Detroit — As soon as Keegan Kolesar received the text Wednesday, he knew his life was about to change.
The text from Kelly McCrimmon, the Vegas general manager, was short and to the point.
“‘Hey Keegan, I have bad news, give me a call’,” Kolesar said Thursday during a Zoom call with Detroit media. “You see that text and you know right away I’m getting out of here.”
Kolesar, sure enough, was being traded from Vegas to the Red Wings for a pair of draft picks. Kolesar, 29, had spent six seasons in Vegas but life was about to change.
“I don’t know if I was expecting it, but it’s always in the back of your mind because it’s hockey, it’s how the game works, and people can be in and out,” Kolesar said. “I didn’t expect it, but you’re always prepared for it. It’s the business of it.”
The hard-hitting, hard-charging Kolesar was credited with 270 hits, ranking seventh in the NHL. He brings a physical element, a toughness, the Wings have been missing from their lineup for many years.
Kolesar is eager to fill that void.
“You can call me an old-school type of player,” Kolesar said. “Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck. I just want to help the team win. I’ve always felt the team comes first in every scenario. If there is any way I can help the team win, that’s what I’ll do.”
Having played against the Wings for many years, Kolesar feels this is a lineup that can flourish.
“They have a tremendous amount of skill and talent in their lineup,” Kolesar said. “They’re going in the right direction and have a lot of studs that I’ve felt have been good for years and are tough to play against. I just want to bring more of an identity to the team.
“Toughness, being hard to play against, and a veteran presence on the front end, bringing guys into the fight.”
Kolesar talked briefly with coach Todd McLellan but plans to meeting McLellan face-to-face later in the summer when Kolesar attends a wedding in Kelowna, British Columbia, where McLellan spends the summer.
Kolesar hasn’t crossed paths with many Wings on previous teams he’s been on, but has already in contact with new teammates and is excited about the future.
But it will take some time for the shock of the last day or two to wind down.
“It’s a whirlwind,” Kolesar said. “You play your entire career in one spot, it’s very rare. It’ll take some time to get over it because I’ve made so many great relationships in that city. It’ll take some time to turn the page but that’s just the human side of it.
“But there’s a lot of excitement too.”
Education, not evaluation
The Wings’ concluded their four-day development camp Thursday for recent draft picks and invited undrafted, unsigned free agents.
Daniel Cleary, the Wings’ director of player development, viewed the event as successful, and most of all, educational.
The Wings stress to the players they are not evaluated. But Cleary feels it can difficult to get that point across.
“(General manager) Steve (Yzerman) comes out of the gate and says this is not an evaluation and we try to stress that, but we know what these kids are like,” Cleary said. “They’re stressing about what their numbers (various timed tasks) are, they want to show well. That’s the nature of being an athlete and you want to produce and perform.
“But it is what it is. At the end of the day, it really is an educational camp that we try to give them everything we can. Hopefully they absorb as much as they can because we have great people here.”
This was Cleary’s sixth year directing the development camp, where players are put through NHL-caliber workouts, especially off ice, and learn about nutrition, sleeping habits, and various other aspects of being a pro hockey player.
“It was great but not because of me, but because we have great people who I get to work with,” Cleary said.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Keegan Kolesar eager to bring his toughness to Red Wings
