Rob Klinkhammer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rob Klinkhammer |
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Klinkhammer with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015
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| Born | August 12, 1986 Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Chicago Blackhawks Ottawa Senators Arizona Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins Edmonton Oilers Dinamo Minsk Ak Bars Kazan Avangard Omsk Dynamo Moscow |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2007–2022 | ||
Robert Klinkhammer (born August 12, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a left winger. After a long career on the ice, he is now an Assistant Coach for the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League.
Klinkhammer played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), including the Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators, Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Edmonton Oilers. He also played many seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Europe.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in Junior Hockey
Robert Klinkhammer grew up playing hockey in Lethbridge, Alberta. He joined the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He played there for parts of three seasons.
Later, he played for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Portland Winter Hawks, and Brandon Wheat Kings. In his final junior season, he had his best year. He scored 33 goals and made 40 assists, totaling 73 points in 66 games. His team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, won their division that year.
Becoming a Professional Player
Klinkhammer started his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2007. He played for the Norfolk Admirals. He got his first professional assist in October 2007. A month later, he scored his first professional goal.
In 2009, he signed with the Rockford IceHogs, which is linked to the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. He made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in December 2010.
Moving Through the NHL
In 2011, Klinkhammer was traded to the Ottawa Senators. He played his first game with them in March 2012. His coach was very impressed with his play.
Later, he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2012. While playing for their AHL team, the Portland Pirates, he scored his first hat-trick. When he joined the Coyotes in the NHL, he earned the nickname "The Colonel."
Klinkhammer was traded a few more times during his NHL career. In 2014, he moved to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then, in 2015, he joined the Edmonton Oilers. He played 69 games that season, scoring five goals and making four assists across three different teams.
Playing in the KHL
After six seasons in the NHL, Klinkhammer decided to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He signed with HC Dinamo Minsk in Belarus in 2016.
In 2018, while playing for Ak Bars Kazan, Klinkhammer scored the winning goal in Game 5 of the Gagarin Cup Final. This helped his team win the Gagarin Cup, which is the KHL's championship trophy.
He returned to Dinamo Minsk in 2020 and became the team's captain. He had a great season, helping them reach the playoffs. In 2021, he signed with HC Dynamo Moscow, where he finished his playing career in 2022.
International Hockey
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2018 Pyeongchang | |
During the 2017–18 season, Klinkhammer was chosen to play for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He helped Canada win the Bronze medal, contributing with two assists in six games.
Personal Life and Coaching
Robert Klinkhammer's parents are Gerry and Colleen Klinkhammer. His father, Gerry, also played hockey and later became a scout.
Robert is married to Jessica, and they have a child named Gunnar Knox. In 2015, Klinkhammer missed two games to be there for his child's birth.
After retiring from playing in the KHL in 2022, Klinkhammer started coaching. He first coached a youth team in his hometown of Lethbridge. In August 2022, he took his current job as an Assistant Coach with the Rockford IceHogs.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Lethbridge Y Men AAA | AMHL | 36 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Lethbridge Y Men AAA | AMHL | 29 | 20 | 22 | 42 | 114 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 25 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 72 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 81 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | 35 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 32 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 37 | 23 | 19 | 42 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 28 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 22 | ||
| 2007–08 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 66 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 76 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 72 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 76 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 18 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 35 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 53 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 72 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 40 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 27 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 47 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 65 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 42 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2018–19 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 57 | 19 | 5 | 24 | 79 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 44 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 31 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2021–22 | Dynamo Moscow | KHL | 41 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 193 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals | 269 | 81 | 76 | 157 | 326 | 37 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 28 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Canada | OG |  |
6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| KHL | ||
| Gagarin Cup (Ak Bars Kazan) | 2018 | |
