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 "Rob" Klinkhammer (born August 12, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played as a left winger and was known for his strong play. After retiring from playing, he became 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 in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for teams like HC Dinamo Minsk, Ak Bars Kazan, Avangard Omsk, and HC Dynamo Moscow.
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Rob Klinkhammer's Hockey Journey
Starting in Junior Hockey
Rob Klinkhammer grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta, where he first started playing hockey. He joined the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League (WHL), which is a major junior league. 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, scoring 33 goals and 40 assists for 73 points. His team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, even won their division title that year.
Turning Professional
Klinkhammer began his professional career in the American Hockey League (AHL) in the 2007–08 season. He played for the Norfolk Admirals. He quickly showed his skills, getting an assist in his first game and scoring his first professional goal soon after.
In 2009, he signed with the Rockford IceHogs, which is the AHL team linked to the Chicago Blackhawks. He made his exciting NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2010.
Playing in the NHL
Klinkhammer moved to the Ottawa Senators in 2011. He played his first game with them in March 2012. His coach, Paul MacLean, was very impressed with his performance.
In 2012, he joined the Phoenix Coyotes. While playing for their AHL team, the Portland Pirates, he scored his first "hat-trick" (three goals in one game). When he joined the Coyotes in the NHL, he even earned a fun nickname: "The Colonel."
He was later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014. Then, in 2015, he moved to the Edmonton Oilers. During his time with the Oilers, he was involved in a play where he hit Detroit Red Wings player Johan Franzén. This hit unfortunately led to Franzén's career ending due to injury. Klinkhammer signed a new contract with the Oilers, staying with them until the end of the 2015–16 season. He played 69 games that season, scoring five goals and four assists across three different teams.
Adventures in the KHL
After playing six seasons in the NHL, Klinkhammer decided to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). This is a major league in Europe and Asia. He signed a two-year deal with HC Dinamo Minsk in Belarus in 2016.
A big moment in his KHL career happened in 2018. While playing for Ak Bars Kazan, he 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 even became the team captain. He played well, helping his team reach the playoffs. In 2021, he signed with HC Dynamo Moscow, continuing his KHL journey.
Representing Canada
Olympic Bronze Medalist
In the 2017–18 season, Rob Klinkhammer was chosen to play for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He played an important role, helping Canada win the Bronze medal. He had two assists in six games during the tournament.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2018 Pyeongchang | |
Life Off the Ice
Rob Klinkhammer's parents are Gerry and Ruth. His father, Gerry, was also a hockey player and later became a scout for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
In 2015, Rob missed a couple of games to be there for the birth of his child, Gunnar Knox, with his wife Jessica.
After retiring from playing hockey in the KHL in 2022, Klinkhammer started a new chapter as a coach. He first coached a youth team in his hometown of Lethbridge. Then, in August 2022, he took on his current role as an Assistant Coach for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL.
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 Play
| 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 | |
