Hard work paying off for Klippenstein

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2025 (296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Carter Klippenstein emerged as one of the stars in the physical testing at the National Hockey League’s Combine earlier this month, it showed 32 more teams an important truth: The kid can work.

The 18-year-old Lethbridge product, who suits up for the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League, has always distinguished himself on and off the ice with his work ethic and said it was nice to demonstrate it so publicly.

“It was awesome seeing the list after and seeing some of that work finally adding up and paying off,” Klippenstein said. “It’s also good because teams are looking to match that work ethic on the ice with the work ethic off the ice and I definitely helped myself there with those results.”

It would be a shocking development if Klippenstein isn’t taken sometime today in the National Hockey League draft, which will feature Rounds 2 to 7.

Klippenstein’s teammate Roger McQueen was selected 10th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round last night. McQueen was the 24th Wheat King to be picked in the opening round, and just the second Brandon player ever taken by Anaheim after they also grabbed Mike Leclerc in the third round in 1995.

Both Brandon forwards were born after the NHL’s Sept. 15 deadline so they weren’t eligible to be selected until they completed their 18-year-old seasons.

The six-foot-three, 180-pound Klippenstein didn’t seem to be getting much attention to start the year, although he was assigned a C grade in Central Scouting’s preliminary players to watch list.

In the midterm report, he was ranked 121st among North American skaters — two spots ahead of teammate Jordan Gavin — and in the final rankings was 88th. That made him a popular interview for the NHL’s 32 teams as they tried to get a handle on the teenager.

“It kind of hit in January,” Klippenstein said. “After the B.C. trip, it all started piling up. Throughout the year, I’ve talked to 27 teams in total … There were a couple of teams here and there earlier in the year but that’s when it got busy with teams.”

“It didn’t add pressure,” he continued. “It gave me more confidence to keep getting better throughout the year and continue to play the way I was. To see I was getting some recognition was awesome. I had that extra motivation to keep playing how I was.”

In his second full WHL season, Klippenstein had 14 goals, 14 assists and 50 penalty minutes in 58 games. But the value of his relentless forechecking and in-your-face style went well beyond his numbers, with the team missing his edge when he was out of the lineup.

“When all was said and done, I was really happy with it,” Klippenstein said of his season. “Personally, the first half was a bit slower with me with the nerves and stuff but I felt like I really got into it in the second half and was playing more like myself and from there on out, I was very happy with my season outside of a couple of injuries and losing in the first round.”

In 126 regular season career games, he has 24 goals, 25 assists and 99 penalty minutes, with a goal and four penalty minutes in seven playoff contests.

He said the biggest change he’s seen in himself in two full WHL seasons is mental.

“I think my confidence on the ice,” Klippenstein said. “I’ve always been a hard-nosed, fast-paced player but I feel I learned how to use on this skills on the ice to make the game harder for the other team and make it easier for my teammates.

“To do that, I just have to be myself, play hard and learning the league brought a lot of confidence into that, and helped a bit offensively but I learned a lot defensively too, which is big.

“Taking up a big PK (penalty kill) role that was one of my favourite things about the year, just learning how to be effective in other ways on the ice.”

But he knows he has more to give. His goal is to continue to improve his offensive production.

“I’m always trying to get better around the net and finish up some more chance and create some offence,” Klippenstein said. “It’s just working in tight and having a better presence around the net and finishing more of those chances. That’s something I’ve been working on a lot this summer.”

While his numbers may not leap off the page, he was highly considered enough to be among the 90 players invited to the NHL Combine in Buffalo, and that’s where his hard work was put on display at exactly the right time.

“Overall it was a great experience,” Klippenstein said. “They treated us very well there. I got to room with Roger too, so that was fun and made it a lot easier getting settled in there. All the interviews and all that stuff went well for me. It was good to put a face to some of the teams I had been talking to all year and finally meet them all in person in one spot.”

The NHL did 13 physical tests, and Klippenstein was in the top 10 in seven of them.

• Agility and Balance: Pro Agility – Right time (seconds) — 4.2, first overall.

• Anaerobic Fitness: Mean Power Output (watts/kg) — 12.1, tied for second.

• Consecutive Pull-Ups (Max number) — 14, tied for fifth.

• Musculoskeletal: Horizontal Jump (inches) 6. 115.5, sixth.

• Aerobic Fitness: VO2max (ml/kg/min) — 61.1, eighth.

• Agility and Balance: Pro Agility – Left time (seconds) — 4.32, ninth.

• Bench Press 50 Percent of Body Weight – Power (watts/kg) — 7.19, 10th.

Since players had no insight during the process of how their numbers compared to the rest of the players, Klippenstein admitted he was a little surprised to see how well he did.

“A little bit for sure when I initially saw the results,” Klippenstein said. “You have no clue what’s really going on the rest of the day because you’re in a group with one guy. I knew I did pretty good but going into I thought I would definitely be above average in all the stuff but I didn’t really think I would have that many top-10 performances.

“I’m very happy with it. It couldn’t have gone better.”

He did 12 interviews at the combine, and in one of the more comical moments, was one of the players asked by the Ottawa Senators to tell them a joke.

“I didn’t have one but I heard a lot of guys didn’t have one,” Klippenstein said. “Montreal asked a funny one too, ‘If you’re stranded on an island with a glass of water and a baseball bat, what do you do?’”

When former Wheat Kings captain Nate Danielson went through the process, he admitted to being a little starstruck when he walked into the Detroit Red Wings meeting and met Steve Yzerman. Klippenstein said he didn’t have any of those moments, but did enjoy a chance to meet some of the top people in the game.

“There were a couple of GMs who were just sitting there staring at you,” Klippenstein said. “It’s kind of intimidating but at the same time, you get used to it after a couple of interviews. You have guys staring at you trying to put you under pressure but it was definitely weird seeing those GMs in person.”

NHL teams may want to take heed of what Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said about Klippenstein when Brandon grabbed him 64th overall in the mid-season pandemic draft of 2021, because it certainly translated to the WHL.

“Carter is a hard-working guy who reads and reacts to plays very well,” Moulton said on Dec. 21, 2021. “He’s not afraid to get involved in the dirty areas to get to the net. He has a high ceiling. He has lots of room to grow, a massive upside for us. He plays hard all the time.”

Along with McQueen, the other Wheat Kings who were tagged among the North American skaters in the final rankings by Central Scouting are forwards Luke Mistelbacher (93) and Joby Baumuller (167th) plus defenceman Grayson Burzynski (191st).

In addition, Swift Current Broncos Josh McGregor of Brandon (111th) and Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Aiden Ziprick of Russell (162nd) are included in the 224 top prospects.

Klippenstein has spoken to teammate Carson Bjarnason a little bit about the draft, and is trying to prepare for a camp if he’s called on to attend one.

“Whatever happens on draft day happens,” Klippenstein said. “I’m just excited to be in the process.”

The event will have a very different feel this year. The NHL has gone to a decentralized format for the first time, with the top 50 prospects invited to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, but most of the staff for the 32 teams will be working from a central location in their home market.

Other prospects can attend, but will not be formally invited.

Because of that, Klippenstein will share what should be his big day at home with family.

“It’s almost everyone’s dream in the hockey world,” Klippenstein said. “You think of it as a dream until it actually becomes possible, so you still don’t realize it’s actually possible and it’s coming up. It’s definitely unreal and an awesome experience.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com