Leading goal scorers on hockey teams traditionally get a lot of press – but a lot of times, getting that puck into the net takes some assistance. In Cochrane, the Generals’ Austin Keller is the kind of invaluable player that helps find the holes and puts the team into scoring position.
“Austin is far and away the best offensive defenseman in our league,” said head coach Dan Gendur. “He quarterbacks our power play, plays big minutes and has contributed basically since Day 1. We’ve been extremely happy to have him.”
Keller is a long-time member of the Generals club, first coming onto the team five years ago when he was just 16 years old.
This season, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound veteran has logged 23 assists – the most of all defenseman in the Heritage Junior B Hockey League, and second on the team only to forward Slater Ransom.
Gendur said Keller has continued to develop his offensive game every year – and today, he remains a critical member of the team’s success.
“(Austin) does a really good job getting picks through to the net. He’s good at making the first pass … having the rebounds available to the other player. It’s nice to have somebody like that,” said Gendur. “You can’t find guys like that too often, to take that role. It’s somebody that calms the game down … somebody that can actually make a hard play that not a lot of guys can make.”
Keller has one more year with the team before he ages out. He takes to the ice this Saturday for the Generals’ last home game against the High River Flyers.
