I've caught some of the games. His puck movement seems a bit more refined this year, which is good. As for the stats, the team has struggled so far, with one easy weekend and two tough ones. They got worked pretty good by a star-laden MN team this weekend, but somehow made it to OT both nights, splitting the games. Kleven got booted late in the first period Saturday for contact to the head, but I wasn't able to watch, so not sure how the hit looked. As he did last year when Sanderson was hurt, he plays the hardest minutes. I think he's still on track to have a growth year in the AHL next year and maybe try to make the big squad the next year.
Player Discussion Tyler Kleven (D) at 44th Overall (Sens traded up)
- Thread starter IceColdOx
- Start date
The Devilish Buffoon
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,716
- 11,505
As others have pointed out, apparently he has grown an inch to 6'5 and is 210-215lbs.
Did you watch the recent interview with Berry? While its not surprising for a coach to be complimentary of one of his key players, the tone and wording of the interviewer also suggested that they found Kleven's game to be improved. It was before the series against Minnesota... UND website doesnt list +/- in their game log but I seem to remember he was dash 5 before the series. Could be wrong.
For anyone who didn't see it, the interview where Berry speaks about Kleven's development is below... Kleven talk starts just after the 6min mark:
aragorn
Do The Right Thing
- Aug 8, 2004
- 29,286
- 9,994
Kleven is a big tough mobile defensive defenceman who is going to bring an element of physicality, shot blocking, big hits & clear the front of the net. IMO he is a much tougher & better version of Holden/Hamonic, a much better skater & puck handler & another big hitter that players need to know are on the ice.
Imagine having Boucher, Ostapchuk, Kleven & Kastelic all on the team making big hits & driving opposition players crazy. Kleven is also going to have to drop the gloves occasionally if he hits to hurt in the NHL the way he does in college.
Imagine having Boucher, Ostapchuk, Kleven & Kastelic all on the team making big hits & driving opposition players crazy. Kleven is also going to have to drop the gloves occasionally if he hits to hurt in the NHL the way he does in college.
Sun God Nika
Palestine 🇵🇸
I was hoping for some offensive growth with the role he was going to get this year and his slap shot.
Haven’t watched a single UND game just looking off his stats tho 6 games 0 pts minus 6 at the college level drafted more than 2 years ago.
Happy to have him in the system as a longer term project just gotta temper my expectations
Haven’t watched a single UND game just looking off his stats tho 6 games 0 pts minus 6 at the college level drafted more than 2 years ago.
Happy to have him in the system as a longer term project just gotta temper my expectations
I've never thought his puckmoving ability was that bad when watching him play with ND and USA, but 13 assists in the last 4 seasons (and now 0 in 6 games in the 5th season) at all levels of competition is seriously worrying.
Has any defenseman had a successful NHL career with less assist numbers at the junior/college level?
Has any defenseman had a successful NHL career with less assist numbers at the junior/college level?
This is where my hesitation comes from.
Solid defenders are great and his physical presence is enticing but if he can't ever get the puck out its sort of moot.
That said, if he can move the puck to someone who knows what to do with it and we aren't just letting the opposition come at us in waves it is a net positive.
Ouroboros
There is no armour against Fate
- Feb 3, 2008
- 15,653
- 11,441
There is some precedence for low production defenders making the NHL...
Josh Manson: 15 assists in 99 NCAA games.
Ben Chiarot: 50 assists in 229 OHL games
Justin Holl: 30 assists in 142 NCAA games
Rob Bortuzzo: 33 assists in 138 OHL games
Logan Stanley: 56 assists in 219 OHL games
Mark Borowiecki: 20 assists in 99 NCAA games
Ryan Lindgren: 13 assists in 67 NCAA games
Ryan Graves: 61 assists 245 QMJHL games [24 came in his 4th year]
Jonas Siegenthaler: 14 assists in 115 Swiss League games
Scott Mayfield: 22 assists in 81 NCAA games
Jamie Oleksiak: 9 assists in 38 NCAA games and 20 assist in 59 OHL games
Carson Soucy: 35 assists in 147 NCAA games
There are others as well. Jani Hakanpaa and Niko Mikkola had extremely low assist totals in Finland and the AHL.
Most of these guys play the role Kleven is projected into. A big dude that hammers people with hits, blocks shots, kills penalties and wins battles on the wall.
Thanks for looking into this.
Looks like Kleven would have the lowest assist numbers out of anyone with 5 assists in 48 games in the USHL and 5 assists in 66 games in the NCAA to date.
Hal Gill Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com
Statistics of Hal Gill, a hockey player from Concord, MA born Apr 6 1975 who was active from 1993 to 2014.
www.hockeydb.com
So realistically we are looking at a Hall Gill, Mark Borowiecki, Matt Carkner mold of player.
3rd pair, 2nd pk unit. Sounds like the almost the perfect partner for Brannstrom lol.
Only job at 5 on 5 is to get Branny the puck so he can break it out.
aragorn
Do The Right Thing
- Aug 8, 2004
- 29,286
- 9,994
Ottawa has plenty of guys who can put the puck in the net, what they need is a few more guys who can stop the puck from going into our net. Hockey is made up of offence & DEFENCE & Kleven should help keep the puck out of our net. He's also quite mobile & it should not be a problem for him to pass the puck out or skate it out of our own end. They will also need someone on the backend who can hit & put a little fear in forwards who is big enough to clear the front of the net & move the big NHL forwards.
The Devilish Buffoon
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,716
- 11,505
Basing projections on #s is a fools errand. See: about a thousand comments on Brady Tkachuk from his draft year until ~ halfway through last year.
Kleven is exactly the type of player that teams clamor for, but fans don't appreciate, till they realize that all those regular season points by dmen don't really matter once you get into the playoffs, unless your name is Makar. What matters is good, tough D... maybe 2-3 PMD is all that is needed. MTL and VGK are two teams that went on recent Cup runs because of their sound physical play on the back end. Kleven will do that, and it's not like he is some hippopotamus out there. He can move quite well.
Looks to me that you've got some PMD's.
I coached him when he was 6.
Looks to me that you've got some PMD's.
I coached him when he was 6.
RickyLafleur
Fall of Pierre
Seems like the type of player you can find towards the end of nearly every single draft or even free agency. Should've just drafted Brock Faber when they had the chance.
Faber is great, but he is way outplaying his draft spot. All the GM's missed on him. It also remains to be seen how well he will hold up to the rigors of the AHL, nvm the NHL. He has decent size and strength, but nothing special. Tyler, OTOH, is a beast. If nothing else, you know he will be able to take and give out punishment at the NHL level, especially once he matures physically, like K'Andre Miller did. Kleven is actually much more physical than Miller was at the same age.
Kleven and Faber are two different types of players.
Alf Silfversson
Registered User
- Jun 8, 2011
- 6,071
- 5,227
Kleven moves pretty well but he won't be skating thepuck out of trouble at the NHL level. He lacks the puck skills and agility to do that. Not many players CAN skate the puck out of their end.
Which brings us back to his passing skills. I think he's improving in that area but he'll need to get quite a bit better if we want more than just a Boro player (that would be fine though).
I'll believe him in if he ever becomes an impact player for the Sens, just like Thomson, JBD, Wolanin, Englund, Harpur, Ceci, Claessen, Cowen, Wideman, Wiercioch, Boro, Lee. Out of these guys, Ceci was the only one that became a top 4 defenseman (and just barely) for the Sens. I left out Karlsson, Chabot, Sanderson as they became blue-chip prospects with pedigree, almost certain to be good.
The modern game demands you get point production from your blueline and right now we are banking on Sanderson and Chabot to do that. If Sandy can produce that is huge as we have had terrible production defensively and offensively from.our back end for years.
This is disingenuous and I think you know it.
Brady always had the skill. Kleven was compared to a goalie as far as breakout passing was concerned.
He isn't going to magically learn to move the puck in the NHL when he can't make offensive plays in college.
He may be useful and I hope he is because he has great size and good mobility but a D has to be able to handle the puck or else he is just chasing the puck in his zone all the time.
The Devilish Buffoon
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,716
- 11,505
No, you are engaging in revisionist history. There was a large contingent on this board who thought Brady would top out as a middle 6er or third liner and there are people who were saying his skill and IQ were just ok as recently as last year. I won't name names, but it's the truth. I am sure there are people on here who would readily admit that they were projecting Brady as a meat and potatoes 3rd liner with a bit of offence before his rookie year.
As for Kleven being compared to a goalie, yeah, that was completely made up. Using that as support to an argument is like me making an argument on the basis that the earth is flat.
Kleven isn't an amazing puck-handler by any means, but he's competent. It will absolutely hold him back at the NHL level, he likely won't be a top 4D despite, I think, having the size, skating, physicality and smarts to do so, but talk of his puck play as atrocious is just completely exaggerated. Saying he isn't able to handle a puck or make offensive plays makes me think you are doing exactly what those Brady doubters were doing - reading a boxscore.
If that’s true then why is he the only one in our system?
not sure what you mean by “made up” but it was definitely a statement made by a group setting themselves out as serious draft analysts.
The Devilish Buffoon
Registered User
- Dec 24, 2018
- 12,716
- 11,505
It was a made up in the sense that those "analysts" were claiming he had fewer passes completed than a goalie and that wasn't true. It was made up.
Ah ok. Wasn’t clear whether you were saying the analysts made it up or the poster. Thanks for clarifying.
No, I am not being revisionist. I am not going by what people here said - you can always find one extreme or another here.
Brady was a 4th overall pick and I am sure you know that he had a lot more skill than the, "8 goals" crowd was saying.
That's why he is a bad comparison - Kleven hasn't shown at any level he can move the puck to create offense.
He has 13 assists in his last 143 games (including his 1 assist in 7 World Junior games).
Scoring 7 goals last year and 5 the year prior is an example of the bomb he has but even with that he clearly isn't creating many rebounds or tip plays.
Anyway not looking to argue, just thought the Brady comparable was a stretch.
And for the record I have seen Kleven a fair bit...maybe 20 games over the last few years including his 7 WJC games and he doesn't move the puck well IMO.
How much PP time has he had in those 143 games? Without pp time, and used in limited minutes which he has been at und, those numbers aren't as bad as they may appear
As for tip plays, there's more of them at the NHL level where there's more skill to redirect the puck.
Kleven is never going to be used as a pmd in any future Senators lineup so his point totals are not really a big thing
Ad
Latest posts
-
-
-
Speculation: Roster Building Thread - Part XIII (Nanaki edition)- Latest: LiveLongandProspal
-
-
