Thomas Kiazyk Becomes Saskatchewan’s Goalie of the Future

It’s an incredible moment to be part of – watching your goalie of the future become the goalie of the moment.

Twenty-year-old Thomas Kiazyk of Stittsville, Ontario, made headlines around lacrosse over the last two weeks. With starter Frankie Scigliano on baby watch, the Saskatchewan Rush backup goaltender was pressed into service right before his team’s home game against Albany two weeks ago. He played that game and the next in San Diego and won them both, 17-13 and 12-8 respectively, getting the better of Doug Jamieson and Christopher Origlieri.

1st career @NLL win for Thomas Kiazyk ✅ pic.twitter.com/ur3kd1CR68

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) January 26, 2025

Prior to January 25, Kiazyk had played around seven minutes in a relief role over four games; his most significant time was 3:40 on March 23 last year against New York. In his two starts he racked up 119 minutes and 34 seconds of playing time, a goals against average of 10.53 and a .781 save percentage.

Although the Rush didn’t announce Scigliano’s absence until game day, Kiazyk was aware the Wednesday before the game that he might have to step up. He said Scigliano and Rush goaltending coach Evan Kirk were instrumental in boosting his confidence prior to the game.

“I received a lot of advice from Kirky, Frankie obviously, and Laine (Hruska) was a great support, as well as my teammates and coaches,” Kiazyk said. “Kirky phoned me a few times and shared some film. After Albany he gave me a few pointers on staying calm and focusing on the next shot and playing with a chip on my shoulder, which I try to bring into every game. It was just a nice reassurance and yeah, I think it helped me perform. I’m super happy to have him in our corner.”

The Albany game was chaotic, Kiazyk said. It was the first time he’d gotten on the floor at home, with all his prior minutes coming during away games.

“It kind of felt surreal in a way, getting to play in front of Saskatchewan and soaking it all in. And obviously I had a slow start, but once I settled in, it was a really, really good experience and I’m happy we got a win out of it.”

Albany led 4-0 just 5:06 into the game. Adding to the pressure was the fact the Rush were without a third-string goaltender. They were unable to get Laine Hruska signed to a contract before the game, so dressed defender Keegan Bell as the backup.

“I definitely felt that, that I didn’t really have a backup,” Kiazyk said. “I know we were thinking about worst-case scenarios for Bell to hop in, if I were to get hurt, and what we would do and how many goals we’d have to score to be able to win a game with a player in net. It was pretty crazy.”

Kiazyk said that Bell is an amazing teammate, a great guy on and off the floor willing to step up and do what he has to do for the team.

“We owe him the world for that because I know some people have no desire to step in front of hundred mile per hour shots. He was just the best person in the world to have in my corner, and he was hyping me up all game and reassuring me, and it meant a lot.”

The Rush tied the game 5-5 before the end of the first quarter and led 9-8 at halftime. Kiazyk finished with 39 saves as they held off the FireWolves in the second half. Kiazyk received a water bottle shower from his teammates for the win.

Hruska was on the bench as well, in plain clothes, to provide insight and a calming presence. Hruska, a Saskatchewan native who has spent time with the Rush in the past, was officially signed during the week and backed up Kiazyk during the San Diego game.

“He was great and kept reassuring me, giving me that positive feedback and hyping me up, which is exactly what you want in a teammate, and exactly what I try to do for Frankie and anyone else backing up. He was great, giving me a few seconds of relief to settle down in the third quarter against San Diego.”

Kiazyk started well – almost impossibly well – in San Diego. The Rush led the Seals 7-0 at halftime. Kiazyk stopped 19 first half shots from the likes of veterans Ben McIntosh, Ryan Benesch and Wes Berg (the latter was held completely pointless in the game).

In his 2nd career start, @SaskRushLAX goalie Thomas Kiazyk has held @SealsLax scoreless through the 1st half.

Rush lead 7-0. pic.twitter.com/KfJWIGAQXD

— NLL (@NLL) February 2, 2025

“It felt good to shut those guys out. I felt like I owed my teammates a lot better than what I showed in those first five minutes against Albany,” Kiazyk said. “I think we had a good first half, and again, some young nerves still showed in the third quarter, but at the end of the day, we got the win and going into a bye week, that was huge. That’s what we wanted. We knew that San Diego would be hungry for a win. We were happy that we were able to shut them out and finish our business.”

The Seals did get on the board, outscoring the Rush 5-2 in the third, but after a brief respite, Kiazyk came back strong for the win.

“I think I might’ve got my head a little too big there,” he admitted. “It was three quick goals, four or five quick goals, whatever went in, and it took me a minute to readjust and calm my nerves. We were working really hard. My defense in front of me was incredible. They made my job a lot easier than I thought it would be. They were blocking shots for me. They were giving me shots that I wanted to see. They were disrupting shots. They were just playing incredible. I owe them all the credit in the world. And offensively we started off hot, so we kind of, I guess, deflated them in a way. It was a good start. I know that we wanted to respond from last week, so I think we all had a lot of urgency going in.”

Kiazyk was a second round pick of the Rush in 2023. He grew up in the storied Nepean Knights organization before winning the 2023 Minto Cup with the Burlington Blaze in a backup role. He now plays Jr. A for the Toronto Beaches and will return there this summer.

He asked to give a shoutout to some of the people who helped him develop in minor lacrosse: “Definitely Jason Tassé, Matt Firth, those were my two coaches growing up. They’ve done so much for me and my development. Denzel Moran-Weekes and Brett Perras. Those guys mean the world to me and all my coaches I’ve had and teammates throughout my career so far. I owe them all the world for being in my corner as well as my family.”

Unfortunately, the third-year Carleton University business student didn’t have any friends or family in attendance at either game. It was too short notice to arrange flights, he said.

“My family did have a watch party at home and my brothers were all watching, my girlfriend, and my teammates at Carleton, in Nepean and in Toronto were all watching, which was really cool.”

Kiazyk said he’s excited for Scigliano to get back between the pipes, though he acknowledged that he enjoyed his two games and hopes to see more time in the future.

“Frankie is an amazing guy on and off the floor, and he’s our rock. He’s been a rock all year. He was a rock all last year, and he’s an incredible presence and veteran goalie and great role model for me. I’m really excited for him to get back and for us to continue this streak we have going. I know our teammates can’t wait to talk to him and tell him everything and hear all the stories about his newborn daughter. I know it definitely hurts anyone to miss lacrosse, but at the end of the day there are some things bigger than lacrosse.”

Catch the Special Valentine’s Day NLL Friday Night on TSN doubleheader featuring Buffalo-Toronto & Saskatchewan-Calgary. Faceoff begins at 7pm ET.