember what you just read is a rough outline of what was discussed during my 8 minutes conversation with the Rockets GM.