The rise of Kenny Belanger
He has gone from a player who as a youngster was unceremoniously cut from a AAA program in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. to become a productive performer at the junior A and Ontario university levels.
And now, as he nears his 22nd birthday, Kenny Belanger has signed his first pro contract, doing so with the Rapid City Rush of the minor pro level ECHL, aka the East Coast Hockey League. Rapid City is an affiliate team of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.
As Belanger has grown in size — he is now a towering 6 foot 5, 220 pounds — so too has his game.
Over parts of three seasons in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Belanger progressed to become a point per game player after being dealt from the Soo Thunderbirds to the cross-border Soo Eagles. After producing 12 goals, 11 assists, 23 points over 56 games in a single season with the Thunderbirds, Belanger went on to skate in 83 contests for the Eagles and score 44 goals, 40 assists, 84 points.
He then moved on to the Ontario Jr. Hockey League and between the Oakville Blades and Collingwood Blues, Belanger produced 23 goals, 41 assists, 64 points in 78 regular season games.
Belanger then spent the ’25-26 season in North Bay with the Nipissing University Lakers. And in 22 games with Nipissing, Belanger was sixth in team scoring with six goals, eight assists, 14 points.
And now it is on to test the pro ranks out in South Dakota with the aforementioned Rapid City Rush of the ECHL.
ABOUT THE OLD MAN
Notably, young Belanger’s dad, Ken, has his own impressive hockey background. To be sure, the now 52-year old Belanger accomplished a lot during his playing career as an overachieving left winger.
As a hard-toiling forward at the under 18 level with the erstwhile Soo Legion major midgets, Belanger went on to play three years in the Ontario Hockey league as a third and fourth line player with the Ottawa 67’s and Guelph Storm, never scoring more than 16 goals in a season. But he made his 6 foot 4, 220 pound presence known as a fearsome fighter who protected his teammates and backed away from absolutely no one.
Belanger’s rugged ways, along with resolve, determination and an ability to contribute at the highest of levels of the game led to the soft-spoken kid from Sault Ste. Marie’s west end playing in no less than 260 NHL games. He netted 12 goals, 12 assists, 24 points and racked up 711 minutes in penalties in those 260 NHL games while toughing it out for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings — and playing for celebrated coaches such as Pat Burns, Rick Bowness, Mike Milbury, Mike Keenan and Andy Murray along the way.
Belanger now coaches the new look Under 18, Tier 1 elite level Soo Indians of the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.
