"SAY WHAT?!! Kolesar May Not Be An Original Outcast, But He Has Always Been There Since Day 1".

There’s an old proverb which states: Prior to City National Arena being built, the Vegas Golden Knights hosted their 2017 Development Camp at an ice rink nearby. At that camp were young players Keegan Kolesar and Cody Glass without NHL experience looking to latch onto what then was considered to be one of the newest teams in the league at that point. While Kolesar would only officially join as full-time player come 2020 season he remains important member of this organization for him as 27 year-old who’s contributed immensely since joining. “It has been amazing,” he stated during a sitdown interview with The Hockey News. “After being traded here from Columbus, it was difficult for me to predict exactly what would unfold and I felt uncertain of how things were going to pan out; but now there are so many questions and I am so fortunate I found my way here!” “Thankful I made it,” was what he answered as his favorite memory about The Islanders organization and life here overall. “Time passes quickly; since that development camp it has been an absolute blast!” As part of our “SAY WHAT?!!” series here’s more with Kolesar:THN: If you weren’t playing hockey what would your other activities or interests be? Would You Play Sports or Athletics in Winnipeg? KK: “Honestly, I don’t know. Most likely I would spend most of my time there trying to stay close with friends. “THN: Would This Include Athletics or Not?KK: Athletics in Winnipeg typically mean cold weather conditions; therefore if I weren’t playing hockey (something which unfortunately I can’t), playing CFL wouldn’t appeal as it’s too icy.” THN: What has hockey meant to you in terms of your life experiences and relationships?KK: “Hockey has meant everything; everything comes back full circle for me now that it has ended!” Life at UW-Whitewater has provided me with some of the greatest people and memories, while providing opportunities to achieve even more than I previously could have envisioned. There is so much left for me to achieve yet! Thankful that I’ve had so much joy playing basketball thus far and finding such success both personally and in terms of meeting great people, “Thusias Nall (THN): When considering the growth and movement in your league and that of minorities through player inclusion committee, does that have any special significance to you? What role or presence would you like your role, or presence, to fulfill? KK: “I don’t tend to see myself as being much of an activist – not that there’s anything wrong with activism – so rather than always taking an activist approach I like doing my small part wherever needed. Do clinics, volunteer with children back home in Winnipeg during summers and do whatever I think will go far for myself personally – though sometimes my actions might go undetected due to being shy about speaking up about such matters. “But when given an opportunity to engage with younger children at home or during a season, I strive to leave an impactful impression.”THN: Are You A Gamer?KK: Yes I play video games often; yes I own Black Ops recently so chances are good I will start on that soon enough.” My friends and I play EA NHL together; we all form Turtle Beaches team on EA. “THN: Are any members from other NHL clubs that you often interact with while gaming EA NHL with, such as Cody Glass?KK: Nope; most often (it is friends back home who join). “THN: When playing NHL, who do you go against to give yourself an engaging competitive experience and plenty of trash talk?KK: “Probably my friend from back home who goes by the name Connor Barley. My brother and I just banter back and forth constantly.”THN: Are you satisfied with how far your game has progressed since wearing the tag enforcer tag? We’re seeing scoring, offense and different aspects of you without you necessarily needing to go out there and fight every time.”KK: “That isn’t something I am specifically trying to do – at least that wouldn’t be something I am comfortable doing in general. “As is usually the case, when any of my teammates feel they have been taken advantage of, I always stand up for them and support their cause. Recently though I seem to be getting my lucky bounces earlier than normal; and it certainly helped my case right now – like seeing what Petro accomplished with eight points in three games (called it luck by himself); when in reality it could just have been due to sheer talent or some fortunate bounces.”