Nicholas Kempf (born March 1, 2006) is an American college ice hockey goaltender for the University of Notre Dame. He was drafted in the fourth round, 114th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL entry draft.
| Nicholas Kempf | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
March 1, 2006 Morton Grove, Illinois, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| NCAA team | University of Notre Dame | ||
| NHL draft |
114th overall, 2024 Washington Capitals | ||
Playing career
editKempf played under-13, under-14, and under-15 Tier I AAA youth hockey with the Chicago Mission. In the 2020–21 season, he played in 21 games including 5 shutouts[1] and a league-leading 1.61 Goals Against Average (GAA).[2] Kempf played in five of the six games for Mission at the 2022 USA Hockey Youth Tier I 15-only National Championship[3] and finished with an impressive .944 Save Percentage (sv%), 1.20 GAA, and one shutout.[4][5]
Kempf played two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Appearing in 30 games with the under-17 team, he posted a 15-11-0 record, a 4.04 GAA, a .886 sv%, and two shutouts.[6] With the under-18 team, he appeared in 30 games posting a 3.21 GAA, a .894 sv%, a 18-8-0 record, and one shutout.[7] Kempf ranked second among draft-eligible goalies in North America in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft midterm ranking (January 12, 2024)[8] and fourth in the final NHL Central Scouting ranking (April 16, 2024).[9] As an under-18, he also played at the 2024 USA Hockey All-American Game.[10] He is committed to play college ice hockey for the University of Notre Dame.[11][12]
Kempf was drafted 114th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL entry draft. He was the tenth goaltender and only American goaltender selected in the draft.[13]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World U18 Championship | ||
 |
2024 Finland | |
| World U-17 Hockey Challenge | ||
 |
2022 Canada | |
Kempf represented the United States at the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, recording a .917 Save Percentage (sv%) over four games en route to a gold medal,[14] and posted a .919 sv% in six games at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships for the silver medal.[15]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2022–23 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 18 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 95 | 81 | 1 | 5.10 | .834 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 4.03 | .840 | ||
| 2023–24 | U.S. National Development Team | USHL | 18 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 943 | 61 | 0 | 3.88 | .870 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| USHL totals | 36 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 1,895 | 142 | 1 | 4.49 | .851 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 4 | 0 | 4.03 | .840 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | United States | U17 | 
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 2.50 | .917 | |
| 2024 | United States | U18 | 
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 318 | 10 | 0 | 1.89 | .919 | |
| Junior totals | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 558 | 20 | 0 | 2.15 | |||||
References
edit- ^ "Elite Prospects: Nicholas Kempf Statistics". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Awards - HPHL 15U Best GAA". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "2022 Youth Tier I 15 Only Champions: Chicago Mission". nationals.usahockey.com. USA Hockey. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Mission Completed". worldhockeyhub.com. World Hockey Hub. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "USA Nationals All Tournament Team". worldhockeyhub.com. World Hockey Hub. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "2022-23: U-17 National Team Player Profile". usahockeyntdp.com. USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "2024 U18 MWC - Nick Kempf". usahockey.com. Team USA. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Morreale, Mike. "All-American Game to showcase top U.S. prospects for 2024 NHL Draft". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Draft Prospects Rankings - North American Goalies". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Morreale, Mike. "5 things learned at 2024 USA Hockey All-American Game". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 USHL College Commitments". ushl.com. United States Hockey League. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Mission Alum Nick Kempf Commits to Notre Dame". chicagomission.com. Chicago Mission. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Elite Prospects: 2024 NHL Entry Draft Goalies". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge Player Stats". hockeycanada.com.ca. Hockey Canada. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship: Goalkeepers" (PDF). stats.IIHF.com. IIHF. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database