Knights players honor combative forward: ‘He’s not scared’

Keegan Kolesar thought it was a prank.

Right wing Jonathan Marchessault called him before the Golden Knights’ 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 19 and said, “You won’t believe this.” Kolesar’s response to his famously talkative teammate: “I don’t believe you ever.”

But then there was evidence Marchessault was telling the truth when players arrived at Canada Life Centre, less than a three-hour drive from Kolesar’s hometown of Brandon, Manitoba. Kolesar, for the first time in his NHL career, looked at his jersey and saw an “A” for alternate captain sewn into the fabric.

He was in disbelief for a second. He checked defenseman Alec Martinez’s sweater to make sure the veteran didn’t switch them as a joke. Martinez didn’t. It was real.

The honor was a nod to Kolesar playing near where he grew up and an acknowledgment of the effort he’s put in this season to defend his teammates. The Knights won the Stanley Cup last season because everyone on the roster had an important role. Kolesar’s isn’t always the most enjoyable, but it’s one his teammates appreciate.

“It’s awesome,” center Nicolas Roy said. “He deserves it. He’s always stepping up for everyone.”

Nobody can say Kolesar hasn’t been busy in the first seven games.

The Knights are the defending champions, and other teams have seemed to want a piece of them. One of the duties Kolesar carries is preventing that from getting out of hand.

He’s dropped the gloves twice with opponents. He fought San Jose defenseman Kyle Burroughs on Oct. 12 after right wing Michael Amadio absorbed a huge check in the neutral zone. Kolesar was at it again the next game, forcing Anaheim center Sam Carrick to answer for a high hit on defenseman Brayden McNabb.

The 26-year-old is well on pace to exceed his total of six fights from last season and his career high of eight in one NHL campaign. He’s also going to continue to build on his Knights record of 20, according to the website HockeyFights.com. That’s 11 more than second-place Ryan Reaves.

“He’s not scared,” left wing William Carrier said. “It’s tough, right? You don’t realize. Your body’s really sore for the rest of the game, and your hands get chewed up and stuff. It’s tough.”

The beating Kolesar is willing to take and dish out is why he’s earned the respect of the Knights’ locker room.

It earned him a special moment in Winnipeg, with his grandparents in the stands. He helped the Knights to another win there, after they went 2-0 at Canada Life Centre in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

“I didn’t expect that,” Kolesar said of the alternate captain honor. “It was pretty special.”

Kolesar’s protective instincts don’t take away from his on-ice impact, either.

The fourth line of Kolesar, Roy and Carrier is trusted to start games and periods to get the team going in the right direction. Sometimes they do more than that. Kolesar fed Roy on a two-on-one for a go-ahead goal to start the third period of Saturday’s 5-3 win in Chicago, picking up his first point of the season in the process. Goaltender Adin Hill and center William Karlsson said after the game the three might be the best fourth line in the NHL.

The Knights hope there’s more to come. The group is heavy on the forecheck and hard to play against, resulting in a lot of puck possession for the team.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said the group’s next step is turning all that time in the offensive zone into more production. That includes Kolesar, who still has offensive upside he can tap into. He’s never scored more than eight goals in the NHL, but had a 20-goal season in the American Hockey League in 2018-19.

“He’d be a part of that,” Cassidy said. “We’d get his numbers up because he’s got a good shot, he’s got good hands. We’ve seen it.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.