You might not have noticed, which
is odd considering the subject in question is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound
defenseman, but Tyler Kleven was all over the place during the Ottawa
Senators’ too-short-but-still-inspiring 2025 playoff run. His shot-pass
from the point was tipped to tie the score in Game 2, his poised
breakout led to another tying goal in Game 3, and his sense to jump up
into the play and gain the zone led to the Senators’ overtime goal in
Game 4.
And it should have come as no surprise to anyone who
watched Kleven closely during his first full NHL season. The 23-year-old
from Fargo, N.D., improved and had more of an impact as the season went
on, and it’s a trajectory both he and the Senators count on continuing
after Kleven signed a two-year deal in June that carries a cap hit of
$1.6 million.
Considering the fact Kleven played only 53 games in
the minors – all of which came in 2023-24 – he hasn’t exactly been a
slow burn. The Senators have brought him along at a good pace, both at
the AHL and NHL levels. But with almost 100 big-league contests and one
playoff round now to his credit, Kleven feels at home as a third-pair
defenseman with the potential to move up to the second pair down the
road. “I felt like I definitely took some steps this season,” Kleven
said. “In the playoffs, I got to play in different scenarios a little
more than I did at the start of the year.”
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There
is a sense Kleven hasn’t even come close to reaching his potential as
an NHL blueliner yet. As is the case with all young players, he spent
most of the season gaining the trust of the coaching staff and making
low-risk plays that would not lead to mistakes. But he gained confidence
as the season progressed, and that was evident in Game 3 of the first
round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. With the Senators trailing 2-1,
without a single third-period shot and from a defensive-zone faceoff,
Kleven gathered up the puck and tried to move it up ice, but the pass
was deflected by Max Domi. Kleven then calmly gathered the puck back up
and skated a few strides before making a pass that helped set up Brady
Tkachuk’s tying goal.
"With the caliber of player you're playing against, it's hard to go out and have an ESPN highlight-reel hit every night."
– Tyler Kleven
Both
the Senators and Kleven are confident he has more in his arsenal. He
had almost no ice time on special teams in the regular season or the
playoffs, and there’s certainly an element to his game that lends itself
to him being an effective penalty-killer. Even though he registered a
respectable 105 hits this season, his college game suggests he’s a much
more physically robust player. And while he can shoot it a ton, getting
the puck on net has been an issue. He registered 78 shots on goal, but
he also took another 75 that were blocked. “With the caliber of player
you’re playing against, it’s hard to go out and have an ESPN
highlight-reel hit every night,” Kleven said. “It just doesn’t happen
like that. You wait for your moment, and once that moment comes, you
take advantage of it. I thought there were times during the season that I
showed I was a physical player, and in the playoffs, I was way more
physical.”
Kleven spent much of the first half of the season
playing alongside veteran Travis Hamonic on the third pair, then teamed
with Nikolas Matinpalo once the latter was called up just after
Christmas. Coincidentally, that was when Kleven’s game started to take
off. That familiarity helped Kleven, who played much of last season with
Matinpalo on the Senators’ AHL affiliate in Belleville.
With
Nick Jensen expected to be out for some of next season after undergoing
off-season hip surgery, there might be a chance for Kleven to move up
in the lineup, depending on what the Senators do in terms of trades or
signings over the summer.
One thing working in Kleven’s favor is
that, even though he shoots left, he’s comfortable playing the right
side as well. In fact, with the Senators’ system, he often ends up there
as the play develops. And because he has such a long reach and stick,
he’s adept at breaking up plays in the defensive zone. “On the right
side, if they ever need someone to help out there, I got more looks
toward the end of the season,” Kleven said. “My last 20 games, I got
more looks there. In the offensive zone, I get to use my one-timer more,
and I didn’t get to use that a ton. It takes a little time to learn,
but I certainly don’t mind playing the right side.”
This article
appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on
the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite
play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the
Cup final. We
also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman
Ryker Evans. In
addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL
season.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
