Nick Jensen

Not to be confused with Niclas Jensen, Nicklas Jensen, or Nicholas Jensen.

Nick Jensen
Jensen with the Washington Capitals in 2021
Born	(1990-09-21) September 21, 1990 (age 33) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Washington Capitals Detroit Red Wings
National team	United States
NHL Draft	150th overall, 2009 Detroit Red Wings
Playing career	2013–present

Nick Jensen (born September 21, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jensen was drafted 150th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Early life

Jensen was born on September 21, 1990, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. ^[1] His father Jeff played college hockey at Lake Superior State and was a Colorado Rockies draft pick. ^[2] His uncle Steve Jensen played for the Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings. ^[3]

Playing career

Amateur

Jensen played college hockey with the St. Cloud State Huskies in the NCAA Men's Division I WCHA conference. In his freshman season at St. Cloud State, Jensen recorded five goals and 18 assists in 38 games.

In his sophomore season, Jensen was the third-leading scorer for St. Cloud State. Jensen recorded six goals and 26 assists in 39 games. St. Cloud State finished sixth in the competitive WCHA. After sweeping Nebraska-Omaha in the first round of the playoffs, the Huskies suffered a season-ending loss to North Dakota in the quarterfinal. ^[4]

In his junior season, Jensen skated in 42 games for St. Cloud State, and was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the NCAA West First All-American Team. Jensen recorded four goals and was second on the Huskies with 27 assists. St. Cloud State finished tied with Minnesota for first in the WCHA and rebounded from a loss to Wisconsin in the WCHA semifinals to reach the Frozen Four. St. Cloud State defeated Notre Dame, 5–1, and Miami, 4–1, to capture the NCAA Midwest Regional before falling to Quinnipiac, 4–1, in the Frozen Four semifinals. ^[5]

Professional

Detroit Red Wings

On May 2, 2013, the Detroit Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year entry-level contract. ^[6]

During the 2014–15 season, Jensen recorded six goals and 21 assists in 75 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, and ranked second among Griffins defenseman in scoring. Jensen finished the season with a plus-30 rating, which was tied for the best plus-minus rating in the AHL. On July 13, 2015, the Detroit Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year contract extension. ^[7]

During the 2015–16 season, on January 24, 2016, Jensen was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to being recalled, Jensen recorded two goals and six assists in 39 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins. ^[8] He was reassigned to the Griffins on January 26 without featuring in a game. ^[9]

On December 19, 2016, Jensen was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to being recalled, Jensen recorded one goal and five assists in 27 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins. He made his NHL debut for the Red Wings the following day in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. ^[10] On February 27, 2017, the Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year contract extension. ^[11]

During the 2018–19 season, his third season with the Red Wings, Jensen recorded two goals and 13 assists, tying his previous season high totals through 60 games with 15 points.

Washington Capitals

While in the final year of his contract, Jensen was traded by the Red Wings, along with a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Madison Bowey, and a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. ^[12] He was then re-signed to a four-year, $10 million contract extension by the Capitals. ^[13]

During his 109th game with the Capitals, Jensen scored his first goal in a Capitals uniform on March 7, 2021 against the Philadelphia Flyers. At the time of the goal, Jensen had recorded 14 points over 41 games. ^[14] Prior to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, Jensen was left unprotected by the Capitals for Seattle. ^[15]

During the 2022-23 NHL season, rumors of a potential trade involving Jensen surfaced. ^[16] However, a few days before the trade deadline on February 28, 2023, Jensen signed a three year, $12.15 million contract extension, which carries a $4.05 million average annual value. ^{[17] [18]}

International play

Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2018 Denmark
World Junior A Challenge
	2009 Summerside

On April 28, 2018, Jensen and fellow Red Wings teammate Dylan Larkin were named to the United States men's national ice hockey team to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. ^[19] He recorded one goal and three assists in 10 games and won a bronze medal.

Personal life

Jensen and his wife Jenner both played sports at Rogers High School. She was an All-State basketball player who scored 1,634 points during her career. ^{[20] [21]} Jensen and his wife had their first child together on March 17, 2020. ^[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006–07	Rogers High School	USHS		21	20	17	37	6		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Rogers High School	USHS		14	14	13	27	8		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL		52	5	17	22	27		7	0	1	1	2
2009–10	Green Bay Gamblers	USHL		53	6	21	27	35		12	2	6	8	6
2010–11	St. Cloud State Huskies	WCHA		38	5	18	23	10		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	St. Cloud State Huskies	WCHA		39	6	26	32	4		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	St. Cloud State Huskies	WCHA		42	4	27	31	4		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		45	0	9	9	8		10	0	1	1	2
2013–14	Toledo Walleye	ECHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		75	6	21	27	15		16	0	3	3	4
2015–16	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		75	3	16	19	17		9	0	2	2	0
2016–17	Grand Rapids Griffins	AHL		27	1	5	6	6		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		49	4	9	13	12		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		81	0	15	15	27		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		60	2	13	15	17		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Washington Capitals	NHL		20	0	5	5	4		7	0	0	0	2
2019–20	Washington Capitals	NHL		68	0	8	8	13		8	0	0	0	0
2020–21	Washington Capitals	NHL		53	2	12	14	14		5	0	0	0	2
2021–22	Washington Capitals	NHL		76	5	16	21	21		6	0	0	0	4
2022–23	Washington Capitals	NHL		77	5	24	29	18		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Washington Capitals	NHL		78	1	13	14	10
NHL totals				562	19	115	134	136		26	0	0	0	8

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018	United States	WC			10	1	3	4	0
Senior totals					10	1	3	4	0

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
All-WCHA Third Team	2011–12
All-WCHA First Team	2012–13	[23]
AHCA West First-Team All-American	2012–13

References

1. "Nick Jensen". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
2. "Nick Jensen, son of ex-Laker, signs with Red Wings". The Sault News. May 3, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
3. Hass, Trevor (January 27, 2016). "Rogers alumnus Jensen gets long-awaited call up to NHL". Star News. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
4. "Nick Jensen prospect profile". hockeysfuture.com. February 3, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
5. "Quinnipiac victors in Frozen Four semi-finals". Western Collegiate Hockey Association. April 1, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
6. Beam, Todd (May 2, 2013). "Red Wings sign Nick Jensen to entry-level deal". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved May 2, 2013.
7. Kujawa, Kyle (July 13, 2015). "Red Wings bring back Callahan and Jensen". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved July 13, 2015.
8. "Tangradi, Jensen recalled; assign Andersson". Detroit Red Wings. January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
9. Kujawa, Kyle (January 26, 2016). "Andersson recalled, two reassigned". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved January 26, 2016.
10. Kujawa, Kyle (December 19, 2016). "Detroit recalls defenseman Nick Jensen". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved December 19, 2016.
11. Kujawa, Kyle (February 27, 2017). "Red Wings sign Jensen to two-year extension". Detroit Red Wings . Retrieved February 27, 2017.
12. "Capitals Acquire Nick Jensen and Fifth Round Pick from Detroit Red Wings". National Hockey League. February 22, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
13. "Capitals Re-sign Nick Jensen". National Hockey League. February 22, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
14. Vogel, Mike (March 8, 2021). "POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 3 Flyers 1". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
15. Vogel, Mike (July 18, 2021). "Creating the Kraken: Protected Lists Unveiled". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
16. "Teams are interested in Lars Eller and Nick Jensen: Friedman". February 27, 2023.
17. "Washington Re-signs Jensen to Three-Year, $12.15 Million Contract Extension". March 2023.
18. "Capitals Re-sign Defenseman Nick Jensen".
19. Kulfan, Ted (April 28, 2018). "Red Wings Larkin, Jensen join Team USA for worlds". The Detroit News . Retrieved May 11, 2018.
20. "All State". Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
21. Oland, Ian (April 14, 2020). "Nick Jensen and Jenner Jensen first met when they were 5. Their love story is incredible". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
22. "Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen becomes a dad on St. Patricks Day". NBC Sports. March 17, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
23. "Conference Honors 2012-13". collegehockeyinc.com. March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2013.

External links

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

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Justin Schultz	WCHA Defensive Player of the Year 2012–13	Succeeded by Colton Parayko