Keegan Kolesar’s summer looked a lot like most hockey players’ summers: golf clubs in hand, hours in the gym, and time spent with family and friends. But peel it back, and there’s a different story — one about a player who knows that “good enough” isn’t what he’s pursuing as a player and a person.
“I think it helped me a lot to push myself to find another gear in my game,” Kolesar said of his offseason in Winnipeg. “I’m excited to see where I can take it this season. There are a lot of young guys coming up who are pushing for jobs, and that excites me.”
That excitement is fuel. And the 28-year-old Kolesar has been pouring it into every rep and every skate because in today’s NHL, standing still means falling behind.
Last season, Kolesar found flashes of offense scoring 12 goals and 30 points. He carved out moments where his game went from reliable role-player to difference-maker. This summer, the goal was to make that the rule, not the exception.
“I wanted to keep building off the offense that I produced last season,” he said. “The speed of the game just keeps going up. It’s not enough to keep up anymore. You’ve got to get ahead of it.”
It’s a blunt assessment, but one that fits. He’s not just battling opponents — he’s battling time, speed, and the wave of young players in today’s NHL. For Kolesar, the choice is simple: grow, or get left behind.
On the golf course, he says his game is unpredictable. Some days it’s down-the-middle, others it’s hooks and slices.
“Hit or miss,” he admitted with a grin. “There are days I’m lazy, swinging for the fences. And there are days I’m smooth, and it works for me.”
But that’s the thing — golf tells on you. It doesn’t hide flaws. And Kolesar embraces that, too. He knows his hands — steady on the ice, surprisingly soft around the green — can bail him out. “You wouldn’t believe it from the ice,” he laughed. “But yeah, I’ve got good hands on the green.”
The parallels are obvious. Some days, hockey is about grinding through the bad bounces. Other days, everything feels like it’s rolling in. The trick is showing up for both.
In early August, when some players are still soaking up the last weeks of summer, Kolesar was already back.
“I like to get away from the noise back home,” he said. “I love being around my family and friends, but there’s a point where I know it’s best for me to get back and get ready for the season. This year I came down by myself. My girlfriend came later, so I had that time to just get adjusted, just for me.”
It’s not glamorous. No headlines. Just quiet skates and long workouts. But that’s the work that doesn’t get noticed until October rolls around and the puck drops. That’s where edges are honed.
And then there’s the bread. Not just any bread — focaccia. Six hours of proofing, kneading, waiting, baking. The kind of patience that doesn’t come naturally to a hockey player who makes a living throwing his weight around.
“I saw it in a cookbook and thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to try my hand at it,’” Kolesar said. “It turned out great. I brought it in for the guys, and they loved it. Brandon Saad even texted me asking for the recipe.”
That’s courage of a different kind. Hockey players live in a world where showing up with a bad pass or a missed assignment gets called out. Bread? That’s another level of vulnerability.
“If it didn’t turn out well, I wasn’t bringing it in the room,” he admitted with a laugh. “But it did, and I was happy. And if it wasn’t, I would’ve found a way to make it better.”
