The dust is slowly settling for Kevin Reidler at the end of a very busy week, capped off by his first career game as a professional goaltender.
The 21-year-old Swedish athlete was in net for the Belleville Senators on Wednesday during a 3-0 loss to the Utica Comets.
Although he was surprised to find himself in net — since he was informed of the decision shortly before the game — Reidler didn’t seem too rattled. He still managed to stop 26 shots.
“I was asked to play right before the game, but I still felt ready. I’d been preparing for it since the start of the week,” he said. “Once the surprise wore off, I was mostly excited and happy. I was able to mentally prepare myself for this game. Looking back, even though we didn’t win, I had a lot of fun during the game. It’s something I’ll carry with me into my summer training program.” "
Reidler was a fifth-round pick (151st overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. A rather imposing figure at six feet six inches, he had just completed a developmental season with the hockey division of the AIK multi-sport club in Sweden.
From that point on, he began dreaming of a future on North American ice.
Reidler spent the 2023–24 season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. He made the jump to the NCAA the following fall, joining the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After a quiet season, he took advantage of the transfer window to join the Penn State Nittany Lions. Over the past few months, he has played alongside Gavin McKenna, a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft.
“I could have taken my time. I had two years of eligibility left in college,” he explains. “I’ve known for a long time that I would never pass up an opportunity to sign a contract with a great organization like the Senators, if that opportunity arose.”
The opportunity did indeed present itself at the end of the season. Reidler signed a two-year contract, which will take effect at the start of the 2026-27 season.
“The three years that have passed since I left Sweden have helped me prepare for this opportunity. I was able to get used to playing on the smaller rinks in North America. In the junior ranks, I played a lot of games. In college, I was able to work more on my development, both physically and mentally.”
Starting next fall, Reidler will put all of that into practice, whether he ends up in Belleville or elsewhere.
Seizing the Moment
Reidler seems a bit embarrassed to mention Henrik Lundqvist when asked to talk about the people who have inspired him along the way. “I know… It’s the obvious answer for a goalie from Sweden,” he says.
He then cites another great goalie from his home country, Jacob Markstrom. “He’s from the same town as me,” he says. “I saw him play in my hometown before he left to start his NHL career. We’re built the same way. I try to play a style similar to his.”
Markstrom is expected to reach the 600-game career milestone next season, which is no small feat. Across the entire NHL, only 55 goalies have reached that milestone so far.
Reidler still wants it to be known that his admiration for Lundqvist, “the King,” is no accident.
“I’ve met him a few times at his summer hockey camp,” he insists. “Before the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship, I even had the chance to chat with him to get to know him better. That year, the tournament was held in Gothenburg, where he’d spent a few years early in his career. So he was back in town to support Sweden’s goalies. That’s when I was able to ask him a few questions.”
And then?
“For him, it’s crucial to have fun, and to have fun, you have to know how to enjoy the moment. It’s easy for a goalie to get distracted by thinking about too many things. It’s important to have fun and enjoy the moment. That’s very helpful for a goalie. And it’s something that was on my mind during my first game with Belleville.”
Reidler has always had a soft spot for the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, even though they weren’t goalies.
“I’ve always liked the way they carry themselves in general.”
