Goaltender Kyle Kelsey has come full circle in a career that started in youth hockey in Maple Ridge because he wanted to emulate his hero Roberto Luongo.
“[Luongo] is the reason I am a goalie now,” said Kelsey.
It has led to a nomadic junior career in which the now 20-year-old began with the Victoria Grizzlies of the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Hockey League before moving on to the Red Deer Rebels and Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League. He began this season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before coming this week back to the Grizzlies, where it all began as a 17-year-old rookie in 2021-22 with a 2.83 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and 14-12 record.
“It’s definitely weird coming back but it also feels good to be back,” said Kesley.
“There will be adjustments but it’s all hockey.”
The six-foot-one Kelsey is 49-47-4 in 110 career junior appearances in the WHL, BCHL and SJHL: “I’m a positionally sound goalie who is fast and reads the play and never gives up on the puck.”
The Grizzlies released goaltender Tyler Hodges to make way for Kelsey.
“Anytime you make a move it is difficult,” Grizzlies head coach and GM Rylan Ferster said in a statement.
“Tyler Hodges has done a wonderful job for us and is a great person and teammate. We had an opportunity to bring in a No. 1 goalie [Kelsey] and a guy who is familiar to the program and it was almost a no-brainer. When we looked at it, we figured it was the best move for the hockey team at this point.”
Kelsey will share the Grizzlies crease with veteran Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, the former BCHL rookie of the year. Both are from the Lower Mainland and know each other well.
“We are good buddies who have the same goalie coach and we train together in the off-season,” said Kelsey.
Auyeung-Ashton is committed to NCAA Div. 1 Colgate University and that’s an option Kelsey said he now also wants to pursue following the ruling last week allowing former WHL players to play in the NCAA.
The Grizzlies (10-5-2) are in Surrey tonight to play the Eagles (9-8-1) and in Coquitlam on Saturday to face the Express (11-5-2). The Grizzlies next home game is Nov. 22 when the West Kelowna Warriors pay a visit to The Q Centre.
