- Jets sign Altona’s Cole Kehler as their emergency backup goalie for 2026-27
- Kehler last played senior hockey for the Altona Maroons and coached their goalies
- Read below for the CBA rule that put an EBUG on all 32 NHL benches
Cole Kehler spent the last two winters playing senior hockey in his hometown and coaching goalies for the same club. He is spending this one on an NHL bench.
The Winnipeg Jets signed the 28-year-old Altona, Man., product as their emergency backup goaltender for 2026-27, the club announced Tuesday. Kehler suited up for the SEMHL’s Altona Maroons from 2023 to 2025 and has since worked as their goaltending coach.
The job exists because of the new collective bargaining agreement. Every team has to name a designated EBUG who travels with the club for all 84 games, and to qualify a goalie cannot have NHL experience or more than 80 professional games on his record. If he ever gets into one, he wears No. 00.
Kehler clears that bar with room to spare. He attended Winnipeg’s development camp in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, signed with the Kings that December, and went 27-21-6 across 60 games and five ECHL stops.
Three appearances with the Manitoba Moose in 2020-21 are the closest he has come to the NHL. He went 2-1-0 with a 2.52 goals-against average in those games.
Word actually got out last week. The Maroons announced it themselves on Thursday and made no attempt to hide how they felt about it, per Carter Brooks of The Hockey News.
“We couldn’t be happier for Cole as he takes advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
His old team said the gig will keep him busy for the next 10 months between training, practicing and traveling with the Jets.
That announcement landed the same day Connor Hellebuyck’s camp released his trade request statement, so it slipped by almost everyone. Illegal Curve, which had it first, made that point when Winnipeg made the signing official:
Barring both Winnipeg goalies going down on the same night, Kehler will never dress. His job is to be in the building all 84 times in case that night comes.
