‘I never thought I would get to play this close to home in my career, but I am pretty honoured to be making my way up north for a season’

North Bay’s Ken Appleby will be playing a little closer to home next season. 

“I never thought I would get to play this close to home in my career, but I am pretty honoured to be making my way up north for a season,” said Appleby. 

The hulking former North Bay AAA Trappers goaltender was one of three signings made by the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Toronto Marlies on July 7. 

Appleby became a free agent this summer after a solid season with the Charlotte Checkers, the Florida Panthers’ AHL affiliate.  

The Checkers went all the way to the Calder Cup Final, losing in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks.  

“It was a pretty quick turnaround in Charlotte, having gone to the finals, and our season ended on June 26, I think it was,” Appleby said on the Goalie Resiliency Podcast. 

“I spent a few days with the guys before heading home, and once I was on my way home, my agent was letting me know what he was hearing and what teams are looking for, so right around July 1, when free agency opens up, that’s when things get going, and it happens quickly.

“My agent reached out and told me a few teams were interested, and Toronto was one of them, and I said if Toronto was there, that would be awesome to get a chance to play close to home for the first time in my career.” 

He was second in the AHL in shutouts (6). The 6’4”, 209-pound goaltender has played in 143 career regular-season AHL games split between Albany, Binghamton, Bridgeport, Charlotte and Manitoba, collecting a 62-64-12 record alongside a 2.68 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage, and 13 shutouts.

Appleby has also appeared in four NHL games in his career — three with New Jersey in 2017-18 and one with the Islanders in 2023-24.

The former Oshawa Generals netminder – who won the Memorial Cup in 2015 – made news in 2023-24, getting into his first NHL action with the New York Islanders in more than 2,100 days when he came in relief of Ilya Sorokin in a 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild in mid-January. 

See related: Appleby signs with Marlies

See related: After more than 2,100 days, Ken Appleby is back playing in the NHL 

At 30 years old, Appleby has been through a lot. He’s hoping to get the opportunity at the NHL level again this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and just keep trusting the process of professional hockey. 

“You just need to have the confidence in yourself,” said Appleby candidly. 

“The thing about professional hockey is that things can change so quickly. You could be in the ECHL one day and then next thing you know you are in the NHL. I did that a couple of times, where I completed the trifecta of ECHL, AHL, and NHL.

“A lot of it is a mindset, and I think now for myself, if I were to get that opportunity again, it is just kind of leaning on those experiences that I have had in the past and all the knowledge from the game. The way that I see things now, knowing that I am really happy with where my game is and where things have progressed. I see the game a lot slower now, and I kind of let it come to me.”

Appleby hopes he can make use of all his experience. Despite being older than many prospects and having limited NHL experience, Appleby can look at other veteran goaltenders like Craig Anderson or Tim Thomas, who secured NHL roster spots after their 30th birthday.  

“I would not be in so much awe of being called up and being on the ice with these guys because I have been there and I have done that,” he said. 

“Now you have to prove that you belong there. There have been a lot of guys who have done that throughout their career, it is not as common but in pro hockey you need to be prepared for anything regardless of where you are on the depth chart or where you are in the organization.” 

With Corbeil’s Ben Gaudreau recently signing in Laval with the Rocket, there is a possibility of two North Bay area goaltenders going head to head in the AHL this season. 

“That would be cool,” said Appleby. 

See the Goalie Resiliency Podcast Season 2 Episode 18 on YouTube: