Kieffer Bellows

Kieffer Bellows (born June 10, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round (19th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. He is the son of former NHL player Brian Bellows.

Kieffer Bellows
Born (1998-06-10) June 10, 1998
Edina, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Free Agent
New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
National team  United States
NHL Draft 19th overall, 2016
New York Islanders
Playing career 2018–present

Playing career

Bellows grew up playing hockey in Edina, Minnesota where he won a Minnesota 2014 Class 2A State Championship as a sophomore at Edina High School.[1] Before being drafted into the NHL, he played with the Sioux Falls Stampede and U.S. National Development Team of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In his rookie season with the Stampede, Bellows was fifth in the United States Hockey League with 33 goals and was named USHL Rookie of the Year.[2] Bellows then went on to play with Boston University before being drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. On September 22, 2017, Bellows was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders.[3] Bellows chose to forgo the three remaining years of his NCAA eligibility and subsequently joined the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL), who has drafted him in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.[4]

Bellows made his NHL debut on February 4, 2020, in the Islander's 4–3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars and also recorded his first NHL point when he assisted on Derick Brassard's goal.[5] Bellows scored his two NHL goals in the Islanders' 5–3 win against the Los Angeles Kings on February 6.[6]

On October 9, 2020, the American Hockey League (AHL) announced that Bellows had violated the league's performance enhancing substances rules.[7] On March 13, 2021, Bellows became the first player in Islanders history to score his first four NHL goals in a pair of two-goal games.[8]

In September 2021 and August 2022, Bellows was signed to one-year contracts by the Islanders.[9][10] Bellows opened the 2022–23 season with the Islanders, featuring on opening night before serving as a healthy scratch through 6 games before he was placed on waivers by the Islanders. Bellows was claimed off waivers the following day by the Philadelphia Flyers on October 27, 2022.[11] Bellows was unable to establish himself within the Flyers, registering just 3 goals through 27 games with an assignment to AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during his tenure.

As a pending restricted free agent, Bellows was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Flyers on 15 June 2023.[12]

Personal life

He is the son of former NHL player Brian Bellows.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 58 33 19 52 78 12 9 3 12 12
2015–16 U.S. National Development Team USHL 23 16 16 32 41 — — — — —
2016–17 Boston University HE 34 7 7 14 40 — — — — —
2017–18 Portland Winterhawks WHL 56 41 33 74 63 12 3 10 13 12
2018–19 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 73 12 7 19 101 5 2 1 3 0
2019–20 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 522293149 —————
2019–20 New York Islanders NHL 82132 —————
2020–21 New York Islanders NHL 143034 —————
2021–22 New York Islanders NHL 456131919 —————
2022–23 New York Islanders NHL 10000 —————
2022–23 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 273036 —————
2022–23 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 12371016 —————
NHL totals 9514142831 —————
Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2018 United States
IIHF World U18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place2016 United States

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 United States U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 5 3 8 8
2017 United States WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 2 1 3 6
2018 United States WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 9 1 10 4
2022 United States WC 4th 10 3 2 5 7
Junior totals 21 16 5 21 18
Senior totals 10 3 2 5 7

References
  1. "Kieffer Bellows - Men's Ice Hockey".
  2. "Kieffer Bellows Named 2014-15 USHL Rookie of the Year". ushl.com. May 22, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  3. "Kieffer Bellows Signs Entry-Level Contract With New York Islanders – Portland Winterhawks". winterhawks.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  4. "WINTERHAWKS SIGN FIRST ROUND NHL PICK KIEFFER BELLOWS". nbcsports.com. May 30, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  5. "Beauvillier scores 2, lifts Islanders past Stars 4-3 in OT". ESPN. February 4, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021. F Kieffer Bellows made his NHL debut for the Islanders. Drafted 19th overall in 2016, Bellows replaced Tom Kuhnhackl in the lineup and picked up his first career point with an assist on Brassard's goal.
  6. "Rookie Bellows scores 2, Islanders rally to beat Kings 5-3". ESPN. February 6, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  7. Fornabaio, Michael (October 9, 2020). "AHL: Sound Tigers' Bellows violated performance enhancing substances policy". Connecticut Post. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  8. Smith, Steven E. (March 14, 2021). "Islanders Back-to-Back News: Bellows leads Isles to victory in return". Lighthouse Hockey. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. Wright, Cory (September 21, 2021). "Five Takeaways: Lou Lamoriello's Pre-Training Camp Press Conference". NHL.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  10. "Islanders Sign Bellows". NHL.com. August 22, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  11. "Flyers claim forward Kieffer Bellows on waivers from New York Islanders". Philadelphia Flyers. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  12. "Flyers announce qualifying offers". Philadelphia Flyers. June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  13. Compton, Brian (June 30, 2016). "Bellows excited to follow in father's footsteps". NHL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
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