Defenseman Joey Raats is excited to take his game to Kalamazoo after battling a cancer diagnosis.
For the past two years, Joey Raats has dealt with a different kind of adversity than he’s been used to on the ice. Instead of battling for pucks, the 28-year-old defenseman has battled a cancer diagnosis.
As the 2024-25 season approaches, Raats appears ready to put that part of his life behind him and resume his pro hockey career. This week, the 6-foot, 185-pound Las Vegas native signed a Standard Player Contract with the Kalamazoo Wings.
Taking on a foe like cancer can affect people in different ways. For Raats, the experience has filled him with a renewed sense of energy and purpose.
“I’m incredibly excited to return to the ice with the Kalamazoo Wings at Wings Event Center,” Raats said following the signing. “This comeback is deeply meaningful to me, and I can’t wait to bring my best to the team and share this journey with our amazing fans. I’m humbled by the support and encouragement — it means the world to me and I’m ready to give it my all!”
Raats played 52 games for Coventry (EIHL) in 2021-22 with four assists and 23 penalty minutes, plus one assist in two playoff games, before not playing professionally the last two seasons following the cancer diagnosis.
The fourth-year pro debuted in the ECHL with Utah in 2018-19, scoring two goals and six assists for eight points in 38 games with 10 penalty minutes.
Raats then went to France in 2019-20, splitting time between Briançon and Gap in Ligue Magnus and totaling six points (1-5-6) with 73 penalty minutes in 32 games.
Prior to turning pro, Raats played 79 games over three seasons at Arizona State, notching five goals and 23 assists with 56 penalty minutes.
Wings head coach and director of hockey operations Joel Martin likes Raats’s hard-nosed, puck-moving style of play on the blueline.
“He’s overcome an unimaginable amount of adversity, and he exemplifies the type of character we look for in our players,” Martin said.