After signing his entry-level contract on March 23, defensive prospect Tyler Kleven is set to join the Ottawa Senators as they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (March 30) and make his NHL debut. He has spent the last three seasons with North Dakota of the NCAA and joins former teammates Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto, and Jacob Bernard-Docker in the Senators organization (from ‘Tyler Kleven’s NHL debut set for Thursday,’ Grand Forks Herald, March 29, 2023).
Kleven’s arrival in Ottawa has been anticipated by everyone, but nobody is as excited as Senators’ general manager Pierre Dorion.
Kleven, who is 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, uses his size and strength very effectively while on the ice. His physicality is what the organization is looking most forward to, as he is known to throw big hits, win board battles and get the opposition away from the puck by any measure.
Kleven was suspended three times over the past two seasons with North Dakota, and he also received seven major penalties, all as a result of the hits he had thrown. Some people will look at this and question the disciplinary aspect of his play, which is a fair criticism, but many of the hits thrown by Kleven would be legal, unpenalized hits in the NHL.
More Than Just Physicality From Kleven
Kleven earned the nickname “K-Train” for his physical dominance in the NCAA, but the name is quite fitting for more than just that. His shot from the blue line is lethal, and despite acknowledging the harder and faster pace in the NHL, his game should be easily translatable to the higher level of play. The Senators’ defense has a good mix of size and skill available now, as Erik Brannstrom and Thomas Chabot have the talent to get a clean shot away, while Kleven joins Jakob Chychrun as two of the hardest shots on the team from the point.
Kleven finished his NCAA career with 20 goals and 35 points in 95 games and had his best offensive season in 2022-23 with eight goals and 18 points in 35 games as North Dakota’s number-one defenseman.
His offense is more of a luxury than anything, as he is expected to be a pure shutdown defenseman that is a pain in the butt to play against. He is expected to line up beside Nick Holden on the third pair in his debut, which is an excellent spot to show his value.
Related: Senators’ Brannstrom Remains a Valuable Defenseman
With injuries sustained to Chabot and Chychrun, Kleven’s signing couldn’t have come at a better time.
No Pressure To Be NHL Ready
Kleven is only 21 years old, and after the acquisition of Chychrun, the Senators’ left side of the defense is pretty plugged up. As I mentioned, his opportunity may have been fast-tracked by injuries, but he was bound to get into a few games this season so head coach DJ Smith could see what Kleven was going to be like at the NHL level.
It will be hard to find room on a core consisting of Chabot, Sanderson, Chychrun, Brannstrom and Artem Zub, and with Travis Hamonic likely returning next season, that is six defensemen right there. There is some uncertainty on the future of Brannstrom with the organization, and while it is possible Dorion explores the opportunity to recoup some draft picks for the 2023 Draft, their best bet would be to keep Brannstrom.
Kleven could certainly benefit from a season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with Belleville to get used to pro-level hockey, but if he plays the same level of hockey as he did in college, it may force the hand of the Senators to include him in the NHL group.
Many fans on Twitter have expressed interest in a defensive pairing of Kleven and Brannstrom, which could work very well as, on paper, their games seem to complement each other very nicely. The best thing for Kleven is that, with all of the names listed, there is no pressure to be ready to compete for an NHL spot right away. The team can be patient and let him develop where he needs to. I think AHL games are inevitable for Kleven, but never say never.