The New Jersey Devils need bottom six hopefuls, and they could be looking in the middle rounds for grinder types like Carter Klippenstein.
Earlier today, we profiled Charlie Trethewey, a right-handed defenseman who played in the USNTDP over the 2024-25 season. Now, we will be looking at Carter Klippenstein, who should be going a bit later on Day Two of the NHL Draft on Saturday.
Who is Carter Klippenstein?
Carter Klippenstein was born on November 25, 2006 in Lethbridge, Alberta, currently playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. According to Elite Prospects, Klippenstein is listed at 6’3” and 181 pounds. He is a left-shooting center, having built a reputation already as one of the most physical two-way forwards in the 2025 NHL Draft. As you will see in his stats from Elite Prospects below, Klippenstein does not jump off the page in terms of scoring, but still had a +20 rating.
Elite Prospects
This is not a guy who will light the lamp 30 times a year, but he is someone who will pass well, battle on the boards, barrel opponents over, and fight the guys he barreled over. In Mitchell Brown and Lassi Alanen’s CHL tracking data, Carter Klippenstein actually graded out very well in all three zones. As far as player profiles go, this is a pretty odd one for someone who is not a point producer. Still, he is pretty good in transition and does not let his physicality go to waste.
Mitchell Brown and Lassi Alanen
What I like, seeing this, is that Klippenstein still has about 15-30 pounds that he can put on. But he is already winning a ton of board battles, using his size to bully opponents off the puck. Since he is also an above average playmaker, teams can overlook his offensive production with the hope that he turns out to be a shutdown forward who doesn’t hurt his team on offense, even if he is not great at scoring. In the NHL Scouting Combine, Klippenstein showed the extents of his athleticism, and he finished in the top 10 in seven fitness tests, while finishing in the top 25 in two more. He has the build to be an NHL player.
- 1st Pro Agility — Right Time
- 2nd in Anaerobic Fitness — Mean Power Output
- 6th in Musculoskeletal: Horizontal Jump
- 8th in Aerobic Fitness — VO2max
- 9th in Pro Agility — Left Time
- 10th in 50% Body Weight Bench Press
- 10th in Musculoskeletal: Pull-Ups Consecutive (T-3rd in real count)
- 13th in Anaerobic Fitness — Peak Power Output
- 17th in Force Plate: No Arm Jump
Where is Klippenstein Ranked?
All rankings are sourced from Elite Prospects. Klippenstein is ranked:
- 88th by NHL Central Scouting (North American skaters)
- 95th by FloHockey – Chris Peters
- 118th by the Daily Faceoff
- 192nd by FCHockey
- 209th by Draft Propsects Hockey
- 229th by McKeen’s Hockey
What Others Have to Say About Klippenstein
Since Carter Klippenstein is not a top prospect in the NHL Draft, he does not have a ton of profiles on him. However, William Espy at The Hockey Writers gave him a look a little over a week ago. Espy is not high on Klippenstein, mentioning multiple times that there is a possibility that he goes undrafted. He writes,
The best-case scenario for Klippenstein would be carving out a defensive specialist role at the NHL level similar to that of Nico Sturm of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. However, Klippenstein is a very raw talent that likely won’t see the top level of hockey for at least a few years, and it’s far from a guarantee that he ever makes it to the show.
I have absolutely zero belief that Klippenstein will go undrafted. I think it’s more likely that a team reaches on him in the third round than him going undrafted. The Neutral Zone tried to go a little deeper on Klippenstein, arguing that he actually creates offense well, but is a very poor finisher. Importantly, they note that he has not been taking a ton of faceoffs — only two a game — and may switch to wing in the future. However, I think that his defensive ability and limited offense makes him a better candidate for center, considering he has a decent win rate at the dot. Additionally, The Neutral Zone’s puck battle data contrasts strongly with Mitchell Brown’s, saying he only wins 44% of 50/50 battles, also saying he turns the puck over a lot. Honestly, I trust Brown and Alanen’s data, which marked him as one of the best battlers in the CHL and one of the better passers, more. I trust them, especially in this case, since the Wheat Kings dominated opponents with Klippenstein on the ice despite his limited individual production.
A Little Video and My Thoughts
Similar to finding profiles elsewhere, I have been unable to find a shift-by-shift video for Klippenstein. So, we will look at his highlight package from HSD Prospects.
Something I see in this video is that Klippenstein is a lot smoother with his movement and puck movement than I would have expected if I just read the profiles already out there on him. You can see that defenders sometimes just don’t know what to do against someone as big as him, which might not happen in the NHL — but Klippenstein uses his size well. He also seems to score from distance more than I would expect, considering that he only had 14 goals in the regular season. But, no, he actually picks the corner a few times, and even has a one-timer goal from the point. As far as I can tell, Klippenstein got to his 14 goals without relying on screens and deflections, so he may actually be able to improve his offense with good coaching. If I saw a guy with 14 goals, and all of them were just banked off his knee by a defenseman at the point, I would be concerned. But you will not find a lot of highlights above where Klippenstein is not on the move when scoring.
This is why I think a permanent move to center would be best for Klippenstein. He grades well as a defensive player, he is good at working the puck up the ice, he is an effective physical player who has room to fill out, and his best path to being a 10-goal scorer in the NHL is by working more in the middle of the ice. As of now, it seems like he scored a lot of his goals lurking from the wings, and I would want to see a coach round out his offensive game by using him as a facilitator on zone entries and as a netfront screener, considering his size and ability to move the puck effectively.
I think Klippenstein is a great prospect to take a flyer on at the fourth round or later. After the New Jersey Devils foolishly included Zakhar Bardakov (2021 7th, 203rd overall) in a trade for Kurtis MacDermid, they are in dire need of physical bottom six center types that can make an impact down the road. Now that Bardakov is set for an NHL role with the Colorado Avalanche after becoming a solid two-way goal scorer in the KHL, Tom Fitzgerald can mend this void in prospect pipeline by selecting a similar player in Carter Klippenstein. Just don’t take him with one of the second rounders.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Carter Klippenstein? Do you think he should be drafted in the fourth round, or later? What do you make of his solid on-ice results on top of his limited production? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.