Pursuit is a sports feature series highlighting athletes, coaches, and staff and significant sporting events from North Bay and the surrounding area.
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North Bay has produced its fair share of hockey talent, and in the last decade, there have been some notable talented goaltenders who have risen beyond the grassroots levels.
That includes North Bay’s Colton Point (drafted by Dallas Stars, played in the American Hockey League, won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors), Ken Appleby (Memorial Cup Champion, played in the NHL with New Jersey and New York Islanders) Ben Gaudreau (Drafted by San Jose Sharks, won a gold medal with Team Canada at the World Juniors).
Reece Proulx, Zach Roy, and Danika Ranger have also built impressive careers, representing North Bay and the surrounding area at the Canadian university level.
Looking to join them with her sights set on the next level is Kaylee Lang, a 5’7” goaltender with the North Bay U18 AA Junior Lakers. Born in 2007, Lang is ambitious and determined to stand out in her position, focusing on her development both on and off the ice.
Lang says, “I think that I'm a technically sound goaltender. I try to stay connected to the play no matter what kind of game we're having. Whether I have 10 shots or 35 shots, I try to stay connected so that I can make the saves when it counts.”
She believes her best trait is controlling rebounds effectively.
“I think I have really good rebound control. I know where to put the puck. I can always tell where the players are standing, so I know where to play it, and I am not giving it right to them, she says, “I’m able to follow the puck and track it into my glove, into my blocker, or I can bring it to the corner, and just put it wherever I want it to go.”
Lang admits she does not have a favourite goaltender per se, but she likes to watch what makes other goaltenders successful and learn from that.
Lang says, “I don't think that I model myself after anyone specifically. I watch a lot of hockey. I watch different levels of hockey. I watch a lot of girls' hockey, college hockey, and university hockey. I watch the NHL. I also watch the local players, I try to watch all their games and go to them whenever I can and just take notes off of whoever I can. I watch how they play and if I see something they're doing that looks like it can help me, I try it. If I don't like it, I move on to the next thing.”
Lang also prides herself on working hard off the ice too.
“I run track in the offseason so that I can keep up my stamina and my agility. It helps me with trying to move my feet quicker. Last year, I participated in the hockey academy at my school, where we're on the ice three times a week as well as doing off-ice training with (fitness instructor) Logan Baker twice a week. I feel like that really helped my strength and my conditioning, as well.”
Those who work with her praise Lang for her coachability, her eagerness to learn, and her proactive approach to seeking clarification when needed.
Goaltending Coach Rob Graham says, “The one thing I've enjoyed working with Kaylee is that she looks forward to our weekly sessions. Kaylee's always invested in them. She's very receptive to receiving information, and she's also able to take the information she's given and apply it. If there's something Kaylee doesn't understand, she's not hesitant to ask for clarification. And I think that kind of coach-ability and willingness to embrace information will be something that inherently can help her get to that next level.”
Graham says goaltenders typically take longer to develop, but the work Lang has put in over the last year has her on a good trajectory.
“The combination of Kaylee's skating ability that we worked hard on and most certainly her ability to track pucks and read plays has evolved immensely from where she began,” says Graham. “I know Kaylee has expressed to me that she has a desire to play at that next level, and we've talked a little bit about what that will entail and what that will involve. Her rebound control is definitely a strength of her game. Her ability to now track and catch a puck is something that has improved greatly. And she really, really has embraced the gut trap drills that we do. Her down-low pad movement, the ability to take the lower part of the ice away and control rebounds that way has also improved. I believe that strengthens her game, and Kaylee's only going to continue to get better, as she continues to dig in and keep her determination to play at that next level.”
Lang’s message for university hockey scouts is, “I think that I would be an asset to any school with my academics and also, with my athletics. I really want to become a lawyer, so I want to take my undergrad in English, or criminology and play D1 or OUA.”
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