Pimicikamak defenceman Brady Keeper vows to be 'better than ever' in return to Canucks' camp
WHISTLER, B.C. -- A year after a heinous injury scuttled his hockey season, Brady Keeper is back with the Vancouver Canucks -- and looking to cement his spot on the team.
The 26-year-old defenceman lay on the ice, screaming in pain after breaking both the tibia and fibia in his left leg at the end of training camp last September. It was his first injury in his professional hockey career, and one that forced a second abbreviated season in a row after COVID-19 curtailed the previous campaign.
"It was hard," said Keeper, who hails from the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba. "But to be honest, where I come from, we go through a lot of stuff. So I kind of had that mentality already, like I'm going to come back and come back better than ever."
The Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as the Cross Lake Band, is located more than 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
It's one of many First Nations across the country that's begun searching for unmarked graves at a former residential school site. Pimicikamak also declared a state of emergency in 2016 following a rash of suicides.
The community's history remained on Keeper's mind as he healed and rehabilitated from his injury.
"I'm just happy to be on the ice, honestly," he said at Canucks training camp in Whistler, B.C., on Friday. "As my dad reminded me, to be grateful for where I am, especially where I come from. So I kind of keep that in my heart.
"I'm just happy to be playing and I'm gonna try to prove to myself and to the team that I'm trying to make the team here."
Keeper, a six-foot-two, 197-pound blue liner, played at the University of Maine and in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League before signing his first NHL deal with the Florida Panthers in March 2019.
He played two games for Panthers and 72 in the American Hockey League before signing with the Canucks as a free agent in July 2021, only to see the broken leg wipe out his season.
After months at home with his wife and two young kids -- the couple are currently expecting their third child -- Keeper returned to Vancouver in April.
"That's when I first got on the ice after my injury," he said. "It took a while throughout the summer to feel normal again. But now I feel good. Ready to go and just happy to be playing hockey again."
Where, exactly, Keeper may fit in the Canucks organization now that he's healthy remains to be seen.
Head coach Bruce Boudreau admitted that he hasn't been focused on Keeper through the early days of training camp, but said the defenceman is a "pretty solid guy."
Missing an entire season would be tough on any player, he added.
"It's everything, especially at a young age and especially after he signs a one-way (deal)," Boudreau said. "It's probably the worst thing in his mind that could ever happen.
"But he's worked really hard to get where he is and you know he's gonna play some games and we'll see."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.