Matt Keetley
Encyclopedia
Matt Keetley is a Canadian
professional ice hockey
goaltender
who is currently a free agent
, Saskatchewan
where he grew up playing minor hockey with future Medicine Hat Tigers
teammate Stefan Meyer. During his teenage years Keetley's family moved to the city of Medicine Hat
, Alberta
, a community that is still his off season home.
of the Western Hockey League
(WHL). He initially began the season in the Alberta Midget Hockey League
, but took over as the starting goalie for the Tigers during the 2004 WHL playoffs, subsequently leading the club to a President's Cup championship. In Keetley's draft year, he led the WHL with a 1.66 goals against average
and a .933 save percentage
. He was then drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
, 158th overall by the Calgary Flames
.
Keetley returned to the WHL for two more seasons, putting together his most accomplished major junior campaign in 2006–07. In the regular season, Keetley led the league with 42 wins and was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team. In the playoffs, Keetley won the airBC Trophy as playoff MVP, leading the Tigers to their second WHL championship in four years. Advancing to the 2007 Memorial Cup
, Keetley won the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy
as the tournament's outstanding goaltender and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team as the Tigers fell to tournament hosts and WHL runners-up, the Vancouver Giants
.
During the Memorial Cup tournament, on May 22, 2007, the Flames signed Keetley to an entry-level contract. In 2007–08
, Keetley was assigned by the Flames to their American Hockey League
(AHL) affiliate, the Quad City Flames
. He was called up to play backup to Flames starter Miikka Kiprusoff
on several occasions throughout the season. In a game against the Colorado Avalanche
on November 5, 2007, Keetley made his NHL debut, replacing Kiprusoff with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period, making two saves. Keetley completed his rookie professional season with a 10-8 record with Quad City to go with a 2.33 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.
To begin the 2008–09 season
, Keetley was named AHL Player of the Week on October 27, 2008. On February 10, 2009, Keetley was reassigned to Calgary's ECHL affiliate in Las Vegas for seven games before returning to Quad City's roster. One year later, the Abbotsford Heat
assigned Keetley to the Victoria Salmon Kings
for conditioning purposes from November 10–17, 2009. During his brief three game stint with Victoria, Keetley would record two wins and two shutouts and was named the ECHL's Goaltender of the Week on November 17, 2009, before he returned to the Heat's lineup.
Professional
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
who is currently a free agent
Personal life
Keetley spent his early years living in RichmoundRichmound, Saskatchewan
-External links:*********-Footnotes:...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
where he grew up playing minor hockey with future Medicine Hat Tigers
Medicine Hat Tigers
The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena....
teammate Stefan Meyer. During his teenage years Keetley's family moved to the city of Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, a community that is still his off season home.
Playing career
Keetley began his major junior career in 2003–04 with the Medicine Hat TigersMedicine Hat Tigers
The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena....
of the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
(WHL). He initially began the season in the Alberta Midget Hockey League
Alberta Midget Hockey League
The Alberta Midget Hockey League or AMHL is the provincial Midget AAA ice hockey league for Alberta, Canada. The league consists of 18 teams split into the Dodge and Chrysler Divisions. League champions go on to compete with the BC Hockey Major Midget League champions to represent the Pacific at...
, but took over as the starting goalie for the Tigers during the 2004 WHL playoffs, subsequently leading the club to a President's Cup championship. In Keetley's draft year, he led the WHL with a 1.66 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
and a .933 save percentage
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...
. He was then drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
2005 NHL Entry Draft
The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft.As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years...
, 158th overall by the Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
.
Keetley returned to the WHL for two more seasons, putting together his most accomplished major junior campaign in 2006–07. In the regular season, Keetley led the league with 42 wins and was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team. In the playoffs, Keetley won the airBC Trophy as playoff MVP, leading the Tigers to their second WHL championship in four years. Advancing to the 2007 Memorial Cup
2007 Memorial Cup
The 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup was played in May 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Pacific Coliseum. The tournament was competed between the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers, the OHL champion Plymouth Whalers, the QMJHL champion Lewiston Maineiacs, and the host team and tournament...
, Keetley won the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy
The Hap Emms Memorial Trophy is awarded to the outstanding goaltender at the Memorial Cup of the Canadian Hockey League.The award is named after Leighton "Hap" Emms, who led four teams to championship victories at the Memorial Cup in the 1950s and 1960s....
as the tournament's outstanding goaltender and was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team as the Tigers fell to tournament hosts and WHL runners-up, the Vancouver Giants
Vancouver Giants
The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League . Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in their ten-season history...
.
During the Memorial Cup tournament, on May 22, 2007, the Flames signed Keetley to an entry-level contract. In 2007–08
2007–08 AHL season
The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:...
, Keetley was assigned by the Flames to their American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
(AHL) affiliate, the Quad City Flames
Quad City Flames
The Quad City Flames were an ice hockey team that played between 2007 and 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the I wireless Center in Moline, Illinois. They were the American Hockey League farm team of the...
. He was called up to play backup to Flames starter Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Kiprusoff
Miikka Sakari Kiprusoff is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League . He was selected in the fifth round, 116th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. He has also played for TPS of the Finnish SM-liiga...
on several occasions throughout the season. In a game against the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
on November 5, 2007, Keetley made his NHL debut, replacing Kiprusoff with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period, making two saves. Keetley completed his rookie professional season with a 10-8 record with Quad City to go with a 2.33 goals against average and a .933 save percentage.
To begin the 2008–09 season
2008–09 AHL season
The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...
, Keetley was named AHL Player of the Week on October 27, 2008. On February 10, 2009, Keetley was reassigned to Calgary's ECHL affiliate in Las Vegas for seven games before returning to Quad City's roster. One year later, the Abbotsford Heat
Abbotsford Heat
The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames...
assigned Keetley to the Victoria Salmon Kings
Victoria Salmon Kings
The Victoria Salmon Kings were a professional ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia. They were members of the Mountain Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL, debuting in the 2004–05 ECHL season and folding after the 2010–11 ECHL season as the Chilliwack Bruins WHL franchise...
for conditioning purposes from November 10–17, 2009. During his brief three game stint with Victoria, Keetley would record two wins and two shutouts and was named the ECHL's Goaltender of the Week on November 17, 2009, before he returned to the Heat's lineup.
Awards
Major Junior- Won the President's Cup/Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions with the Medicine Hat TigersMedicine Hat TigersThe Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena....
in 2004 and 2007. - Named to the WHLWestern Hockey LeagueThe Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
East Second All-Star Team in 2006. - Named to the WHL East First All-Star Team in 2007.
- Awarded the airBC Trophy as WHL playoff MVP in 2007.
- Named to the Memorial CupMemorial CupThe Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
Tournament All-Star Team in 20072007 Memorial CupThe 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup was played in May 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the Pacific Coliseum. The tournament was competed between the WHL champion Medicine Hat Tigers, the OHL champion Plymouth Whalers, the QMJHL champion Lewiston Maineiacs, and the host team and tournament...
. - Awarded the Hap Emms Memorial TrophyHap Emms Memorial TrophyThe Hap Emms Memorial Trophy is awarded to the outstanding goaltender at the Memorial Cup of the Canadian Hockey League.The award is named after Leighton "Hap" Emms, who led four teams to championship victories at the Memorial Cup in the 1950s and 1960s....
as Memorial Cup top goaltender in 2007.
Professional
- Named AHLAmerican Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Player of the Week on October 27, 2008. - Named Reebok HockeyReebokReebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
ECHL Goaltender of the Week on November 17, 2009. - Named Ronald Allen Clothiers-Abbotsford Heat Player of the Month for December.
Regular season
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Medicine Hat Tigers Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League who play out of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Division Titles. The Tigers play at the Medicine Hat Arena.... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 5 | 0 | 4.17 | .881 |
| 2004–05 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 32 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1846 | 51 | 6 | 1.66 | .933 |
| 2005–06 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 62 | 42 | 13 | -- | 6 | 3741 | 130 | 6 | 2.09 | .916 |
| 2006–07 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 55 | 42 | 11 | -- | 1 | 3258 | 119 | 6 | 2.19 | .913 |
| 2007–08 | Calgary Flames Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
1 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| 2007–08 2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:... |
Quad City Flames Quad City Flames The Quad City Flames were an ice hockey team that played between 2007 and 2009. They were owned by QC Sports Ventures Inc., an ownership group based out of the Quad Cities. The Flames played at the I wireless Center in Moline, Illinois. They were the American Hockey League farm team of the... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
26 | 10 | 8 | -- | 3 | 1393 | 54 | 1 | 2.33 | .912 |
| 2008–09 2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:... |
Quad City Flames | AHL | 33 | 8 | 18 | -- | 4 | 1853 | 88 | 2 | 2.85 | .892 |
| 2008–09 2008–09 ECHL season The 2008-09 ECHL season was the 21st of the ECHL. The league welcomed one new franchise, the Ontario Reign, which will relocate from Beaumont, Texas and will play at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. Two teams, the Columbia Inferno and the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz, will voluntary... |
Las Vegas Wranglers Las Vegas Wranglers The Las Vegas Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wranglers are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL... |
ECHL | 7 | 1 | 3 | -- | 3 | 429 | 19 | 0 | 2.66 | .930 |
| 2009–10 2009–10 AHL season The 2009–10 AHL season was the 74th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 regular-season games each from October 2 to April 11... |
Abbotsford Heat Abbotsford Heat The Abbotsford Heat are a professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Heat began play during 2009-10 season, and are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's Calgary Flames... |
AHL | 23 | 10 | 7 | -- | 2 | 1205 | 52 | 2 | 2.59 | .912 |
| 2009–10 2009–10 ECHL season The 2009–10 ECHL season was the 22nd season of the ECHL. It ran from October, 2009 until April, 2010, followed by the Kelly Cup playoffs which lasted until May 21, 2010 as the Cincinnati Cyclones won their second Kelly Cup championship in three years by defeating the Idaho Steelheads in five games... |
Victoria Salmon Kings Victoria Salmon Kings The Victoria Salmon Kings were a professional ice hockey team based in Victoria, British Columbia. They were members of the Mountain Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL, debuting in the 2004–05 ECHL season and folding after the 2010–11 ECHL season as the Chilliwack Bruins WHL franchise... |
ECHL | 9 | 2 | 7 | -- | 0 | 484 | 31 | 2 | 3.84 | .880 |
| 2010–11 2010–11 AHL season The 2010–11 AHL season is the 75th season of the American Hockey League. An all-time high of thirty teams will play 80 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on October 8, 2010 and ended on April 10, 2011... |
Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 9 | 0 | 7 | -- | 1 | 424 | 25 | 0 | 3.54 | .860 |
| NHL Career totals | 1 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | ||
| AHL Career totals | 91 | 28 | 40 | -- | 10 | 4875 | 219 | 5 | 2.83 | .894 | ||
| ECHL Career totals | 17 | 3 | 10 | -- | 3 | 913 | 50 | 2 | 3.28 | .905 | ||
| WHL Career totals | 152 | 105 | 30 | 3 | 7 | 8916 | 305 | 18 | 2.05 | .918 | ||
Playoffs
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1182 | 38 | 4 | 1.92 | .917 |
| 2004–05 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 103 | 8 | 0 | 4.66 | .805 |
| 2005–06 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 13 | 9 | 2 | 864 | 30 | 0 | 2.08 | .921 |
| 2006–07 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 23 | 16 | 7 | 1407 | 51 | 4 | 2.18 | .920 |
| 2009–10 | Victoria Salmon Kings | ECHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | 298 | 13 | 0 | 2.62 | .904 |
| WHL Career Totals | 59 | 42 | 13 | 3556 | 127 | 8 | 2.14 | .915 | ||
| ECHL Career Totals | 5 | 2 | 3 | 298 | 13 | 0 | 2.62 | .904 | ||