Keaton Middleton

Keaton Middleton
Born	(1998-02-10) February 10, 1998 (age 26) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight	240 lb (109 kg; 17 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team (P) Cur. team	Colorado Avalanche Colorado Eagles  (AHL)
NHL draft	101st overall, 2016 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	2018–present

Keaton Middleton (born February 10, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Junior

Middleton played minor midget hockey with the Huron Perth Lakers of the ALLIANCE U16 league and the Stratford Cullitons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) before he was selected 50th overall in the 2014 OHL Priority Draft by the Saginaw Spirit.

Agreeing to terms with the Spirit on April 26, 2014, Middleton began his major junior career in the 2014–15 season, posting 9 points through 61 regular season games. ^[1] Following a second season developing as a physical presence on the blueline with the Spirit, Middleton was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fourth-round, 101st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. ^[2]

While with the Spirit in the OHL, Middleton was selected as team captain in his last two seasons of major junior hockey, increasing his offensive contributions while continuing show a physical edge. In his final junior season in 2017–18, Middleton established career best of 20 assists and 24 points to help Saginaw return to the playoffs.

Professional

With the Maple Leafs declining to offer Middleton a contract, Middleton attended the San Jose Sharks Development camp before embarking on his professional career by agreeing to a one-year AHL contract with affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, on September 19, 2018. ^[3] In joining older brother Jacob, on the Barracuda blueline, Middleton made his professional debut against the Ontario Reign on October 5, 2018, to open the 2018–19 season and later registered his first goal in a 6-1 victory over the Texas Stars on October 27, 2018. ^{[4] [5]} As a fixture on the Barracuda blueline, Middleton made 61 regular season appearances, adding 6 goals and 7 assists for 13 points.

Middleton attended the San Jose Sharks 2019 training camp before he was returned to the Barracuda for the 2019–20 season on September 24, 2019. ^[6] Limited to 41 regular season games, Middleton matched his previous season totals with 13 points, before the season was suspended and later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Middleton left the Barracuda as a free agent and was signed to a one-year AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles, on July 8, 2020. ^[7] In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Middleton made 14 appearances with the Eagles, adding size and a physical acumen to the blueline, before he was signed to his first NHL contract in agreeing to a two-year, two-way contract with affiliate, the Colorado Avalanche on March 30, 2021. ^[8] With the Avalanche suffering a rash of injuries, Middleton was recalled and made his NHL debut, featuring in a third-pairing role during a 2-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on April 9, 2021. ^[9] He was scoreless in 3 appearances with the Avalanche before he was returned to the Eagles for the remainder of the season.

In the following 2021–22 season, Middleton competed in 49 games primarily for the Eagles, recording 2 goals and 11 points. He made 9 Calder Cup Playoff outings, tallying 4 points. As a restricted free agent following the season, Middleton was tendered a qualifying offer and later re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Avalanche on July 21, 2022. ^{[10] [11]}

During the 2022–23 season, in the midst of a breakout season offensively in his third year with the Eagles, Middleton was re-signed to a two-year, two-way contract extension with the Avalanche on February 25, 2023. ^[12]

Personal

He is the younger brother of Jacob Middleton, who currently plays defence for the Minnesota Wild in the NHL. ^[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013–14	Stratford Cullitons	GOJHL		22	4	16	22	24		4	0	0	0	0
2014–15	Saginaw Spirit	OHL		61	2	7	9	58		4	0	1	1	0
2015–16	Saginaw Spirit	OHL		66	1	6	7	66		4	0	1	1	0
2016–17	Saginaw Spirit	OHL		64	4	14	18	48		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Saginaw Spirit	OHL		64	4	20	24	45		4	0	0	0	2
2018–19	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		61	6	7	13	64		4	0	0	0	0
2019–20	San Jose Barracuda	AHL		41	4	9	13	49		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Colorado Eagles	AHL		22	0	6	6	42		2	2	2	4	0
2020–21	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		3	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Colorado Eagles	AHL		49	2	9	11	76		9	1	3	4	16
2022–23	Colorado Eagles	AHL		72	3	20	23	125		7	1	1	2	6
2023–24	Colorado Eagles	AHL		71	6	9	15	136		3	0	0	0	2
NHL totals				3	0	0	0	4		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada White	U17	5th		5	0	1	1	2
Junior totals					5	0	1	1	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
OHL
Second All-Rookie Team	2015

References

1. "Spirit announce first signing of season". Saginaw Spirit. April 26, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
2. "Toronto Maple Leafs select Keaton Middleton 101st overall in 2016 NHL Entry Draft". pensionplanpuppets.com. June 25, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
3. "Barracuda sign defenseman Keaton Middleton". sjbarracuda.com. September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
4. "Game summary Barracuda, Reign". American Hockey League. October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
5. "San Jose Barracuda 6, Texas Stars 1". American Hockey League. October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
6. "Sharks reduce training camp roster by 23 players". San Jose Sharks. September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
7. "Eagles add defenseman Keaton Middleton". Colorado Eagles. July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
8. "Avalanche Signs Middleton and O'Brien". Colorado Avalanche. March 31, 2021.
9. "Johansson gets first NHL shutout for Avalanche against Ducks". National Hockey League. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
10. "Keaton Middleton re-signs with Colorado". The Sports Network. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
11. "Avalanche re-signs Keaton Middleton". Colorado Avalanche. July 21, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
12. "Avalanche re-signs Keaton Middleton through to 2024-25 season". Colorado Avalanche. February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
13. "Jacob Middleton player profile". eliteprospects.com. February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database