Tyler Kleven

Tyler Kleven
Kleven with the Belleville Senators in 2024
Born	(2002-01-10) January 10, 2002 (age 22) Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Ottawa Senators
National team	United States
NHL draft	44th overall, 2020 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2023–present

Tyler Kleven (born January 10, 2002) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing with the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college hockey with the University of North Dakota. He was selected 44th overall in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft by the Senators. After leaving college, he began his professional career with the Senators in 2023.

Playing career

Amateur

Kleven joined the University of North Dakota (UND) hockey program in 2020. He spent three years with the Fighting Hawks. ^[1] He was known for his shot from the point, marking 20 goals and 35 points in 95 games with UND. ^[2] During his college career, Kleven was suspended three times. ^[3]

Professional

Kleven was selected 44th overall by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators in the second round of the 2020 NHL entry draft. He signed a three-year entry-level contract on March 23, 2023, with the Senators. ^[2] He previously played with Senators teammates Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto and Jacob Bernard-Docker at UND. ^[4] An injury to Jakob Chychrun allowed Kleven to play in his first NHL game shortly after joining the team. ^[5] He played his first NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 30, 2023. Another injury to a defenseman during the game, this time Travis Hamonic, forced coach D. J. Smith to play Kleven more than he would have liked, but it allowed Kleven to notch his first NHL point, an assist on a Claude Giroux goal in the third. The Senators won the game 5–4. ^[6] He finished the season having played eight games. ^[3]

Kleven attended Ottawa's 2023 training camp but was assigned to Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, to start the 2023–24 season. ^[7] After injuries to Thomas Chabot and Erik Brännström, Kleven was recalled by Ottawa on October 28. ^[8] He appeared in five games, with one assist before being returned to Belleville on 19 November. ^[9] He was recalled on March 28, 2024, again replacing an injured Thomas Chabot. ^[10] Kleven appeared in four games with Ottawa before being returned to Belleville on April 5 after Chabot returned from injury. ^[11] He finished the season with one assist for a total of one point in nine games with Ottawa, and five goals and 21 points in 53 games for Belleville. He also added one goal and two assists in Belleville's seven games during the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs. ^[12]

For the 2024–25 season, Kleven made the Ottawa Senators out of training camp and was in the opening night roster. ^[13] He scored his first NHL goal against Mackenzie Blackwood on November 27 in a 4–3 win against the San Jose Sharks. ^[14]

International play

Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2021 Canada

Kleven played for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2021 and 2022 and won gold in 2021. ^{[15] [16]}

Following the end of the NHL season, Kleven joined the Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. ^[17] The team finished fourth in the tournament. ^[18]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2017–18	Fargo Davies High	USHS		27	9	7	16	54		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		31	2	1	3	45		2	0	0	0	19
2019–20	U.S. National Development Team	USHL		17	0	2	2	37		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	University of North Dakota	NCHC		22	5	2	7	37		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	University of North Dakota	NCHC		38	7	3	10	93		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	University of North Dakota	NCHC		35	8	10	18	84		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Ottawa Senators	NHL		8	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Belleville Senators	AHL		53	5	16	21	51		7	1	2	3	6
2023–24	Ottawa Senators	NHL		9	0	1	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				17	0	3	3	4		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2018	United States	U17		5	0	0	0	16
2021	United States	WJC		2	0	1	1	0
2022	United States	WJC		5	0	0	0	0
2023	United States	WC		7	0	0	0	2
Junior totals				12	0	1	1	16
Senior totals				7	0	0	0	2

References

1. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (March 25, 2023). "Ottawa planning to use Tyler Kleven in the NHL this season". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
2. Scanlan, Wayne (March 23, 2023). "Newly-signed Senators D Tyler Kleven could be a big hit in Ottawa". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
3. Maguire, Pat (June 5, 2023). "First Impressions: Could Tyler Kleven Land a Full-Time NHL Job in Ottawa This Fall?". The Hockey News. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
4. Hanna, Claire (March 24, 2023). "Kleven excited to take first skate with Sens". TSN. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
5. Garrioch, Bruce (March 26, 2023). "Snapshots: Expect Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven to make his NHL debut this week". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
6. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (March 30, 2023). "Tyler Kleven tallies an assist in NHL debut". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
7. "Ottawa Senators assign five players to Belleville". Belleville Senators. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
8. "Senators recall Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, place Thomas Chabot on LTIR". Sportsnet. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
9. "Senators' Tyler Kleven: Heads to AHL". CBS Sports. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
10. Warne, Steve (March 28, 2024). "Ottawa Senators Callup Tyler Kleven: "I Think That My Presence of Being Physical is Needed on This Team"". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
11. "Senators' Tyler Kleven: Sent to AHL". CBS Sports. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
12. Nichols, Graeme (September 4, 2024). "Ottawa Senators Rookie Likely to Be Handed a Huge Responsibility This Season". The Hockey News. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
13. "NHL announces opening night rosters for 2024-25 season". NHL.com. National Hockey League. October 8, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
14. Adams, Alex (November 28, 2024). "Sens' Stutzle, Norris show Sharks what they missed out on". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
15. "Team USA claims gold at World Junior Championship with win over Canada". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. January 5, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
16. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (August 10, 2022). "Tyler Kleven, Team USA open World Juniors with dominant victory". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
17. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (May 14, 2023). "Tyler Kleven added to U.S. Men's World Championship roster". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
18. "2023 Men's Worlds Insider: Record-Breaking Success, But Heartbreak In The End". Team USA. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

External links

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