Justin Kloos

Justin Kloos
Born (1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 (age 31)
Lakeville, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Right
SHL team
Former teams
Leksands IF
Minnesota Wild
Anaheim Ducks
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Justin Kloos (born November 30, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing with Leksands IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks.

Playing career

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Junior

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Kloos played for Lakeville South High School from 2007 to 2012. In 2011–12, his senior season, he helped his team make a Minnesota State Hockey Tournament appearance.[1] He also scored 103 points (41G, 62A) in 31 games in his final season with the Lakeville South Cougars.[1] In 2012 he was also named Minnesota Mr. Hockey.[2] Kloos also played Junior hockey in the USHL (United States Hockey League) for the Waterloo Blackhawks in the 2012–13 season. He finished second in the USHL with 87. Of those 87 points, 58 of them were assists, which is the second most in Waterloo history.[3]

College

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In 2013, Kloos played his first season with the Minnesota Gophers. In his freshman season he played in 39 games and scored 16 goals. With these 16 goals he became the first freshman to lead the team in goals since 2006–07 season. Along with the 16 goals, Kloos also tallied 16 assists. In the NCAA tournament Kloos scored the game-winning goal to send the Gophers to the NCAA Frozen Four. In the 2014-15 season, he also played in 39 games. He scored 13 goals and recorded 19 assists. He scored the game-winning goal in victory over Michigan to secure the Big Ten Championship. In his junior season (2015–16) he was named the team captain.[4] On February 16, 2016 he was named the Big Ten's First star of the week after he netted two goal and two assists against Ohio State.[5] In his senior and final season with the Gophers in 2016–17, Kloos matched his previous seasons totals in points with 43 in 38 games.

Professional

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At the conclusion of the Gophers season and his collegiate career, Kloos as an unsigned free agent agreed to terms with home state club, the Minnesota Wild on a two-year entry-level contract on March 29, 2017.[6] He immediately joined AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild to play out the remainder of the 2016–17 season on an amateur try-out basis.[7] Kloos was called up to the NHL on October 23, 2017,[8] and made his NHL debut on October 24, 2017.[9] He played 8:38 minutes in his NHL debut against the Vancouver Canucks but was reassigned to the AHL the following day.[10]

In the 2018–19 season, Kloos continued in the AHL, leading the Iowa Wild in scoring with 12 goals and 30 points in 34 games. On January 16, 2019, Kloos was traded by the Minnesota Wild to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Pontus Åberg.[11]

With the conclusion of his contract with the Ducks approaching after the cancellation of the 2019–20 AHL season due to COVID-19. Kloos ended his tenure with affiliate, the San Diego Gulls posting 30 points in 53 games.

Kloos opted to embark on a career away from North America, agreeing to a one-year contract with Russian outfit, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), on June 8, 2020.[12] In the 2020–21 season, Kloos quickly transitioned to the larger ice, producing 11 goals and 20 points through 48 regular season games.

As a free agent, Kloos moved to Sweden agreeing to a two-year contract with SHL club, Leksands IF, on June 4, 2021.[13]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Lakeville South High USHS 18 21 17 38 2 3 4 3 7 0
2010–11 Lakeville South High USHS 24 35 44 79 8 3 6 5 11 0
2010–11 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 10 3 2 5 2 2 0 0 0 0
2011–12 Lakeville South High USHS 25 34 47 81 4 3 5 13 18 0
2011–12 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 2 2 2 4 0
2012–13 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 54 29 58 87 22 5 0 4 4 2
2013–14 University of Minnesota B1G 41 16 16 32 16
2014–15 University of Minnesota B1G 39 13 19 32 26
2015–16 University of Minnesota B1G 37 16 27 43 26
2016–17 University of Minnesota B1G 38 18 25 43 28
2016–17 Iowa Wild AHL 9 1 0 1 4
2017–18 Iowa Wild AHL 76 19 31 50 42
2017–18 Minnesota Wild NHL 1 0 0 0 2
2018–19 Iowa Wild AHL 34 12 18 30 26
2018–19 Anaheim Ducks NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2018–19 San Diego Gulls AHL 25 6 9 15 10 16 3 6 9 2
2019–20 San Diego Gulls AHL 53 11 19 30 34
2020–21 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod KHL 48 11 9 20 22 2 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Leksands IF SHL 45 9 13 22 18 3 1 1 2 0
2022–23 Leksands IF SHL 43 13 14 27 18 3 0 4 4 0
NHL totals 2 0 0 0 2
KHL totals 48 11 9 20 22 2 0 0 0 0
SHL totals 88 22 27 49 36 6 1 5 6 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year
USHS
Minnesota Mr. Hockey 2012
USHL
USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2013
First All-Star Team 2013
College
West Regional Most Outstanding Player 2014
B1G Second All-Star Team 2016
B1G First All-Star Team 2017 [7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Justin Kloos". Minnesota Hockey Hub | MN Boys High School Hockey. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  2. ^ "Mr. Hockey". Minnesota Hockey Hub | MN Boys High School Hockey. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  3. ^ "GOPHERSPORTS.COM Justin Kloos Bio :: University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site :: Ice Hockey". www.gophersports.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  4. ^ "Gophers name Justin Kloos 2015-16 hockey captain". KARE. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  5. ^ "Big Ten Hockey Three Stars Big Ten Conference Official Site". Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  6. ^ "Wild Signs Justin Kloos to Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. Minnesota Wild. March 29, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Wild agrees to terms with Gophers Captain Justin Kloos". Minnesota Star Tribune. 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  8. ^ "Minnesota recalls forwards Justin Kloos and Luke Kunin". NHL.com. St. Paul, Minn: Minnesota Wild. October 23, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Myers, Dan (October 24, 2017). "From the Rink: Lakeville native Kloos preps for NHL debut". NHL.com. Minnesota Wild. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "Wild reassigns Justin Kloos to Iowa". NHL.com. Minnesota Wild. October 25, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  11. ^ "Ducks acquire Kloos from Minnesota in exchange for Aberg". Anaheim Ducks. January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  12. ^ "Forward Justin Kloos replenishes Torpedo" (in Russian). Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "A goalkeeper and forward join LIF" (in Swedish). Leksands IF. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
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