Kale Clague

Kale Clague (born June 5, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round, 51st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Kale Clague
Clague with the Ontario Reign in 2020
Born (1998-06-05) June 5, 1998
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 176 lb (80 kg; 12 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Buffalo Sabres
Rochester Americans (AHL)
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
NHL Draft 51st overall, 2016
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career 2018–present

Early life

Clague was born on June 5, 1998, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada to parents Jason and Juanita.[1] His father was a goaltender for the 2000-2001 Lloydminster Border Kings which was inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame.[2] His uncle Trevor Hanas is also involved in ice hockey; he played five seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) before a brief minor professional career.[3] Growing up, he attended Holy Rosary High School and won the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament.[4]

Playing career

Growing up in Alberta, Clague played both ice hockey and baseball.[1] He helped the Lloydminster Twins Peewee AA team win the Western Canadian Baseball Championship in 2010[1] and won the Alberta Peewee Provincial Championship.[3] During his bantam career, Clague established a new scoring record for defencemen in the provinces bantam AAA ranks with 35 goals and 77 points in 33 games. His scoring record surpassed former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf who had 65 points.[5] He was subsequently named to the AMHL First All-Star Team in 2013–14 and captained Alberta to a gold medal at the 2013 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.[1] During this time, Clague was drafted sixth overall of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.[6]

Major junior

Clague competed in four pre-season games with the Wheat Kings during their 2013–14 season, where he recorded two goals and five points, before being returned to the Alberta Midget Hockey League.[7] He eventually rejoined the WHL to compete with the Wheat Kings in the 2014 WHL Playoffs.[8] At the age of 16, Clague made his rookie season debut with the Wheat Kings but a series of injuries limited him to 20 games.[9] When reflecting on the year, Clague said "It was hard to overcome those injuries and it sucked to sit out all those games. But I worked hard with our trainer in Brandon and got healthy again and ready for this [2015–16] year."[10]

Following his disappointing rookie season, Clague increased his offensive output and recorded 43 points in 71 regular-season games and played in the 2016 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. By the conclusion of the playoffs, he tied for second among WHL defensemen in scoring with 14 points in 21 games.[9] As a result, Clague was drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[11] He joined the Kings for their 2016 development camp but suffered a leg injury and was forced to leave early. The injury came when an Arizona Coyotes prospect hit him and he fell awkwardly into the end boards.[12] Upon returning to the WHL, Clague was named one of the Wheat Kings alternate captains for the 2016–17 season.[13]

Clague began his final full season with the Wheat Kings by earning WHL Player of the Week for the week ending October 23, 2016. The honour came after he registered six points in his first two games of the season following his leg injury.[14] As a result of his play during the remainder of the season, Clague signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings on March 6, 2017. At the time of the signing, he led team defenseman in points and assists and ranked second in goals with five.[15] Following this, he was also named an WHL Eastern Conference First Team All-Star.[16]

During the 2017 offseason, Clague was again invited to participate in the Los Angeles Kings' rookie and training camp.[17] While with the Kings, he participated in two preseason games against the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights.[18] By January, Clague had recorded 47 points in 28 games tying defenceman David Quenneville for the league scoring lead among defenceman. On January 17, leading up to the 2018 WHL Trade Deadline, Clague was traded to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for Luka Burzan, Chase Hartje, a second-round pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, and first-round picks in the 2019 and 2021 drafts.[19]

Professional

Clague made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings on December 21, 2019, against the Buffalo Sabres. From there, he appeared in three more games during his first NHL call-up where he averaged 14:34 time on ice per game.[20] Upon returning to the AHL, Clague was named to the 2020 AHL All-Star Game for the first time. At the time of his selection, he led team defensemen in points with 16 in 33 games.[21]

When the NHL resumed playing for the 2020–21 season, Clague was named to the Kings' opening night roster.[22] On August 6, 2021, Clague signed a one-year extension with the Kings worth an annual value of $761,250 at the NHL level.[23]

In the following 2021–22 season, Clague was assigned by Los Angeles to begin the year in the AHL with the Ontario Reign. On dual recalls to the Kings, Clague registered 5 assists through 11 games before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Montreal Canadiens on December 4, 2021.[24]

As a free agent from the Canadiens, Clague was signed by the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year, two-way contract on July 13, 2022.[25]

International play
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 United States
Silver medal – second place2017 Canada

Clague competed in the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge for Team Black, recording one goal in four games. He later won gold with Canada at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he scored one goal in four games.[26] Clague returned to Team Canada in 2017 as an assistant captain[27] to help them win a silver medal at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[28]

In his final year qualifying for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Clague was again selected to compete with Canada where he won a gold medal.[29] Hockey Canada launched into high-profile allegations of group sexual assault in 2018 involving World Junior players including Kale Clague.

Player profile

“Clague is possibly the most purely talented defenceman I have seen come down the pipe in the last few years,...He has soft hands and a powerful stride which he uses to dynamically transition the puck and create offence for his team. He has a big, booming shot, poise and an electric skillset which makes him difficult to contain when he has space, and he’s a threat to create offence at all times.”

– Scout Zenon Herasymiuk prior the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.[30]

Prior to becoming a professional ice hockey player, Clague described himself as "an offensive defenseman who sees the ice well and someone who works hard at defending in my own end."[4] Leading up to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, scout John Williams described him as "an excellent skater" who "has excellent vision when moving the puck, makes a solid first pass out of the zone and is a composed player who makes good choices under pressure."[9] Clague has compared his playing style to that of Drew Doughty.[31]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Lloydminster Bobcats AMHL 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Lloydminster Bobcats AMHL 31 11 22 33 34 12 2 11 13 2
2013–14 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2
2014–15 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 20 4 9 13 6 12 1 2 3 4
2015–16 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 71 6 37 43 54 21 6 8 14 8
2016–17 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 48 5 35 40 41 4 1 3 4 6
2017–18 Brandon Wheat Kings WHL 28 10 37 47 35 — — — — —
2017–18 Moose Jaw Warriors WHL 26 1 23 24 8 14 1 13 14 14
2018–19 Ontario Reign AHL 52 7 22 29 34 — — — — —
2019–20 Ontario Reign AHL 49 8 17 25 26 — — — — —
2019–20 Los Angeles Kings NHL 4 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Los Angeles Kings NHL 18 0 6 6 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Ontario Reign AHL 23 1 11 12 8 1 0 1 1 0
2021–22 Ontario Reign AHL 5 0 4 4 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 0 5 5 2 — — — — —
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 25 2 3 5 18 — — — — —
2022–23 Rochester Americans AHL 14 1 5 6 6 — — — — —
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 33 0 4 4 24 — — — — —
NHL totals 91 2 18 20 50 — — — — —

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Canada Black U17 7th 4 1 0 1 0
2015 Canada IH18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 1 0 1 2
2017 Canada WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 0 6 6 2
2018 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 2 2 4
Junior totals 21 2 8 10 8

References
  1. "Kale Clague". Hockey Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. Roach, Chris (January 26, 2017). "Lloydminster Border Kings will be inducted into Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame". CKLM-FM. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  3. "TEAM CHERRY PLAYER BIO: KALE CLAGUE". Western Hockey League. January 27, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. "WHL DRAFT PROFILE: KALE CLAGUE". Western Hockey League. May 1, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  5. Harder, Greg (May 1, 2013). "Clague ready for next giant leap on road to bigs". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved September 5, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
  6. "WHEAT KINGS CHOOSE 12 AT DRAFT". Brandon Wheat Kings. May 2, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  7. "CLAGUE RETURNS TO AAA MIDGET". Brandon Wheat Kings. September 23, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  8. "CLAGUE TO JOIN WHEAT KINGS". Brandon Wheat Kings. March 30, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  9. Morreale, Mike G. (May 19, 2016). "NHL Draft: Brandon's Clague offers score values". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  10. Friesen, Kelly (February 17, 2016). "NHL draft tracker: Kale Clague, Brandon Wheat Kings". Yahoo. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  11. "CLAGUE, KASPICK CHOSEN IN NHL DRAFT". Brandon Wheat Kings. June 25, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  12. "CLAGUE EAGER TO REJOIN MATES". Brandon Wheat Kings. October 5, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  13. "WHEAT KINGS LEADERSHIP GROUP UNVEILED". Brandon Wheat Kings. September 30, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  14. "WHEAT KING BLUELINER HONOURED". Brandon Wheat Kings. October 25, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  15. "KALE CLAGUE SIGNS WITH LOS ANGELES KINGS". Brandon Wheat Kings. March 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  16. "WHL ANNOUNCES 2016-17 CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS". Brandon Wheat Kings. March 22, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  17. "145 WHLers ATTENDING NHL CAMPS". Brandon Wheat Kings. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  18. "CLAGUE EXPECTED TO PLAY KEY ROLE IN '17-18". Brandon Wheat Kings. September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  19. "Warriors land Clague, send Burzan & Hartje to Wheaties as wild WHL Trade Deadline closes". Western Hockey League. January 10, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  20. "LA Kings Assign Kale Clague to the Ontario Reign". National Hockey League. January 7, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  21. Jablonski, Jack (January 22, 2020). "Meet the Ontario Reign's 2020 AHL All-Stars". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  22. "LA Kings Announce Opening Night Roster and Taxi Squad". National Hockey League. January 13, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  23. "LA Kings Sign Defenseman Kale Clague to a One-Year Contract Extension". National Hockey League. August 6, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  24. "Canadiens claim D Clague off waivers from Kings". The Sports Network. December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  25. "Sabres sign trio of defenseman to one-year deals". Buffalo Sabres. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  26. "Kale Clague". Elite Prospects. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  27. "Dube named captain, Clague an alternate for Canada's National Junior Team". Western Hockey League. December 23, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  28. "WJC 2017: Finals, Team Canada earns silver medal in shootout loss". Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. January 6, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  29. "Canada Captures Gold at 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship". Canadian Hockey League. January 5, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  30. Engels, Eric (August 11, 2018). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Kale Clague". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  31. "MAKING THE JUMP: KALE CLAGUE". Brandon Wheat Kings. July 31, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
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