Color of Hockey: Kolesar back in Seattle for Winter Classic with Golden Knights

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Vegas Golden Knights forward Keegan Kolesar, who reflects on his playing days with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League ahead of the 2024 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Seattle against the Kraken on Jan. 1 (3 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, SN, TVAS).

Keegan Kolesar used to go to T-Mobile Park to cheer for the Seattle Mariners and slugger Nelson Cruz, who was his favorite player on the Major League Baseball team.

“I still got all my Mariners gear and my Seahawks gear,” he said.

It’s doubtful Kolesar will be wearing any of it when he and the Vegas Golden Knights step onto the rink at the Mariners’ ballpark to face the Seattle Kraken in the Winter Classic.

The annual outdoor game will be a homecoming of sorts for Kolesar, who played for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League from 2012-17 and helped lead the team to the WHL championship, the Ed Chynoweth Cup championship, in 2017.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Kolesar said. “It’s always nice to see my billet families at the games in Seattle and see some of the old fanbase and see some of the old Thunderbirds jerseys in warmup. It’s cool.”

From his playing days in Seattle, the 26-year-old forward learned just how passionate the city’s fans are about hockey and other sports.

One Seattle tradition at Seahawks games is to honor the rowdy fans, known at the 12th Man.

“I mean, look at the history of the Seahawks, the 12th Man, and that shows you how insane the crowd is,” Kolesar said, “I remember my first game there, and it was wild. I literally couldn’t hear my mom talking to me right beside me, that’s how loud it was.

“And when you talk to people, the first thing they say about hockey is, ‘Wow, it’s way more exciting than I thought it was going to be,’ and I think it’s just become infectious,” he said. “People have taken more notice of it. And I know the Seattle fanbase, and once they like something, they’re passionate about it.”

Seattle got a taste of championship hockey in 2017 when Kolesar and the Thunderbirds, who play in Kent, about 21 miles south of the city, defeated the Regina Pats for the Chynoweth Cup. That title came in May 2017, about 19 months before Seattle was awarded an NHL expansion franchise on Dec. 4, 2018.

That Thunderbirds team was stocked with talent, including future New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal; defenseman Ethan Bear, who’s played 251 NHL regular-season games for three teams and is an unrestricted free agent who is expected to sign with the Washington Capitals soon;  Alexander True, a forward in the Florida Panthers system who played eight games for the Kraken in 2020-21; and Kolesar, who was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round (No. 69) of the 2015 NHL Draft and then traded to Vegas on June 24, 2017. 

Kolesar had 167 points (77 goals, 90 assists) in 243 games for Seattle. He was the Thunderbirds’ fourth-leading scorer in 2016-17 with 60 points (26 goals, 34 assists) in 54 games and led the WHL in postseason scoring with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 19 games.

“I didn’t want to leave my junior career not having anything to show for it,” he said. “Everything was just clicking, we had a really good team and got hot at the right time. I’ve always been one to agree that personal success stems from team success. The better the team was doing, the better, personally, we were doing as players.”

Kolesar’s scoring ability and rugged style of play made him a fan favorite, said Russ Farwell, who was the Thunderbirds owner and president that championship season.

“He was really important, a talented guy, his hand skills and stuff, but was a big power forward at our level, and he still is in the NHL,” Farwell said. “He was a real positive guy in our community.”

And popular among his teammates, who kept in constant contact with Kolesar as the Golden Knights last season, when the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup.

“All the boys, we have a group chat of us from juniors,” said Kolesar, who had five points (two goals, three assists) in 22 playoff games last season. “They all texted me congratulations and all of that, and the first thing I said was, ‘Well, boys, it’s no run for the Ed Chynoweth, but it’s pretty close.’ They all had a good laugh with that.”

Kolesar said he isn’t sure how he and defenseman Shea Theodore, who played for the Thunderbirds from 2010-11 to 2014-15 and was captain in his final season, will be received by Seattle fans when they’re introduced at T-Mobile Park.

“I’d like to think me and ‘Theo’ might have a nice fanbase there for ourselves,” Kolesar said. “And Golden Knights fans travel from all over the world to come see us play, so I think we’ll be okay.”