Tyler Kleven

Last updated
Tyler Kleven
Tyler Kleven with the Belleville Senators in 2024 (cropped).jpg
Kleven with the Belleville Senators in 2024
Born (2002-01-10) January 10, 2002 (age 23)
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 teamFlag of the United States.svg  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 for 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.

Contents

Early life

Kleven was born January 10, 2002, in Fargo, North Dakota, [1] to Chris and Lori Kleven. [2] His father, a former defenseman for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and the Northern Michigan Wildcats, built a backyard ice rink for Kleven and coached him as a child. [3] Originally a forward, Kleven switched to playing defense at the age of eight to better accommodate his defensive mindset. [4]

Playing career

Amateur

Kleven joined the University of North Dakota (UND) hockey program in 2020. He spent three years with the Fighting Hawks. [5] He was known for his shot from the point, marking 20 goals and 35 points in 95 games with UND. [6] During his college career, Kleven was suspended three times. [7]

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. [6] He previously played with Senators teammates Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto and Jacob Bernard-Docker at UND. [8] An injury to Jakob Chychrun allowed Kleven to play in his first NHL game shortly after joining the team. [9] 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. [10] He finished the season having played eight games. [7]

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. [11] After injuries to Thomas Chabot and Erik Brännström, Kleven was recalled by Ottawa on October 28. [12] He appeared in five games, with one assist before being returned to Belleville on 19 November. [13] He was recalled on March 28, 2024, again replacing an injured Thomas Chabot. [14] Kleven appeared in four games with Ottawa before being returned to Belleville on April 5 after Chabot returned from injury. [15] 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. [16]

For the 2024–25 season, Kleven made the Ottawa Senators out of training camp and was in the opening night roster. [17] He scored his first NHL goal against Mackenzie Blackwood on November 27 in a 4–3 win against the San Jose Sharks. [18]

International play

Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Canada

Kleven played for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2021 and 2022 and won gold in 2021. [19] [20]

Following the end of the NHL season, Kleven joined the Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. [21] The team finished fourth in the tournament. [22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
2017–18 Fargo Davies High USHS 27971654—————
2018–19 U.S. National Development Team USHL 3121345200019
2019–20 U.S. National Development TeamUSHL1702237—————
2020–21 University of North Dakota NCHC 2252737—————
2021–22 University of North DakotaNCHC38731093—————
2022–23 University of North DakotaNCHC358101884—————
2022–23 Ottawa Senators NHL 80222—————
2023–24 Belleville Senators AHL 53516215171236
2023–24 Ottawa SenatorsNHL90112—————
2024–25 Ottawa SenatorsNHL7946102760226
NHL totals9649133160226

International

YearTeamEventGPGAPtsPIM
2018 United States U17 500016
2021 United States WJC 20110
2022 United StatesWJC50000
2023 United States WC 70002
Junior totals1201116
Senior totals70002

References

  1. ↑ "Tyler Kleven Stats and News". National Hockey League . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  2. ↑ Childerhose, Evan (January 1, 2025). "From Fargo to Full Time in the NHL: Tyler Kleven's Breakthrough Year". Faces. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  3. ↑ Olsen, Becky (March 5, 2019). "Tyler Kleven Follows Father's Example into Hockey". USA Hockey . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  4. ↑ Mendes, Ian (December 27, 2021). "Senators prospect Tyler Kleven's journey from backyard rink to Team USA: 'He deserves all the credit'" . The Athletic . The New York Times . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  5. ↑ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (March 25, 2023). "Ottawa planning to use Tyler Kleven in the NHL this season". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Scanlan, Wayne (March 23, 2023). "Newly-signed Senators D Tyler Kleven could be a big hit in Ottawa". Sportsnet. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  7. 1 2 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.
  8. ↑ Hanna, Claire (March 24, 2023). "Kleven excited to take first skate with Sens". TSN. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  9. ↑ Garrioch, Bruce (March 26, 2023). "Snapshots: Expect Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven to make his NHL debut this week". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (March 30, 2023). "Tyler Kleven tallies an assist in NHL debut". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Ottawa Senators assign five players to Belleville". Belleville Senators. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Senators recall Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo, place Thomas Chabot on LTIR". Sportsnet. October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Senators' Tyler Kleven: Heads to AHL". CBS Sports. November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "Senators' Tyler Kleven: Sent to AHL". CBS Sports. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  16. ↑ Nichols, Graeme (September 4, 2024). "Ottawa Senators Rookie Likely to Be Handed a Huge Responsibility This Season". The Hockey News. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  17. ↑ "NHL announces opening night rosters for 2024-25 season". NHL.com. National Hockey League. October 8, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  18. ↑ Adams, Alex (November 28, 2024). "Sens' Stutzle, Norris show Sharks what they missed out on". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Team USA claims gold at World Junior Championship with win over Canada". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. January 5, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  20. ↑ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (August 10, 2022). "Tyler Kleven, Team USA open World Juniors with dominant victory". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  21. ↑ Schlossman, Brad Elliott (May 14, 2023). "Tyler Kleven added to U.S. Men's World Championship roster". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  22. ↑ "2023 Men's Worlds Insider: Record-Breaking Success, But Heartbreak In The End". Team USA. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

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

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