Tyler Kleven

Highly skilled defender with terrific feet and composure. A punishing hitter with the ability to jump up in the rush. Sure, he might occasionally jump into the play, but he is a smart steadying force on the USANDTeam backline who does it all well in his end. I have read reports of his skating deficits, but I simply do not see it. He is smooth on his blades, well balanced and possessing lateral agility. He focuses on taking care of business in his own end, do you won’t see him answering the go light in the fashion of the smaller new age defenders. But unlike the lot of those defenders, he will play in a tough, rugged minded response in the defensive zone winning all puck battle around the corners. Uses his long reach and stick and reach to angle attackers away from the pucks they are carrying, and get in the passing lanes to stifle the cross ice passing attempts. He clears his zone well and makes safe transition outlets. What’s not to like about a selection of a big defenseman whose resume starts with “shutdown defender?” He is NOT the slow moving lug some has typecast as, and he is only going get more comfortable in adding more to his offense end side as he progresses. Committed to the University of North Dakota.

—Bill Placzek—