After Two Years Between NHL Goals, Bellows Thankful for Opportunity With Preds

The emotion Kieffer Bellows showed on Tuesday night in San Jose after scoring a goal in the NHL for the first time in quite awhile was on display again Thursday afternoon in Anaheim.

He was more subdued this time, of course, while seated at his stall inside the visiting locker room following practice, but when asked about the goal once more, his answer was simple.

“Yeah,” Bellows said sincerely. “That one felt good.”

Not only did that tally in the third period prove to be the game-winner against the Sharks to extend Nashville’s win streak to four games, but it was also a long time coming for Bellows - a moment he’s worked tirelessly for over the past two years to attain again.

The last time he found the back of the net in the National Hockey League prior to Tuesday, he was two years younger and skating for the Flyers in Philadelphia.

Little did he know, that feeling he had in March 2023 wouldn’t come again until March of 2025, with a different organization, on the opposite coast of the continent.

“It's been quite a journey,” Bellows said of the past 24 months. “Being in the NHL, and then not, and going through two years, or at least a year of unknown, and then just finding myself again with the Toronto Marlies [of the AHL], and then just getting the opportunity here has been a real blessing.”

Selected 19th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2016 NHL Draft, the Minnesota native made his NHL debut in February of 2020 and scored twice in just his second game in the League. He stuck with the club that drafted him in parts of the next four seasons, including a career-high 45 games during the 2021-22 campaign with six goals and 19 points to his credit.

Then, after just a single game with the Isles the following season, he was claimed on waivers by Philadelphia and appeared in 27 contests with the Flyers in the spring of 2023. That stint brought about three more goals, but Bellows went without a contract that summer, instead signing a professional tryout agreement with Carolina in the fall of 2023.

That trip to Raleigh came to an end without a deal, and as the NHL season began, Bellows waited for the next step. A call from the Toronto Marlies at the end of October turned into another PTO, and after an impressive showing the the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, Bellows inked a deal with the Marlies for the remainder of the season.

All he did in the months that followed was set AHL career highs in goals (27), assists (22) and points (49), enough to garner attention once more, and the Predators took note.

Bellows inked a one-year, two-way deal with Nashville on the third day of free agency last summer, and although he didn’t make the club out of training camp, he went to Milwaukee feeling rejuvenated.

“Coming into camp and just throughout the season, my goal, obviously, when I was down there was to get back to the NHL at some point, but also help them win games and be the best I can be down there,” Bellows said. “I'm working on being the best player I can be, and that helped me get back here. But it's not just me, it's everyone around me that's helped me get to this point.”

After putting up solid numbers once again, this time with the Admirals, Bellows got the call to Nashville for the first time in January. The message he received was to be ready to play, but he never got in the lineup, instead remaining a healthy scratch during his two-plus weeks with the team.

A month later, the call came again, and Bellows made his Preds debut on Feb. 25. Seven games of action later, he found the twine.

“For him to get his first of the season up here, and in that fashion, the game-winning goal, it was just awesome,” Preds defenseman Marc Del Gaizo said. “I was so happy for him, and you could see the pure emotion, how fired up he was after. You’re always rooting for guys like that.”

“Really happy for him,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Bellows. “I mean, it's a great story. It’s been a little while and he's had to go back and earn it a bit, and it's good to see… He gets his opportunity and capitalizes with a big goal for us. He’s been really good for us every game, so hopefully he gets a little confidence off that and takes off.”

Bellows could probably still be listing off names when he thinks of everyone who’s helped him get back to this point, but the Milwaukee coaching staff - Karl Taylor, Greg Rallo and Matt Donovan - were top of mind. He’s enjoying the chance to play at the NHL level with a number of teammates he skated alongside in Milwaukee as well like Del Gaizo, Spencer Stastney, Nick Blankenburg and Fedor Svechkov, to name a few.

“When you come here, it’s like catching up as if you just saw each other yesterday, like no time has passed at all,” Bellows said. “And we're all really close. It’s a special group down there, and to kind of translate it up here, it’s most definitely a special group here as well.”

The journey Bellows has taken to get back to the top League in the world isn’t lost on his teammates either, and the vibe he brings, even though things may not have gone his way at every juncture, is infectious.

“This is the first year that I met him, and he's just a super positive guy,” Del Gaizo said of Bellows. “Just seems like he's always happy, always rooting for everyone else. He wants the team to do well and wants everyone to have success. He’s just a super great kid and good friend of mine.”

Bellows has been around long enough to know nothing is guaranteed, so he’s planning to make the most of his opportunity. That’s easier to do when the team is winning, and he’s been helping the Preds to do just that as of late.

“I just try to be the best person I can be to be around,” Bellows said. “Coming up now with this opportunity is the same thing. Just be ready. You never know when the chance is going to pop up. The opportunity presented itself, and I've been very thankful for it.”

If Bellows keeps doing what he’s doing, chances are he won’t have to wait another two years for an NHL goal. But no matter when the next one comes, he knows one thing for certain - he’ll have a whole slew of people cheering him on, just like he does for them.

“I'm just very thankful for everyone who's helped me get to this point, and especially the guys here that have helped me feel like it's being part of a family,” Bellows said. “It’s just been awesome.”