Kevin Resop did not grow up in an area well known for developing hockey players, but the warm climate of St. Petersburg, Florida didn’t keep the Mooseheads rookie goaltender from learning how to play the game he loves.

“I initially started playing roller hockey when I was like six or seven-years-old and then there were tryouts at the rink for ice hockey and my brother and I decided to try it out and we ended up really liking it.”

He admits Florida is not exactly a hockey hotbed compared to other states like Minnesota or Massachusetts but the sport is gaining popularity.

“Probably like 10 years ago if you said the word hockey in Florida not everyone would know what you were talking about, but over the years it’s really been growing there especially since Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup.”

As it turns out, a member of that 2004 Stanley Cup Championship team is responsible for helping the Mooseheads netminder get his start in the game.

“Pavel Kubina was my neighbour back in Florida and he actually bought me and my brother our first sets of equipment. He got me my first goalie pads and all that.”

Having the star NHL defenseman living next door certainly had its perks for the Resop family.

“We would go to almost every single Lightning home game and when they won the cup in 2004 we got to go in the locker room with him and celebrate with the team afterwards.”

He says it’s a relationship that has lasted for many years.

“My family still hangs out with him and we skate with him in the summer. He’s just been a huge help for me and my brother.”

Resop played bantam and midget hockey at a highly regarded hockey prep school in Minnesota that has produced such high profile players as Crosby and MacKinnon.

“I grew up playing in Florida until I was about 14 and then I went to Shattuck St. Mary’s for a couple of years and after that I played one season for the Boston Junior Bruins under-18 team.”

His statistics were impressive last season in Beantown, posting a 1.84 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 15 regular season games, leading to the Mooseheads selecting him in the 9th round of the QMJHL Entry Draft in May.

“I was hanging out with some buddies at a lake near Boston when I got the call that Halifax had drafted me and I was pretty excited. It was great to share that with all of my friends that day.”

The 17-year-old is a towering presence between the pipes, measuring 6-foot-2 inches tall and says that helped him earn the available roster spot with the Herd.

“I think I showed that I could play in this league during training camp and used my size to my advantage and just made the saves I had to make.”

Resop was the Mooseheads starting goalie in each of the first four games of the season, and was able to gain some valuable experience while Zach Fucale was away at Montreal Canadiens training camp. He has gone 1-2-1 with a goals against average of 3.95, stopping 90 of 106 shots fired in his direction.

Kevin plans to soak in as much information from the 19-year-old Habs prospect as possible.

“I just want to see how he goes about his business and handles everything, his work ethic and take pointers from him along the way.”

He says even though his parents live in another country, they were still able to make it for the home opener against Moncton at Scotiabank Centre last week.

“They came up for the home opening weekend and plan to be here every once in awhile to watch the games. They’re pretty excited.”

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