Brady Keeper facts for kids

Brady Keeper (born June 5, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for HK Poprad of the Slovak Extraliga. Originally undrafted by teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), Keeper has previously played for the Florida Panthers. He is a member of the Cross Lake First Nation.

Playing career

Junior and collegiate

Keeper played junior hockey with the OCN Blizzard of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) from 2013 to 2017 and was named the league's Most Valuable Player and Top Defenceman for the 2016–17 season. He earned a scholarship to the University of Maine and played two collegiate seasons for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Maine Black Bears, accumulating 13 goals and 57 points in 73 games. He almost quit after two weeks, but was convinced to stay. He was named to Hockey East's Third All-Star team in 2019.

Professional

Having gone undrafted into the National Hockey League (NHL), Keeper left the University of Maine to sign an entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on March 21, 2019. He made his NHL debut on March 28 against the Ottawa Senators. He spent most of the 2019–20 season with the Panthers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, scoring 6 goals and 18 points in 61 games. Keeper made his 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs debut in the qualifying round on August 4, 2020, in a 4–2 loss to the New York Islanders. As a restricted free agent from the Panthers following the Return to Play qualifying series, Keeper was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract on August 31. During the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, Keeper played with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL, appearing in 11 games, scoring 2 goals and 3 points. He also made one regular season appearance with the Panthers, making his NHL season debut on April 8, 2021, in a 3–0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.

As an unrestricted free agent from the Panthers after completing his third season within the organization, Keeper was signed to a two-year, $1.525 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks on July 28, 2021. However, during his first training camp with the Canucks, he broke both his tibia and fibula in his left leg, forcing him to miss the entire 2021–22 NHL season. He returned the following season, but did not make the Canucks, passed through waivers and was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He appeared in 35 games with Abbotsford, scoring one goal and six points.

On July 1, 2023, Keeper was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens. He was immediately assigned to Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Collectively, Keeper missed three months of the 2023–24 season with an injury to his lower body, limiting him to just 22 games played, scoring one goal and registering four points in that span.

On August 2, 2024, Keeper opted to sign his first professional contract abroad, agreeing to a one-year contract with Slovakian club HK Poprad of the Tipos Extraliga.

Personal life

Keeper was born and raised in Cross Lake located in Northern Manitoba, and is the first person from Cross Lake First Nation to play in the NHL.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

See also

• Notable Aboriginal people of Canada