Rockets waive forward Liam Kindree after 4 seasons with the team

The Kelowna Rockets said goodbye to its longest tenured forward today.

GM Bruce Hamilton announced that the team has waived overage forward Liam Kindree, adding that the move was made because of the three overage player limit.

The Rockets would like to thank Liam for all of his efforts on the ice and in the community. #oncearocketalwaysarocket pic.twitter.com/rupb7kErP7

— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) February 24, 2021

“I feel bad that we aren’t allowed to carry four players born in 2000, but we had to make a decision,” he said.

“It has been a difficult year for 20-year-old players, we’re going to do everything that we can to help Liam find a spot to land.”

Kindree scored eight goals and added eight assists in 33 games last year before undergoing season-ending surgery in March.

The 21-year-old has appeared in 143 career WHL regular season games, all for the Rockets, accumulating 23 goals and 55 assists.

Along with Kaedan Korczak, Kindree was the longest tenured player on the Rockets, as those two are the only ones who saw time on the roster during the 2016-17 season.

“Liam has been with us for four years and has been a loyal and dedicated Rocket,” added Hamilton.

“He worked his heart out and faced a lot of adversity, coming back from a number of injuries that were tough to get through.”

The 5’10”, 182 lbs North Vancouver product was originally the Rockets fourth-round pick, 86th overall, in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.

A note to Rockets fans from @LiamKindree9. pic.twitter.com/BT0Yk711ho

— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) February 24, 2021

In a statement released today, he said that being drafted by Kelowna back on May 7, 2015 was a moment that changed his life forever.

“Having the honour of saying that I was a Kelowna Rocket was, and will always be, one of the biggest honours of my life," it read.

His statement went on to thank his coaches, teammates, billets and, of course, the loyal Rockets fans.