Zach Whitecloud steps onto the ice at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday for the first time as a visitor, facing the Vegas Golden Knights after the January trade that sent him to the Calgary Flames for Rasmus Andersson. The 29-year-old defenseman, who went undrafted out of Bemidji State University and became a Stanley Cup champion with Vegas, now anchors Calgary’s top pairing with a career-high average of 22 minutes, 25 seconds per game.
“I spent seven, eight years here and created a lot of lifelong relationships here, not just with the team, but in the community,” Whitecloud said. “I’m mainly excited to get back and see everyone, and play in front of that building.”
Whitecloud played 368 of his 391 NHL games with the Golden Knights, signing as an undrafted college free agent in 2018. He worked his way through the American Hockey League and became a full-time NHL player midway through the 2020-21 season, forming a formidable third pairing with best friend Nic Hague during the championship run. But opportunity was limited behind Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore on the right side.
“First and foremost, the guys and everyone at the organization (in Calgary) really did a fantastic job of making me feel at home pretty quick,” Whitecloud said. He lived with former Knights defenseman Brayden Pachal initially, then moved in with Brayden McNabb and his wife.
Knights winger Keegan Kolesar, another close friend, recalled the emotional day of the trade on Jan. 18. “We gave him a big hug, chatted with him,” Kolesar said. “We tried to figure out if (the Flames) figured out all his nicknames. He’s got about 50 here in the locker room. I think they’ve only utilized three, so they got some work to do.” Kolesar drove to Whitecloud’s house that day, and they shared a Guinness and an emotional goodbye.
Whitecloud expects a tribute video during the first period Thursday. Kolesar joked he hopes Whitecloud takes off his helmet and does a full lap like Jonathan Marchessault did. Whitecloud laughed when told that: “Yeah, I bet he did.”
“There’s not one bad thing to say about Las Vegas,” Whitecloud said. “It’s the people. It’s the community. The fans, the organization. Everyone that helped me make it to the NHL and be a regular here and try and help the team win. Every time I’m going to come back here in the future, it’s exciting for me. This will always be a home in my heart.”
