Kyle Bruce

Kyle Bruce (born March 30, 1983 in Garden Bay, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player,

Playing career

Bruce began his career in the Western Hockey League icing for the Kamloops Blazers. Bruce would ice in just one game before his move to the Prince Albert Raiders, also of the WHL. In 8 regular season games in the 1999-00 season, Bruce would score three points but would begin to establish his physical style with 13 penalty minutes. His efforts helped the Raiders into the post-season, where Bruce himself played twice although failed to score.

His performances during the season persuaded the Raiders to make Bruce a regular player for the 2000-01 season, and he would feature in 68 games, scoring 16 points but totalling almost 200 penalty minutes, further establishing his reputation as an enforcer. It was this reputation that persuaded the NHL Florida Panthers to draft Bruce in the eighth round of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, pick number 231 overall and one round before future Manchester Phoenix team-mate Grant Jacobsen. Despite the draft, Bruce failed to sign a full-time contract with the Panthers and returned to the Raiders. During his career, Bruce has also been invited to attend a training camp with the Vancouver Canucks, although unfortunately failed to win a contract.