The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed Jake Kielly to a one-year, two-way contract. The undrafted goaltender was signed out of Clarkson University in 2019 and spent most of last season in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings.
Ineligible for arbitration, Kielly was a restricted free agent after his one-year entry-level deal expired this offseason. The 24-year-old goaltender is fourth on the Canucks depth chart behind Thatcher Demko, newcomer Braden Holtby, and top prospect Michael DiPietro.
Where Kielly plays this season is still unclear, given the Wings won’t start until January 15 at the earliest. They are not among the 13 ECHL teams that are scheduled for a December 11 start. The AHL meanwhile last gave a December 4 start date, but that was a goal back in July and is certainly not likely at this point.
The 6’2″ goaltender did post a .923 save percentage in his two appearances at the AHL level last year, but is just organizational depth at this point.