Head coach describes P.E.I.'s Keiran Gallant as UPEI's engine

Keiran Gallant only knows one way to play hockey.

An all-out effort, all the time.

“Nothing changes for me as I’ve played my whole career,” Gallant told The Guardian in a recent phone interview. “I just want to be a smart 200-foot player; make sure that defenders are always on their toes; I want to want to push the pace as much as possible and always be going.”

Gallant, the 24-year-old son of Todd and Angela Gallant of Covehead, P.E.I., is in his fourth season with the Panthers after playing four years in the QMJHL with the Charlottetown Islanders. Gallant played more than 200 regular-season and playoff games with the Islanders, despite being drafted in the 13th round, 226th overall, in 2018 and served as team captain in his 20-year-old season (2022-23).

“Gally’s an engine on our team,” said Panthers head coach Forbie MacPherson. “Anybody that comes to watch us play knows that every single night he leaves every fibre of his energy on the ice.

“He’s all compete. He’s all second and third efforts.”

Known for his outstanding skating ability, MacPherson says Gallant drives the Panthers’ forecheck and is a big part of the penalty killing.

“The team and the staff look to him to bring it every single night, which he’s done his whole life,” said MacPherson. “He leads by example, and not only that now, he’s matured into a leader where he’s leading in other areas, so it’s very well deserved for him to be wearing a letter.”

The Panthers recently named Gallant an assistant captain just before the start of the 2026-27 AUS Men’s Hockey Conference regular season.

“It was a massive honour, of course,” said Gallant about being given a letter. “It’s a big deal.

“I feel very grateful to have my peers and my best friends think of me that way. To be able to have a chance to wear that, especially in a jersey that’s nice and close to home.

“There’s nothing like wearing P.E.I. or green on your uniforms and being a part of that group.”

Gallant, who is five-foot-nine and 170 pounds, said speed has been a big part of the forward’s game since he started playing hockey.

“Especially as a smaller guy my whole life, I think you need to adapt to your strengths and play around with what you have,” said Gallant, who is studying in the university’s science program. “At any league, I think speed kills, so the faster you play, the harder it is to defend or the harder it is to get around somebody. I think speed’s very important.”

Gallant is excited about the 2026-27 campaign for the Panthers, who open a five-game homestand at MacLauchlan Arena on the UPEI campus in Charlottetown against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. The Panthers also host the Dalhousie Tigers at on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

The Panthers, who are off to a 2-2-0-0 (won-lost-overtime losses-shootout losses) start to the regular season, are hoping to build on last year’s playoff success.

“We beat the team (Saint Mary’s) that went to the (national) final last year in the playoffs, and we swept them in the first round,” said Gallant, who has not missed a regular-season game since joining the Panthers. “We know we can be there, and I think we just ran out of steam and had some injuries (against UNB in the semifinals).

“Like I said, we just move forward; we’re all one year older; we got the same kind of core and, I think, in our eyes, it’s our year to win it.”

Gallant said one big lesson the Panthers have learned in recent years is the importance of finishing first or second in the standings to earn a bye into the semifinals to avoid playing a quarter-final series.

“A focal point of ours the last couple years has been how important (the bye) is, and we haven’t done a great job of securing wins when we should have throughout the whole season,” said Gallant. “It shows how important every single game is – it’s not just the end of the year… We just need to make sure we show up every night.”

Gallant expects another parity-filled season, adding any team can defeat any team on any given night in the AUS.

“It just depends on what team can be more consistent, I feel like, throughout the season and adapt to whatever is thrown at them each night,” said Gallant.

There is a big difference, Gallant noted, when comparing U Sports hockey and major junior.

“In junior, you’re playing every second or third day, but you’re on the ice practising every (day) and there’s a lot more focus on school and everything (in university),” said Gallant.

“It’s more of a mental grind and a sense of being more prepared and focusing on the weekend and showing up and being at the best of your ability for that one weekend as opposed to flip the page and go, go, go constantly. So, (university hockey’s) more of a mental side, I find.”

Gallant added the shorter regular-season schedule in the AUS (30 games) compared to the QMJHL (64) is a big reason why the majority of university games feature such high intensity.

“Guys are more rested and like I said, you don’t have a chance to have a night off,” said Gallant. “Especially, this year, it’s going to be a cutthroat league, and everybody is fighting for not only playoffs, but everybody wants that first-round bye.

“So, every single night is an absolute battle and everybody’s going to have to give it their all every single night.”

Jason Simmonds is a sports reporter at The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at jsimmonds@postmedia.com and followed on X @JpsportsJason.