Keyser Soaking it All In

TORONTO - Kyle Keyser doesn't go anywhere these days without a smile on his face. And who could blame him?
When the 19-year-old goalie prospect arrived in Providence earlier this month following the end of his OHL season with the Oshawa Generals, he figured it would be the only taste of pro hockey he would be getting this spring.

But then came a phone call from Bruins general manager Don Sweeney delivering the news that he'd be joining the big club as the team's third goalie during their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Obviously as a 19-year-old kid, anyone dreams of coming to Stanley Cup Playoff games and getting to experience the day-to-day routine of these guys," said Keyser, signed by the Bruins to a three-year, entry-level contract in October. "Then I came up to Boston and practiced with them the day before we left and got to experience a game at the Garden, which was an unbelievable atmosphere and something that I'll never forget.
"Hopefully one day I'll be playing in that atmosphere. And just being here in Toronto, it's first class all the way around, so I'm pretty thankful."

Keyser, whose impressive stint at Bruins rookie camp last fall earned him a contract less than a month later, arrived in Boston prior to Game 2 with Toronto and has joined the team towards the end of each practice for some brief on-ice work.
"It's been unbelievable, getting the chance to just travel with the team and experience what it is to sort of be in the NHL, to see what these guys go through every day," said Keyser, who went undrafted. "They're all such professionals and you see why they have so much success at this level and why this team has done so well this year.
"Just getting adjusted to the speed and the shots has been really fun for me…everyone here has been super nice and welcoming, so it's made the transition pretty easy."
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound native of Coral Springs, Fla., has played in the OHL for the last three seasons, one with the Flint Firebirds and the last two with the Generals, for whom he posted a 28-13-0 record and .904 save percentage this season. When Oshawa - the former junior team of Bobby Orr - fell to Niagara in the first round of the OHL Playoffs, Keyser and teammate Jack Studnicka - a fellow Bruins prospect - headed to Providence for their first experiences at the professional level.
"It's been pretty chaotic, honestly," said Keyser, who is not eligible for the AHL next season because of his age. "Our season finished with Oshawa a little bit earlier than we were hoping for. But it opened up an opportunity to experience something somewhere else. I went home for a day and packed all my stuff, pretty much did all my laundry again and off to Providence I was with Jack Studnicka."
Keyser's time in Providence - which did not include any game action - was short as he was quickly summoned up I-95 to Boston, where he has had the chance to pick the brains of Bruins netminders Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin.
"Tuukka's obviously been one of the best goalies in the NHL throughout his entire career," said Keyser. "And just getting the experience to see how they prep. Both him and Doby have been extremely nice to me and welcoming, just talking to me and asking me questions, too, about goaltending. I've been talking to them in different situations, just picking their brains has been an experience that I'm very thankful for."
The 31-year-old Rask, now in his 11th season, has been happy to provide some insight into life as an NHLer
"I'm sure it's pretty cool…if I was 19 and had that opportunity, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it," said Rask.

As a child growing up in the Sunshine State, Keyser did not begin his hockey journey between the pipes. After Keyser's parents convinced his older brother to shift out of the Florida heat and into the rink, Keyser quickly got the hockey itch and picked up the game, initially as a skater.
Keyser, however, realized soon after that he wasn't much of a fan of that whole skating thing.
"I thought, 'Oh, let me try goalie, it will be a little bit easier for me.' I realize now that that is not the case. Goaltending is just as hard if not harder than skating," said Keyser, who was six years old when he received his first set of goalie gear for Christmas.
"It's just something that I strapped on the pads the first time and I did well and never looked back. I never wanted to play player again. I enjoyed having the pressure on me and being that guy that needed to make or break a game…ever since that, I've just had so much fun playing the position and I wouldn't trade it in for the world."
He's not trading his current situation for anything, either.
"When I got to see both rinks and the fans and the craziness and the atmosphere, it gave me chills," Keyser said of the Bruins-Maple Leafs series. "It was unbelievable, something I'll never forget and something I hope I get the chance to play in later in my career. '
"Just taking everything in, soaking the experience in. I don't really want it to end, but I know it will at some point. It's awesome."