Lone ‘Toban to be taken in NHL draft in shock, awe

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This article was published 29/06/2015 (3784 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE knew where he was ranked and he sort of knew when he might get picked. But nothing prepared him for the emotions when he heard his name called.

With the 69th pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft in Florida Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Winnipeg’s Keegan Kolesar, the lone Manitoban taken through the annual seven-round event.

“I couldn’t even say anything, I was in shock and awe,” Kolesar said from his hotel room in Columbus Sunday night. “I had my family members come and hug me, attack me… I still can’t find the words, nothing is coming out.

“I had met with Columbus at the NHL Combine, they showed interest. When I saw them making their pick on Saturday I knew I was in that range. My agent said late second round, early third round. Columbus taking me was a good spot for me.”

Kolesar wasn’t on NHL Central Scouting’s radar last fall, but his strong play for the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds during his sophomore season this past year propelled him to the 94th spot among North American skaters by the time their mid-term rankings were released.

His secret? An off-season last summer spent shedding some 20 pounds off his 6-2 frame.

“During my rookie year, I had some trouble adjusting to the league,” Kolesar said. “During my exit meetings with my coaches, they said losing weight would be great. Last summer I worked with Elite Performance and The Rink in Winnipeg and they helped me tremendously.”

Viewed as a B-list prospect (projecting him to go in the second or third round), Kolesar settled into the 65th position in the final pre-draft rankings after a strong 19-goal, 38-point season on left wing, a 30-point jump from his rookie stats. Not bad for the kid who went from a depth role in his rookie season to seeing time on the power play and penalty kill.

“I used not being ranked as motivation,” he said. “I didn’t have any expectations going into training camp last year. It was a little disappointing not being ranked; you always want to be the guy ranked high. I thought as the year went on, I proved myself more and more.”

Kolesar had less than 24 hours to soak it all in before jumping on an Ohio-bound plane around 7 a.m. Sunday. The Blue Jackets summer development camp started Sunday and runs until Friday.

“We had meetings, a run, testing and a team dinner and got to meet all the coaching and front office staff,” Kolsear said about his first few hours with the big club. “(Blue Jackets forward) Brandon Dubinsky is coming in this week to talk to us about the game and how we can better ourselves.”

Kolesar can thank his biological father and former Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker K.D. Williams — who spent time in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders –for his size and perhaps his physical demeanour and bruising style of play.

But it’s his stepfather, Charles Peterson, a former MLB draft pick who spent parts of two seasons playing for the Winnipeg Goldeyes, whom he credits the most.

“The biggest thing he’s helped me with is the mental aspect of the game,” Kolesar said. “At the end of the day, it’s just about playing — nothing else matters.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca