A learning year in the minors for Appleby

Ken Appleby did a lot of traveling in 2018-19.

The North Bay native was signed as a free agent with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, which is the affiliate team of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.  

The big goaltender split the season between Manitoba and the Jets ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville.    

See related: Appleby finds a new home

The distance between those two communities caused some interesting traveling issues for Appleby.

It was 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday night in late March when Appelby was with the Jacksonville Icemen.  He got a call that he needed to pack his stuff and head to Denver, Colorado to meet up with the Manitoba Moose who were playing Friday night against the Colorado Eagles.  

“Laurent Broussoit was hurt and they called up Eric Cormier with the Moose, he goes up,” explains Appleby about the callup process.  

“The guy who was backing up in Manitoba he got hurt the practice before. So all of a sudden I am flying cross country to Denver, Colorado to meet up with them and I have to play that night. I found that out the afternoon and I was about to catch my second flight which was my connecting flight to Denver.”

Appleby with all his gear in tow, got to the arena in Denver less than an hour before warmup.  The good news, he got to the game, and made 33 saves for his first shutout of the year with the Moose.  

“It was probably one of the craziest call-ups I have had,” recalled Appleby.

But his starts were few and far between in the American Hockey League this past season as he only finished with a 2-6-1 record with the Moose this past season as he spent a good chunk of his time on their ECHL squad in Jacksonville.

Not the way the former North Bay AAA Trapper was hoping after appearing in three NHL games the year before with the New Jersey Devils.   

“I think I had a good season but it was a bit of a learning year, I was a backup on a really good team and it was really good to watch him, it was kind of a learning curve in that sense,” Appleby said about playing behind Eric Comrie.  

“I had to find ways to be ready in different situations.”

Appleby hopes to build on this season for sure.  He played 15 regular season games with the Jacksonville Icemen sporting a solid 2.45 goals against and a .923 save percentage.  

However, 2019-20 is a new season again and Appleby could once again be looking for another place to play.   

“We are in talks with Manitoba, it is kind of hard to say what they want to do until July 1 comes because that is the opening day of free agency so we just kind of try to be in touch with the right teams to see what they say and in the meantime I am just worried about myself and not too focussed on that,” noted Appleby who has been enjoying some downtime in May at home in North Bay.  

What Appleby has learned is that to be an NHL goaltender, you have to get an opportunity and when it comes, make the most of it.   That is how he got his first NHL action in 2017-18.

See related: NHL dream comes true for Kenny Appleby

See related: Appleby NHL shutout streak continues

“The majority of your time your opportunity is going to be from someone being hurt or sick, it all depends on your situation if you do get that opportunity it is all about what you do with that opportunity,” noted Appleby.

“In my situation when I did get those games I think it was Keith Kincaid that got injured and Cory Schneider was sick so that left me as the lone standing goalie so I just tried to do the best with the opportunity that I could.  

“Even if you perform well you need to put your time in and prove that you can play at that level for an extended amount of time.”

So the 24-year-old, who is still seeking his first NHL win, realizes that victory may not come with the Jets. However, he understands that finding that niche is a process.   

He looks at St. Louis Blues rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington - who is two years older than Ken - and his run to the Stanley Cup final as a sign of hope.  

“It is definitely encouraging to see a guy like that having success now after everything he has been through,” Appleby said about Binnington who was actually loaned to another AHL team at one point last year.   

“Being in a position myself going up and down and I know he has always been up and down. Even St. Louis at one point loaned him to Providence to get some starts in so he knows how much of a process it is to get there and it just shows that if you put your time in, you do well and you don’t get frustrated with that, eventually you will get your shot.  

“Now he is making the most of it so it is good to see.”