Kasdorf gets the call Originally drafted by Jets in 2011, construction company owner fills in as club’s practice goalie By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:33 PM CST Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/01/2025 (615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s a good thing Jason Kasdorf has an understanding boss. After all, the Winnipegger wasn’t able to make it into work on Wednesday with barely any advance warning, following a pattern that will repeat itself at least a couple dozen more times this year.

Slacker? Not exactly.

Instead, the 32-year-old construction company owner dusted off his hockey equipment and hit the ice with a handful of members of the Winnipeg Jets who participated in an optional skate at Canada Life Centre.

Such is life as the team’s unofficial “practice goalie,” who can go from laying a foundation of a new house to fending off a Kyle Connor one-timer in the blink of an eye.

“I just wait for the Jets logo in the sky. Then I know,” Kasdorf joked about being called into action in the same manner as the Bat Signal would notify Batman.

In reality, it’s a simple phone call or text from Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty, such as the one that came in late Tuesday night shortly after Connor Hellebuyck had become just the 30th netminder in NHL history to record at least 300 wins along with 40 shutouts following a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators.

Without a game until Friday and 33 starts already under his belt, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner wasn’t going to practice. So Kasdorf, as he’s been doing on occasion for the past five years, took Hellebuyck’s spot.

“The first couple skates of the season are always a little bit tough, just because I haven’t skated for four months. But then after a couple skates, I start to feel pretty good,” Kasdorf told the Free Press.

“Flats is always giving me tips, which is good. You’ve got the best goalie coach in the world and the best goalie in the world, so it’s pretty cool to be around those guys and having them give you advice and pointers. Because I always say to Flats, if there’s anything you see, let me know. I want to keep getting better for the guys to shoot on, right.”

Kasdorf is a lot more than just your basic beer leaguer and much better than a human Shooter Tutor. He’s a Jets draft pick, from the first class of the 2.0 era in 2011.

“Winnipeg is special to me. It’s where I’m from, the team that drafted me, all the staff here are so awesome. I have nothing but the highest praise for them.”–Jason Kasdorf

Mark Scheifele went in the first round, while Adam Lowry went in the third. Three more hopefuls heard their name called by general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff (Brennan Serville, Zach Yuen and Austen Brassard) before Kasdorf was announced in the sixth-round, 157th-overall.

It was a dream come true for the graduate of the Portage Terriers, who was heading to the Des Moines Buccaneers that fall to play in the USHL, which would be followed by four seasons of college hockey with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers.

Unfortunately for Kasdorf, he never got to suit up for his hometown club. Instead, his name will forever be linked with a blockbuster deal as he was sent to the Buffalo Sabres along with Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a first-round draft pick that turned into Jack Roslovic.

“At the end of the day the goal was to play in the NHL regardless of where that is,” Kasdorf said of the surprising swap.

“Obviously Winnipeg is special to me. It’s where I’m from, the team that drafted me, all the staff here are so awesome. I have nothing but the highest praise for them.”

History shows he would make his big-league debut on April 8, 2016 as the Sabres hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. He faced 30 shots that night, stopping 26, but got little offensive support in a 4-1 loss.

“It was pretty short notice. I found out the day before. My family flew out, a bunch of my cousins and friends. That was really special,” said Kasdorf.

His first NHL game would also be his last.

Kasdorf spent the next two years bouncing between the American Hockey League (the Rochester Americans) and the ECHL (Elmira Jackals and Cincinnati Cyclones) before hitting free agency and heading over to Germany for the 2018-19 season.

At the time, his wife was pregnant with their third daughter and Kasdorf could see the writing on the wall despite only being 26.

“Growing family, I kind of knew at that point I probably wouldn’t be able to make it back to North America to play here. That was kind of always the dream, to have an NHL career,” he recalled.

“I decided I would move on. I knew the NHL was a very unlikely option.”

“He’s still a really good goalie. We’re hoping another NHL team doesn’t come in and snatch him from us, because he stops everything.”–Winnipeg Jets goalie Eric Comrie

Back on home soil, Kasdorf happened to cross paths with Flaherty during a Jets game in the 2019-20 season just before the global pandemic hit.

“He asked me what I was doing. He was like, ‘You know, Helly sometimes doesn’t skate, do you want to come out?’ I was like ‘Sure!’,” said Kasdorf.

“After that, I started getting asked more and more. Helly obviously plays a lot, so rest is essential for him. I come out, so guys aren’t shooting on an empty net on the one end. It works out really good.”

Kasdorf said it truly is a full-circle experience, especially with so many familiar faces still in the organization from players to management to trainers.

“First of all he’s a great person. One of the best human beings,” said current Jets backup goalie Eric Comrie, who is typically in the other net when Kasdorf is on the ice.

“And he’s still a really good goalie. We’re hoping another NHL team doesn’t come in and snatch him from us, because he stops everything, he’s stopping all the guys out there. He works so hard at our practices, comes in and takes shots non-stop. It’s very rare to have that as a practice goalie, a guy that can step in and take one-timers and everything and just doesn’t care.”

Kasdorf, who runs Bower Constructors, is also scratching his hockey itch this season by serving as the goaltender coach for the Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, which involves attending one practice per week.

“It’s the same coaches I had when I played there. I thought it was kind of a good way to sort of give back and help the organization that helped me,” he said.

“Me and Wade (Flaherty) always talk, and I get some ideas from him, some drills, get some advice on certain situations.”

He also does play beer league type hockey once a week with family members and friends — but as a forward.

Kasdorf can’t serve as Winnipeg’s emergency goaltender during games because NHL rules prohibit anyone with professional experience. He regularly attends as a fan, albeit with a slightly more personal connection than most.

“I know all the guys, so there’s a little bit more behind it for me,” he said.

In that sense, he feels like part of an extended Jets family — one that is recognized by the fact he has his own locker-room stall, complete with name plate.

“I think it starts from the top down with Mark Chipman. I’ve felt from day one that he’s somebody that really cares about the people around him. He’s always made me feel valued and special,” said Kasdorf.

“You see him and he’s happy to see you. He’s such a good guy and I think that just trickles down through the organization. I have nothing the highest praise to sing about this organization. To be involved like this, it’s been special.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg