Kai Edmonds shaping his legacy with TMU hockey
Goaltending has always appealed to Kai Edmonds for one reason: the chance to change a game.
“It’s an opportunity to be the hero,” said the TMU Bold netminder.
“It’s different from all the other positions. You get to be a big difference maker for your team.”
The Ottawa native first strapped on the pads in Grade 3, inspired by his older brother and countless hours of mini sticks in the basement. Early trips to goalie schools and summer camps built the foundation for a career that has already spanned prep school in the United States, three Ontario Hockey League seasons with Barrie and Mississauga, and two international gold medals with Team Canada at the 2023 Lake Placid and the 2025 Torino FISU World University Games.
Edmonds’ hockey path wound through many stops before he landed in downtown Toronto. After leaving home to attend prep school at Westminster in Connecticut, he spent three years in the OHL, then tested the pro ranks before committing to TMU.
His first days with the Bold stand out.
“Meeting the guys and walking around campus with my roommate, just exploring, that’s what I remember most,” he said.
Now in his university career, Edmonds relishes the chance to play at the historic Mattamy Athletic Centre, once Maple Leaf Gardens.
“It’s such an incredible rink,” he said.
“We all take pride in trying to leave the program in a better place than when we arrived.”
Consistency has been his biggest stride since joining the Bold.
“Coming to TMU gave me a home to settle into my game,” he said.
“It’s been an opportunity to show what I can do and to have some success.”
For Edmonds, the position is as much mental as physical.
“Goalie is probably 80 per cent mental, 20 per cent physical,” he said.
Visualization and a handful of simple reminders, like focusing on rebounds, tracking the puck, and staying aggressive, keep him locked in.
“Instead of thinking about everything, I pick two or three things and concentrate on them. It makes a difference.”
That mental discipline was tested like never before last spring, when TMU played a record-setting five-overtime quarterfinal at the 2025 U SPORTS University Cup in Ottawa.
“It felt like it was never ending,” said Edmonds.
“Almost seven hours, my body didn’t feel that tired. Adrenaline kept me going, but I just tried not to let fatigue creep in.”
Inside the locker room, exhaustion was apparent.
“Some guys were slumped over in their stalls. Bodies had taken some damage. But everyone was willing to do whatever it took to win,” he said.
When the game finally ended, Edmonds described the emotions in two words: joy and relief.
“Joy that we’d done it, and relief that it was finally over,” he said.
“And we were on the right side of it.”
Even that historic night ranks alongside another milestone: representing Canada at the 2025 FISU World University Games in Torino, where Edmonds won back-to-back gold medals with a 3-1 victory over Slovakia.
“To do it wearing the Canadian flag is something I’ll never forget,” he said.
“Growing up, you watch World Juniors and dream of that. I didn’t get that chance, but winning gold for Canada, with my family there, was really special.”
Edmonds is studying business management at TMU’s Ted Rogers School and sees a future in both hockey and the corporate world.
“I want to pursue hockey, but I also want to make connections and network so I’m ready when hockey ends,” he said.
Outside of the classroom and rink, he still finds time for golf and racing — a passion that dates back to childhood motocross rides with his brother.
“I broke my arm when I was six or seven, so I stopped pretty young,” he said.
“But I still love watching motocross and Formula One.”
Asked how he defines success, Edmonds keeps it simple.
“Success is challenging yourself every day, never being satisfied,” he said.
“A lot of it just comes down to hard work. The best players are the ones who dedicate themselves completely. It’s the same in life, it’s hard work that makes the difference.”