Keegan Kolesar

Keegan Kolesar
Kolesar with the Golden Knights in 2024.
Born	(1997-04-08) April 8, 1997 (age 28) Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	227 lb (103 kg; 16 st 3 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Vegas Golden Knights
NHL draft	69th overall, 2015 Columbus Blue Jackets
Playing career	2017–present

Keegan Kolesar (born April 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Kolesar is a Stanley Cup champion, having won it in 2023 with the Golden Knights.

Playing career

Kolesar was drafted 69th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. ^[1] On June 24, 2017, Kolesar was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Vegas' second-round draft pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. ^[2] He was called up to the Golden Knights on January 10, 2020, and made his NHL debut the following night against the Blue Jackets. ^{[3] [4]}

On March 22, 2021, Kolesar scored his first NHL goal in the third period of the Golden Knights' 5–1 win against the St. Louis Blues. ^[5]

On June 13, 2023, Kolesar won his first Stanley Cup, with Vegas defeating the Florida Panthers 9-3 to win their first championship in franchise history. ^{[6] [7]}

On December 13, 2024, during the 2024–25 season, and as a pending free agent, Kolesar signed a three-year extension with the Golden Knights, keeping him in Vegas through the 2027–28 season. ^[8]

Personal life

Kolesar was born on April 8, 1997, in Brandon, Manitoba ^[9] to former NFL and CFL linebacker K. D. Williams and Corrinne. The parents divorced following his birth and Corrinne remarried to Charles Peterson who played for the Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League. ^[10] During the 2019–20 NHL season, Peterson contracted COVID-19. When Peterson's death became imminent in mid-September 2020, Kolesar left his team's bubble to say goodbye to his step-father. ^[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012–13	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		1	0	0	0	0		2	0	0	0	0
2013–14	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		60	2	6	8	45		9	0	2	2	2
2014–15	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		64	19	19	38	85		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		64	30	31	61	107		16	7	8	15	8
2016–17	Seattle Thunderbirds	WHL		54	26	34	60	101		19	12	19	31	37
2017–18	Quad City Mallards	ECHL		20	9	7	16	10		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Chicago Wolves	AHL		44	5	8	13	46		3	1	0	1	0
2018–19	Chicago Wolves	AHL		74	20	16	36	90		21	6	5	11	48
2019–20	Chicago Wolves	AHL		33	3	15	18	21		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		44	3	10	13	30		17	1	3	4	4
2021–22	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		77	7	17	24	68		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		74	8	10	18	68		22	2	3	5	50
2023–24	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		79	8	10	18	49		6	0	0	0	2
2024–25	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		82	12	18	30	53		11	0	1	1	6
NHL totals				357	38	65	103	268		56	3	7	10	62

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada Western	U17	9th		5	2	2	4	2
Junior totals					5	2	2	4	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
NHL
Stanley Cup champion	2023	[12]

References

1. "Blue Jackets sign forward Keegan Kolesar to a three-year Entry Level contract". NHL.com. December 20, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
2. "Golden Knights' Keegan Kolesar: Trade sends him to 'The Strip'". CBS Sports . June 24, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
3. "Golden Knights' Keegan Kolesar: Called up Friday". CBS Sports . January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
4. Gotz, Ben (January 11, 2020). "Golden Knights' Keegan Kolesar to make NHL debut Saturday". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved January 11, 2020.
5. "Kolesar scores 1st NHL goal, Golden Knights top Blues". TSN. March 23, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
6. "Names engraved on Stanley Cup". Vegas Golden Knights . National Hockey League. July 7, 2023. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
7. Granger, Jesse (July 10, 2023). "Here's how all 52 Golden Knights names on the Stanley Cup contributed to the championship". The Athletic. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
8. "Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Keegan Kolesar to Three-Year Contract Extension". NHL.com. December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
9. "Keegan Kolesar". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
10. Graves, Wendy (August 1, 2016). "A FATHER-SON FIELD OF DREAMS". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
11. Hobson, Russ (October 23, 2020). "'Got to say goodbye to my dad': Keegan Kolesar left NHL playoff bubble for father's final moments". globalnews.ca. Global News. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
12. Brewer, Contessa (June 14, 2023). "Golden Knights' Stanley Cup win cements Las Vegas as a big-time sports city". CNBC. Retrieved June 18, 2023.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database