Cole Kehler (born December 17, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL.

Cole Kehler
Born (1997-12-17) December 17, 1997 (age 26)
Altona, Manitoba, Canada
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
team
Former teams
Free Agent
Ontario Reign
Manitoba Moose
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2018–present

Playing career

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After being selected by the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in the 2012 Bantam Draft, Kehler competed for the starting goaltender position with Connor Ingram during the 2014–15 season.[1] After two partial seasons of poor performance with Kamloops, Kehler was assigned to play for the Merritt Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League and was named the starting goalie.[2]

The Blazers traded Kehler's WHL rights to the Portland Winterhawks in August, 2016.[3] He played for Portland between 2016 and 2018, guiding the Winterhawks to playoff appearances in both seasons. After attending the Winnipeg Jets Skills Development Camp in 2017, Kehler signed a professional contract with the Los Angeles Kings.[4][5]

Kehler made his professional debut in 2018 with the Kings secondary affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL.

After leaving the Kings organization as a free agent, as he was not tendered a qualifying offer, Kehler was later offered a professional tryout to attend training camp with the Winnipeg Jets.[6] He released by the Jets following the conclusion of training camp and later signed a one-year AHL contract with affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on January 24, 2021.[7] Kehler appeared in 1 game with the Moose, before he was signed by the Winnipeg Jets for the remainder of the season to add insurance depth on April 9, 2021.[8]

In the following off-season as a pending restricted free agent, Kehler's rights were not retained by the Jets after failing to receive a qualifying offer. As a free agent, Kehler signed a contract in the ECHL to join the Rapid City Rush to open the 2021–22 season.[9] Following two games with the Rush, Kehler was traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones on November 30, 2021. He appeared in 4 games with the Cyclones before he was traded a month later on December 30, to the Utah Grizzlies.[10]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2013–14 Kamloops Blazers WHL 11 1 4 0 430 37 0 5.16 .857
2014–15 Kamloops Blazers WHL 21 3 14 2 1123 87 0 4.65 .855
2015–16 Merritt Centennials BCHL 43 18 24 0 2454 157 0 3.84 .898
2016–17 Portland Winterhawks WHL 56 32 17 3 3151 163 2 3.10 .910 11 5 6 604 42 0 4.17 .897
2017–18 Portland Winterhawks WHL 53 30 16 4 3079 142 4 2.77 .909 12 5 5 709 40 0 3.39 .897
2018–19 Manchester Monarchs ECHL 17 7 8 0 862 61 0 4.25 .883 1 0 0 33 0 0 0.00 1.000
2019–20 Fort Wayne Komets ECHL 31 14 10 4 1709 87 2 3.05 .901
2019–20 Ontario Reign AHL 1 0 0 0 8 0 0 0.00 1.000
2020–21 Manitoba Moose AHL 3 2 1 0 119 5 0 2.52 .861
2021–22 Rapid City Rush ECHL 2 1 0 1 127 9 0 4.25 .830
2021–22 Cincinnati Cyclones ECHL 4 2 1 0 219 13 0 3.57 .871
2021–22 Utah Grizzlies ECHL 6 3 2 1 365 20 0 3.29 .898
AHL totals 4 2 1 0 127 5 0 2.35 .881

References

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  1. ^ "Kehler blanks former team . . . Season over for two skaters . . . Fans paint ice in P.G."
  2. ^ "Kehler's Development Camp Experience".
  3. ^ "Kehler's WHL rights traded to Portland Winterhawks".
  4. ^ McIntyre, Mike (27 June 2017). "Homegrown goalie ready for takeoff". Winnipeg Free Press.
  5. ^ "Manitoba-born goalie Cole Kehler goes from small town to big league with L.A. Kings signing".
  6. ^ "Kehler tries out with Jets". Winnipeg Jets. January 1, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Moose announce 2021 training camp details". Manitoba Moose. January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Cole Kehler signs with Jets". CBS Sports. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Rush set opening night roster". Rapid City Rush. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  10. ^ "Grizzlies acquire Cole Kehler in trade". oursportscentral.com. December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
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