Ken Klee
Kenneth Klee | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 24, 1971 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey coach, former professional ice hockey defenseman |
| Known for | Extensive NHL career with Washington Capitals; head coach of Minnesota Frost (PWHL) |
Kenneth William Klee (born April 24, 1971) is a former professional defenseman and current American ice hockey coach, primarily recognized for his extensive career with the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL). He presently holds the position of head coach for the Minnesota Frost in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).
Early life
Klee was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and experienced several relocations during his youth due to his father's profession as an engineer. His family lived in Indianapolis, Denver, Colorado, and Kansas City, Missouri before he moved to Toronto at age 17 after earning a hockey scholarship to join the St. Michael's Buzzers.
Playing career
Selected 177th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Klee made his NHL debut during the 1994–95 season. Over nine seasons, he established himself as a consistent presence, participating in 604 games. In 2003, as a free agent, he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he recorded personal bests of 25 assists and 29 points despite missing 16 contests.
On March 8, 2006, Klee was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for winger Alexander Suglobov. The next season saw him signing a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche, where he led the team with a plus/minus rating of +18. In July 2007, Klee agreed to a two-year contract with the Atlanta Thrashers.
In September 2008, Klee was part of a trade sending him alongside Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Shortly thereafter, he was claimed off re-entry waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes, completing the season before stepping away from professional play.
Although not known for high scoring totals, Klee holds an NHL record for the greatest proportion of game-winning goals relative to his total goals scored, with 13 out of his 55 goals deciding games.
International play
Klee donned the United States jersey at the 1991 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and represented the senior team at multiple events including the 1992 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, the 1997 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Coaching career
As head coach, Klee led the U.S. team to a second-place finish at the 2014 Four Nations Cup, achieving a record of 2–0–1–1. That same year, he guided the U.S. Women's Under-22 Select Team to victory in the 2014 Under-22 Series by sweeping Canada in all three matches. He then coached the U.S. Women's National Team to gold at the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship held in Malmo, Sweden, and again secured first place at that year's Under-22 Series against Canada.
During the 2015 Four Nations Cup in Sundsvall, Sweden, Klee directed Team USA to an undefeated record (3–1–0–0), capturing their first championship since 2012. This tournament marked his seventh consecutive event coaching Team USA and his third appearance at the Four Nations Cup, compiling an overall record of 18–3–1–2.
Klee maintained his role as head coach for Team USA at both the 2016 Four Nations Cup in Finland and the 2016 IIHF Women's World Championship in Kamloops, British Columbia. Under his leadership, the team remained unbeaten (4–1–0–0) and earned another gold medal.
Following his tenure with the women's national team, Klee joined the coaching staff of the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League as an assistant coach on July 18, 2017.
On December 27, 2023, Klee was appointed head coach of PWHL Minnesota, succeeding Charlie Burggraf just prior to the team's inaugural game.
Regular season and playoffs
2000-01 NHL season Washington Capitals NHL 54 2 4 6 60 6 0 1 1 8 2001-02 NHL season Washington Capitals NHL 68 8 8 16 38 2002-03 NHL season Washington Capitals NHL 70 1 16 17 89 6 0 0 0 6 2003-04 NHL seasonToronto Maple Leafs NHL 66 4 25 29 36 11 0 0 0 6 2005-06 NHL season Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 56 3 12 15 66 2005-06 New Jersey Devils NHL 18 0 0 0 14 6 1 0 1 6 2006-07 NHL seasonColorado Avalanche NHL 81 3 16 19 68 2007-08 NHL seasonAtlanta Thrashers NHL 72 1 9 10 60 2008-09 NHL seasonAnaheim Ducks NHL 3 0 0 0 4 2008-09 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 68 1 10 11 24| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1988–89 | St. Michael's Buzzers | MetJHL | 40 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 64 | 27 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 54 | ||
| 1989–90 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 39 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 37 | 7 | 28 | 35 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Bowling Green Falcons | CCHA | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Baltimore Skipjacks | AHL | 77 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 93 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | ||
| 1993–94 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 65 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 87 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1994–95 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 49 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 89 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1995–96 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 66 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 115 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 51 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1998–99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 78 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 80 | |||||||
| 1999–2000 NHL season 1999-2000
Washington Capitals NHL 80 7 13 20 79 5 0 1 1 10 | ||||||||||||||
| NHL totals | 934 | 55 | 140 | 195 | 880 | 51 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 50 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | Placement | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | United States | WJC | 4th place | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1992 | United States | WC | 7th place | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1997 | United States | WC | 6th place | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| 2004 | United States | WCH | 4th place | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||||
Transactions
- Selected by the Washington Capitals in the ninth round, 177th overall, during the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.
- Signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 27, 2003.
- Traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Aleksander Suglobov on March 8, 2006.
- Joined the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent on July 24, 2006.
- Signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Thrashers on July 2, 2007.
- Traded to the Anaheim Ducks along with Brad Larsen and Chad Painchaud for Mathieu Schneider on September 26, 2008.
- Acquired off re-entry waivers by the Phoenix Coyotes on October 28, 2008.