Scott Clemmensen
Scott Clemmensen | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 23, 1977 Urbandale, Iowa, United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey goaltender (retired) |
| Years active | 2001–2015 |
| Known for | NHL goaltender for New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers |
Scott Lee Clemmensen (born July 23, 1977) is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender. Selected 215th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, he competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers.
Playing career
Originating from Urbandale, Iowa, Clemmensen was chosen by the New Jersey Devils in the eighth round as the 215th pick after his tenure with the Des Moines Capitals in high school and later with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. He continued his development at Boston College, playing for the Boston College Eagles between 1997 and 2001. During his senior year, he contributed to winning the NCAA national championship. Throughout his college career, he participated in four straight NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Frozen Four each time and reaching the championship game on three occasions. He holds the NCAA record for the most career tournament victories with a total of 10.
Clemmensen embarked on his professional career in the 2001–02 season, making his NHL debut during New Jersey's opening game against the Washington Capitals. He appeared in two NHL contests that season but primarily played with the Albany River Rats in the AHL. Over the next three seasons, he remained with Albany, competing for starting opportunities. In the 2003–04 season, he featured in four NHL games and recorded an impressive 1.01 goals against average (GAA). On January 20, 2004, he earned his first NHL start and victory versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the inaugural player born in Iowa to play in the NHL.
Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Clemmensen took on backup duties behind Martin Brodeur for New Jersey during the 2005–06 campaign, appearing in 13 games. The subsequent season saw him participate in six games before entering free agency. With Kevin Weekes securing Brodeur’s backup position, Clemmensen signed a one-year two-way contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2007. Throughout the 2007–08 season, he divided his time between Toronto and their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, appearing in three NHL contests and playing a key role in guiding the Marlies to the Western Conference semifinals of the Calder Cup playoffs.
In July 2008, Clemmensen returned to New Jersey on a one-year deal. Beginning with their new AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils, he was promoted following an early-season injury to Brodeur. During Brodeur’s absence, Clemmensen assumed starting responsibilities, compiling a 25–13–1 record with two shutouts over 40 games—his total wins ranked second only to Brodeur within franchise history. His statistics included a 2.39 GAA and a .917 save percentage, placing him among league leaders. For his efforts, he received New Jersey’s Unsung Hero Award and was nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. He was also recalled as backup for the Devils during the 2009 playoffs after Weekes sustained an injury.
On July 1, 2009, Clemmensen inked a three-year contract worth $3.6 million with the Florida Panthers. After sustaining a knee injury during preseason in 2011, he was assigned to their AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage on a conditioning loan. In 2012, he contributed to Florida’s first playoff appearance in over a decade and secured a two-year contract extension.
Clemmensen rejoined New Jersey as a free agent on a one-year contract in July 2014. He concluded his playing career on June 30, 2015, subsequently moving into a development goaltending coach position within the Devils organization.
International competition
On May 1, 2009, Clemmensen was named the starting goalie for the U.S. national squad at the 2009 World Championship. He also participated in the 2010 tournament, where he recorded consecutive shutouts during a 10–0 triumph over Kazakhstan (shared with Ben Bishop) and a 4–0 win against France.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1995–96 | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | 20 | 10 | 7 | 1 | — | 1,082 | 62 | 0 | 3.44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Des Moines Buccaneers | USHL | 36 | 22 | 9 | 2 | — | 2,042 | 111 | 1 | 3.26 | .907 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 200 | 9 | 1 | 2.70 | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Boston College | H-East | 37 | 24 | 9 | 4 | — | 2,205 | 102 | 4 | 2.78 | .884 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998–99 | Boston College | H-East | 42 | 26 | 12 | 4 | — | 2,507 | 120 | 1 | 2.87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Boston College | H-East | 29 | 19 | 7 | 0 | — | 1,610 | 59 | 5 | 2.20 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Boston College | H-East | 39 | 30 | 7 | 2 | — | 2,312 | 82 | 3 | 2.13 | .914 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2.95 | .800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 29 | 5 | 19 | 4 | — | 1,677 | 92 | 0 | 3.29 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 47 | 12 | 24 | 8 | — | 2,694 | 119 | 1 | 2.65 | .910 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 22 | 5 | 12 | 4 | |1,309 | 67 | 0 | 3.07 | .902 | |||||||||||
| -bgcolor="#e0e0e0" | NHL totals | 191 | 73 | 59 | 0 | 24 | 10,060 | 468 | 7 | 2.79 | .905 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 186 | 7 | 0 | 2.25 | .923 | |||
International
| Year | Team | Tournament | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | WC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 347 | 9 | 1 | 1.56 | .941 | |
| Senior career totals | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 347 | 9 | 1 | 1.56 | .941 | |||
Awards and honors
| Distinction | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| All-Hockey East Rookie Team | 1998 |
| Hockey East All-Tournament Team | 1999, 2001 |
| NCAA All-Tournament Team | 2001 |
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1977 births
- Living people
- Albany Devils players
- Albany River Rats players
- American men's ice hockey goaltenders
- Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players
- Florida Panthers players
- Ice hockey people from Iowa
- Lowell Devils players
- NCAA men's ice hockey national champions
- New Jersey Devils coaches
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- People from Urbandale, Iowa
- San Antonio Rampage players
- Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa
- Toronto Maple Leafs players
- Toronto Marlies players