Blue Jackets prospect Kolesar traded to Golden Knights

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This article was published 24/06/2017 (3373 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Keegan Kolesar hasn’t played a shift in the NHL yet, but he got a taste of the business side of the game Saturday.

“I left Winnipeg for Columbus at 7 (a.m.) because we have development camp this weekend,” the 20-year-old right-winger from Winnipeg said via telephone Saturday afternoon.

“I land in Chicago and they call me and tell me I just got traded to Vegas. I’m in Columbus in a hotel room right now and I’ve gotta leave tomorrow or the next day for camp in Vegas. So, it’s been a whirlwind, not even 24 hours for me.”

Kolesar, who had been a Blue Jackets prospect since he was chosen by Columbus in the third round of the 2015 draft, had been shipped to the expansion Golden Knights for the price of a second-round (45th overall) draft pick Saturday morning.

And so, Kolesar, who signed a three-year entry-level contract worth US$2.775 million with Columbus in 2015, is moving from an elite squad to one that is the equivalent of a starter home.

“I think it’s a great thing,” said Kolesar, who recently helped the Seattle Thunderbirds to a Western Hockey League title. “It’s part of history, everyone in the hockey world is watching what Vegas is doing and you look back at some other teams in expansion, they had a lot of young players to start and I think with my age and where this all fell into place, it’s favouring me really well.”

Kolesar, at 6-3 and 223 pounds, led all playoff scorers in the WHL with 31 points, including 12 goals, in 19 post-season games this spring.

“You look at their roster and it’s 23 and up and the young guys they just drafted, at 17 and 18,” said Kolesar of the Golden Knights. “I’m right in the middle of that gap and there’s (free-agent forward) Reid Duke, he’s 21 and a year older than me, but there’s not a lot in our age group.”

Kolesar’s development as a pro-style power forward made him an attractive trade target for the Golden Knights according to the team’s management.

“We believe he’s going to be an NHL player,” Vegas assistant GM Kelly McCrimmon said.

“He had two great years as an 18- and 19-year-old in the Western Hockey League and we see a lot of desirable traits in his game, including his size and power.”

Praise for Poolman

Winnipeg Jets prospect Tucker Poolman is dealing with bi-lateral shoulder surgery in the off-season, but a rival college coach believes the 23-year-old blue-liner from the University of North Dakota could make a real impact as a rookie.

“If Tucker’s healthy he’s going to challenge for a spot with the Jets, no question about it,” Western Michigan University head coach Andy Murray said earlier this week.

“He’s got a chance to move right in and play. He’s got it all. Highly competitive, really smart, tough. Big shot, he’s got everything. It’s just a matter of coming off his injury whether he’s going to be ready.”

Poolman signed a one-year, entry-level deal worth US$1.775 million with the Jets in March.

The East Grand Forks, Minn., product scored seven goals and 30 points in 38 games with the Fighting Hawks in 2016-17.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14