LA Kings Prospect Report: Cole Kehler

Since Rob Blake took over as the club’s new general manager this past spring, he and his scouting staff have been busy building for the future. While he has been met with reticence from fans since taking over, Blake is already proving that the Los Angeles Kings are in good hands for the long-term.

Even during this point of the season with the Kings flying high on the ice, Blake and his staff are still hard at work at solidifying his team’s future. This includes last Friday when Blake and the Kings signed junior goaltender Cole Kehler to an entry-level contract.

Kehler, who currently plays for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, is enjoying a career year thus far as the soon-to-be 20-year-old strengthens his overall game before graduating to the professional ranks.

Through 24 games, Kehler has been solid for the Winterhawks, amassing 17 wins — good enough for second in the league — in addition to posting a .215 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage, which ranks him fourth overall in both categories.

Following the Kings’ signing of Kehler, I spoke with Winterhawks head coach (also GM and Vice President) Mike Johnston about Kehler and his progress thus far. In particular, Johnston discusses with me Kehler’s career year, his strengths and what he needs to work on moving forward in addition to his overall attitude. Johnston even touches on Kehler’s guidance from a three-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender.

For the lanky netminder, though, success did not come overnight.

Prior to joining the Winterhawks in 2016, Kehler spent two lackluster seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before spending a year in the BCHL with the Merritt Centennials.

“At 18 years old, Cole struggle to play in [the WHL] because he was behind two very good goaltenders in Kamloops,” Johnston said. “Once he got an opportunity [in Portland], I thought he came in very driven and very focused. In his first year, he was a little inconsistent in his play but he did prove that season he could be a number-one goaltender.

“I don’t know if his attitude or demeanor has changed since he’s been with us but he’s very calm and a little bit quiet in the dressing room. On the ice, he talks a lot and during games he communicates well with our defense.”

Hope Springs Eternal

Since arriving to the City of Roses, Cole Kehler has stepped up his game. Whether he saw his stint in the BCHL as a demotion or not, the native of Altona, Man. had gained, so to speak, a new lease on life upon joining the Winterhawks.

But, after going 32-17-3 with the club during the 2016-17 regular season, Kehler faced an even greater challenge that spring as he got his playoff feet wet, if you will, playing in his first-ever postseason. Kehler was up for the challenge as he helped Portland pull off an opening-round upset of the heavily-favored Prince George Cougars in six games.

“Our team was an underdog against Prince George, who many rated as one of the top two to three teams to advance to the Memorial Cup,” Johnston told me. “Cole was a difference-maker in the series and he provided our young team with a lot of confidence.”

Overage Optimum

Set to turn 20 this coming weekend, it could be said that signing with the Kings was, for all intents and purposes, an early birthday present for Kehler. However, the 6-foot-4 netminder is long in the tooth by junior standards and with this being his overage year, it is clear as day that Kehler is making the best of things as his junior career winds down.

His coach decided to bring him back for his overage year and, if the youngster’s performance thus far is any indication, Johnston made the right decision.

“We brought him back as an overage this year and right from training camp, you could see his improved conditioning and that he had worked on a couple areas of his game,” Johnston noted. “This season so far, he has definitely been one of the top two to three goaltenders in the league.”

What Doesn’t Kill You…

When he began his junior career in Kamloops in 2013-14, Cole Kehler spent much of his time on the bench as a backup and even as a third-stringer. With that said, the pressure was higher for Kehler who needed to make the most of his limited ice time.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. As a result, Kehler’s two years with the Blazers were underwhelming.

After going 1-4-0 with a 5.16 GAA and a .857 save percentage in his rookie campaign, Kehler’s numbers weren’t much better in 2014-15.

His GAA may have improved but Kehler’s total only improved to a still-lackluster 4.65. His save percentage even decreased a couple of points to a forgettable .855, going in hand with a 3-14-2 mark. However, while it was clear that Kehler was having a rough go in junior, he returned to the WHL a year later where he enjoyed a revival of sorts in Portland.

While his 3.10 GAA and .911 save percentage didn’t blow the opposition away, his performance in 2016-17 proved that the new Kings prospect was much better than his time in Kamloops had indicated — something few can attest to better than Mike Johnston.

“The one [area of] experience Cole had when entering the WHL was adversity,” the Winterhawks coach said. “It’s so important for athletes to be able to handle the ups and downs in the sport and I think it’s especially important for a goaltender to be able to analyze and then let things go from one game to the next. He rarely gets rattled and is able to rebound from tough nights.”

The latter statement speaks volumes about Kehler as this is only good news upon being signed by the Kings.

Learning from the Best

While his coaching career has seen him reach ranks as high as the NHL — including respective tenures as an assistant with the Kings and as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins — Mike Johnston’s isn’t the only seasoned veteran with the Winterhawks who have been beneficial to Cole Kehler’s maturation.

“I’m not an expert in analyzing goaltenders, but one of the guys who works for our organization is Andy Moog, who is an experienced NHL goaltender,” Johnston said. “He believes Cole has great balance between holding his feet and going down. [Kehler] is not predictable and reads the play well.”

An 18-year NHL veteran, Andy Moog celebrated great success during his career, which saw him suit up for the Oilers, Bruins, Stars, and Canadiens.

Despite his diminutive stature, in addition to being a seventh-round draft selection, Moog established himself as one of the premier netminders of the 80’s and 90’s. Along the way, Moog helped the aforementioned Oilers win three Stanley Cups before guiding the Bruins to two Finals appearances — all within a seven-year periodWhile it may seem odd to some that a former goaltender who stood at 5-foot-9 could help a netminder who stands at 6-foot-4, Kehler has nonetheless benefited from Moog’s expertise. Said expertise includes 372 career wins in the NHL.

Cole Kehler’s career with the Kings organization is only just beginning. If his tenure in Portland is any indication, though, things are only going to get better for the youngster.

With Jonathan Quick being instrumental in the big club’s vast success this season, in addition to solid depth from Darcy Kuemper and even Jack Campbell in the AHL, the Kings aren’t exactly in dire need of new netminders. Still, building for the future is the lifeblood of any successful organization, and the silver-and-black, regardless of the circumstances, are no exception to this rule.

Since Rob Blake took over as the club’s new GM, the Los Angeles Kings’ depth in goal has allowed the club and their fans to be a bit more braggadocios, even if they choose to be modest. Cole Kehler’s signing only adds to this.

While he may not be NHL-ready just yet, you can bet that Kehler will be in excellent hands with a developmental staff which includes Dusty Imoo and another Cup-winning netminder in Bill Ranford.

Whether you want to call it overdue or a fitting birthday present, Cole Kehler signing with the Kings is an example of Rob Blake’s ambition to re-strengthen his club’s future.

Stay tuned.

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Kings and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time

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