Jets name Cole Kehler emergency backup goaltender
The Winnipeg Jets have signed Cole Kehler to be their emergency backup goaltender for the 2026-27 season, the club announced Tuesday afternoon.
Kehler, 28, will be in attendance for all 84 games in the upcoming season, being ready to be called upon for the 42 contests at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg and travelling with the team for the rest of the games in the NHL’s 31 other markets.
As per the league’s updated Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team must name a designated emergency backup goaltender (EBUG) to attend all their games and step in if the two dressed goalies become unavailable. As someone with no NHL experience and fewer than 80 professional played, Kehler qualifies to fill the role for the Jets.
A 6’4″, right-catching goaltender from Altona, Manitoba, Kehler previously attended Jets development camp as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and also spent the 2020-21 season in the Jets’ organization.
Kehler played with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks between 2013-14 and 2017-18, compiling a 66-51-10 record with six shutouts and an .899 save percentage. He also appeared in 23 WHL playoff games with Portland over his final two seasons in the league.
Shortly after attending Winnipeg’s 2017 training camp, Kehler signed with the Los Angeles Kings organization as a free agent. He played almost exclusively with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and Manchester Monarchs during his time with the Kings, save for one game with the AHL’s Ontario Reign in 2019-20.
After joining the Jets for the 2020-21 season, Kehler played sparingly with the Moose, with 2016 draft pick Mikhail Berdin shouldering the majority of the workload and appearing in 30 out of 36 games. Kehler made just three appearances of his own, going 2-1-0 with an .861 save percentage.
Kehler spent the following year in the ECHL before heading home to Altona, where he played high-level men’s league hockey with the SEMHL’s Altona Maroons for two seasons. But now, he’s back in the NHL, albeit in a slightly different capacity than he may have imagined — and as one of the league’s 32 EBUGs, he’ll wear No. 00 if the Jets ever call upon him to play in a game.
