Kessy’s come a long way from Notre Dame

By Sean Rooney on November 14, 2018.

Editor’s note: This week we’ve lined up a series of stories looking back at athletes who came through Medicine Hat’s Notre Dame Academy, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Today is a feature on hockey player Kale Kessy. For more names and photos see what Notre Dame’s been posting on Twitter using the hashtag #nda15. Here is Tuesday’s feature on Jesse Florkowski.

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srooney@medicinehatnews.com @MHNRooney

Kale Kessy came to Medicine Hat because of hockey.

That there was a sports academy already in place ready to help him out was a pretty good bonus.

Kessy, now playing for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL, was a big kid from Shaunavon who wanted to take his game to the next level when he moved to the Gas City in 2006.

Notre Dame Academy was just a couple years old and he fit right in.

“It was a relatively easy move for me, I knew a lot of people throughout the hockey academy as well,” said Kessy, now a 25-year-old veteran of five seasons as a pro. “The teachers and the instructors, everyone was really good to me. Those are relationships I’ll have forever.”

Starting with the local bantam AAA team, Kessy made his mark on the local hockey scene. Through three full seasons and parts of two more with the Medicine Hat Tigers, he racked up 71 points and 403 penalty minutes, known as a defensive forward who could put the puck in the net when the situation arose. Traded to Vancouver, then Kamloops in his last WHL season, Kessy has since played in both the AHL and ECHL.

“I signed an NHL contract, traveled a lot of places, met a lot of new people,” he said at the tail end of a long road trip last week. “It’s a good experience, and hopefully I can play for a few more years.”

Last season with the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers, Kessy amassed 239 penalty minutes —the most he’s ever had in a season. Add in 56 more with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters during a few call-ups and he nearly had 300.

Kessy always had that side to his game, but it turns out the era of the tough guy in hockey is far from dead.

“It’s always something I’m willing to do, pick up your teammates and fight when I have to,” said Kessy. “I wouldn’t say anything’s changed or anything like that, but it’s kind of the role I’ve played — a hard-nosed, two-way game. I’m always there to stand up for my teammates or provide a spark.”

The ultimate goal is that being a team player will get him a full-time NHL job. Drafted by Phoenix in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, he was later traded to Edmonton but has yet to play in a regular season NHL game.

“It’s definitely motivating,” he said of wanting to get to the top league in his sport. “I feel like I’m still fairly young, 25, I had an injury there so I’m feeling healthy now, I feel like I’ve been playing well.

“You never know, just right spot, right time. If I play well this year you never know what will happen.”

Regardless, it’s been a heck of a ride so far. And he hasn’t forgotten his roots. Kessy has a home in Medicine Hat and was skating at Canalta Centre in the pre-season with some fellow ex-Tigers and local pros shaking the rust off before heading to their teams.

Kessy noted Notre Dame friends like Darren Dietz (now playing in Russia alongside fellow Hatter Curtis Valk), Ryan Aasman (WHL and U Sports) and David Haaf (SJHL, NCAA) have all gone on to do great things with their hockey careers.

“The teachers and the instructors, everyone was really good to me,” Kessy said of his time at Notre Dame. “Those are relationships I’ll have forever.

“Obviously growing up, playing, you couldn’t really ask for anything more. I think it’s turned out well.”

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