Kelby Diehl’s hockey journey comes full circle

“If you would have told eight-year-old me that I would get to play hockey every day, that little kid would have been so excited,” said Kelby Diehl when asked what keeps him motivated when his game isn’t going his way.

The 20 year-old son of Ryan and Laura Diehl of Glenboro has spent the last two seasons playing with the Ice Dogs, a Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) based out of Dryden, Ontario and has just signed on for his third and final season as a forward.

His hockey journey began at a young age, skating at Spruce Woods Park oval rink as a young child. But despite that early introduction to skating, sports were never limited to hockey. His father remembers him constantly carrying a hockey stick, baseball bat or basketball in his hands.

“Kelby has always been very competitive and driven,” said his dad, Ryan. “He’s a kid that loves sports and had a strong desire to see how far he could go.”

That competitive spirit eventually led Diehl to make a decision about his hockey future. When he was 13 and entering grade eight, he decided he wanted to see how far he could take the sport. He tried out for the South West Cougars AAA program based out of Souris/Glenwood, and earned a spot on the team.

Moving into AAA hockey marked an important step in Diehl’s development, but it also required a heavy commitment from a family that already led busy lives.

His father, Ryan, was principal of Glenboro School and coached the Panther’s Varsity Basketball team. His mom, Laura, was director of the Glenboro Children’s Learning Centre and younger brother Kylen was developing his own passion for sports.

When asked what has made the biggest impact on his career, Kelby didn’t hesitate.

“They (my family) never pushed me, but their support was never ending. They are both super busy, and my younger brother is also into sports and they were always there driving me to games and practices.”

That combination of Diehl’s determination, his love of sports and his family’s unwavering support laid the foundation for his continued development. It was the beginning of a journey that would eventually take the Glenboro youngster well beyond southwestern Manitoba.

His AAA experience also opened doors when he was invited to attend the Seattle Thunderbirds’ Western Hockey League (WHL) training camp when he was 16 and the next year at 17 years old. For a young player from Glenboro, the experience was a significant step onto a much bigger hockey stage.

His family made the trip to Seattle with him both summers, giving Diehl the opportunity to train and compete alongside some of the top young players in the game.

“I remember getting on the ice and there were guys that had been drafted to the NHL,” Kelby recalled. “I was like, Holy man, this guy just got drafted to the Chicago Blackhawks and I’m out here right now.”

The experience was more than a memorable trip. It gave Diehl an opportunity to learn by watching players who were already playing at an elite level and helped build his confidence.

“It was a super cool experience for me,” he said. “I learned a lot going to those camps, learning from older guys and just watching the way they did things.

For his family watching Kelby compete at that level was equally memorable.

The Seattle experience gave Diehl a glimpse of just how far hockey could take him. Soon afterward, another opportunity arrived which would take him away from home for the first time and into the world of junior hockey.

At 18 Kelby’s road took a new turn when he was drafted by the Niverville Nighthawks of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League(MJHL).

“I was 18 when I went to Niverville’s training camp,” he recalled. “I started my season there and then, I think it was in the second week of September I got traded to Dryden.”

“I don’t feel I have ever experienced any disappointment or felt discouraged,” he said. “The closest I probably got was when I got traded to Ontario, just because it was so far from home and there were so many unknowns.”

Within weeks of beginning his junior career, Diehl found himself packing his belongings and heading to Northwestern Ontario; a place he had never experienced before.

At 18, he was adjusting not only to junior hockey and older, stronger players, but also to life away from home.

“When I first got there, and there were 20 year olds on the ice, I was like, Oh man, these guys are big, strong and fast. I’m going to have to figure this all out.”

With the support of his billet family, he settled into Dryden. After two seasons with the Ice Dogs, he describes his billets as his “second” family.

“It’s almost like I have a second set of parents out there,” he said. “I’m super fortunate!”

Now, entering his third and final junior season, Diehl finds himself on the other side of the transition as one of the veteran players in the room.

“It’s crazy how full circle it comes,” he said. “Now it’s my last year, and I’m one of the older guys.”

That transition from wide eyed rookie to team veteran is not lost on Diehl. He now sees his final junior season as an opportunity not only to contribute as a forward on the ice, but to help younger players navigate the same experience he once faced.

“I was very lucky, the older guys were super good to me, so it’ll be cool to be one of the older players to help out the younger guys.”

It is a role that his new head coach, Delroy Montaque, believes Diehl is well sluited for.

While his size has always been an advantage, Diehl knows that continuing to develop his skating is an important part of the game.
“At 6’4”, I’m obviously a bigger guy, so some of the smaller guys get around the ice a little easier,” he said. “So because of this I have always worked really hard on my skating.”

That work has continued this summer, as Diehl has focused not only on getting quicker on his skates, but also on making faster decisions once the puck is moving.

“As the game speeds up, it’s not necessarily just how fast you can skate,” he explained. “It’s how quick you make decisions and execute them.”

Although this will be Montague’s first season coaching Diehl, he has already taken the time to understand what the veteran forward brings to the Ice Dogs, both on and off the ice.

“He’s a big strong, powerful young man,” said Montague. “He’s got the heart of a lion and body of a bear, so it’s a very scary combination.

But Montague said it is Diehl’s character and team-first mentality that stand out just as much as his physical presence.

“He’s a very team-first oriented player and a great young man who’s clearly been raised with morals and responsibilities and ethics,” said Montague. “That was evident from my first conversation with him.”

Montague also sees another level of potential in the 6’4” forward.
“Knowing he possesses the size, and the speed and the skill, it’s just going to be a matter of unlocking his potential this year,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to that.”

Diehl’s first two seasons have been successful ones. Finishing first in the league in 2024-2025, posting a 36-9-3-2 record before advancing to the league final. Last season, again they finished near the top of the standings, setting the stage for what Diehl hopes will be a final run at a championship.

Both Diehl and Montague are looking forward to the season ahead, with a common goal in mind.

“We have some unfinished business,” said Montague.

For Diehl, however, his final junior season is not necessarily the end of his hockey journey.

He hopes to attend university and continue playing at the next level, although where that leads remains to be seen.

What he does know is that, eventually, he would like to follow his dad’s footsteps and pursue a career in education.

“I’ve grown up with my dad being a teacher, and obviously now a principal , and I’ve seen the lifestyle that it is,” he said thoughtfully. “Working with kids can be pretty rewarding, so I think I want to go into education and take that wherever that might be.”

For all the hard work, long drives, new cities and challenges that have shaped Diehl’s hockey journey, his motivation remains surprisingly simple.

“If you would have told eight-year-old me that I would get to play hockey every day, that little kid would have been so excited,” he said.

And perhaps that is the best way to look at the journey of the boy who once laced up his skates at the Spruce Woods’ oval.

That kid could not have imagined where those skates would eventually take him. Now at 20, Kelby Diehl is preparing for his final season of junior hockey, with hopes of continuing to play the sport he loves while working toward a future helping young people of his own.

For now, though, the dream is still alive and eight-year-old Kelby would probably be pretty excited about that.