Longtime WHL blueliner and professional defenseman, Keaton Ellerby, is the newest member of the Prince Albert Raiders' coaching staff. (WHL/Twitter)

By Rob Mahon

Coach Keaton Ellerby

Experienced, enthusiastic Ellerby eager to join Raiders’ staff

Aug 10, 2022 | 4:00 PM

As a professional hockey player, Keaton Ellerby’s career has taken him from Florida to Finland and many points in between. His coaching career is going to start this fall in Prince Albert.

The veteran of over 700 professional games, 212 in the NHL, is the Raiders’ newest assistant coach. After finishing his playing career in England with the Sheffield Steelers, he’s in the process of moving to Saskatchewan.

“It happened really quickly,” Ellerby said. “I was kind of debating whether to go back overseas and play another year, and then Jeff (Truitt) called me and I did a couple of interviews with him and talked to Curtis (Hunt). It kind of all came together quite fast, within about a week.”

The experience already on that Raiders bench in the form of Truitt was part of the draw for Ellerby. He realized part way through his last couple of years of professional hockey he wanted to turn to coaching, and having a veteran behind the bench alongside him will help that transition.

“Being such a green coach, to have someone with his experience and his accolades, just to be able to lean on him if I need anything, ask questions and you know he’ll have the answers for me,” said Ellerby. “That’s definitely going to be a big help for me.”

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Ellerby’s duties on the bench fall right in line with his specialties as a player. He’ll be working with the defensive group and doing work on the penalty kill, something he’s well familiar with.

“From what I’ve heard from Jeff and Curtis, the defense and the goalies are kind of the backbone of the team going forward,” Ellerby said. “I don’t think I’m going to have to come in and change too much. I just want to help them with any questions they have. I know there’s a couple of really young, talented kids on the back end there.”

In the past decade and a half, there has been a shift in the kind of defensemen that dominate the NHL and the game of hockey in general, and Ellerby has seen it firsthand.

“The bigger, defensive defensemen were more sought after and they still are, obviously,” said Ellerby. “But now you see these smaller, shifty, two-way, power play d-men that are kind of controlling the game. If you can make plays from your end and join the rush and make it an odd-man rush from the back end, it’s always a good thing.”

A big draw for anyone coming to Prince Albert for the Raiders is the passion of the fanbase. Ellerby didn’t need to be sold on that, however. He remembered it well from his own days in the WHL.

“When I played in Moose Jaw, I played there a couple of times, so I know how passionate and how excited the fans are just for the team in general,” Ellerby said. “When you can put a winning product out there, they’ll be even more passionate.”

The Raiders will open their exhibition schedule on Sept. 6.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP