Keegan Kolesar (born April 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

right winger In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(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 The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. On June 24, 2017, Kolesar was traded to the

in exchange for Vegas' second-round draft pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He was called up to the Golden Knights on January 10, 2020, and made his NHL debut the following night against the Blue Jackets. 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 The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

. On June 13, 2023, Kolesar won his first

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

, with Vegas defeating the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

9-3 to win their first championship in franchise history. 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.

Personal life

Kolesar was born on April 8, 1997, in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

to former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

linebacker

K. D. Williams Kevin Dewayne Williams Sr. (born April 22, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL), National Football League (NFL), and NFL Europe. He played college football for the H ...

and Corrinne. The parents divorced following his birth and Corrinne remarried to Charles Peterson who played for the

Kansas City T-Bones The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...

of the Northern League. During the

2019–20 NHL season The 2019–20 NHL season was the 103rd season of operation (102nd season of play) of the National Hockey League. The regular season began on October 2, 2019, with playoffs originally planned for April and the Stanley Cup Finals planned for June. ...

, Peterson contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. When Peterson's death became imminent in mid-September 2020, Kolesar left his team's bubble to say goodbye to his step-father.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolesar, Keegan 1997 births Living people 21st-century Canadian sportsmen Black Canadian ice hockey players Black Canadian sportsmen Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey right wingers Chicago Wolves players Columbus Blue Jackets draft picks Ice hockey people from Brandon, Manitoba Quad City Mallards (ECHL) players Seattle Thunderbirds players Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights players