Tanner James Kero[1] (born July 24, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars.
| Tanner Kero | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Kero with the Rockford IceHogs in 2015 | |||
| Born |
July 24, 1992 Hancock, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| SHL team Former teams |
HV71 Chicago Blackhawks Dallas Stars | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Playing career
editAmateur
editPrior to his collegiate hockey career, Kero played for the Marquette Rangers in the NAHL where he led the league in goals (with 32) and was named the league's "Rookie of the Year". He also played for the Fargo Force in the USHL where he posted 13 goals, 24 assists and 37 points in 55 games and earned a spot on the USHL Western Conference All-Star Team.[1]
Prior to turning professional, Kero attended Michigan Technological University where he played four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the Michigan Tech Huskies, where he registered 55 goals, 56 assists, 111 points, and 67 penalty minutes in 153 games. In his senior year, Kero's outstanding play was recognized with numerous awards including being selected as the 2014–15 WCHA Player of the Year[2] and being named to the 2014–15 NCAA (West) First All-American Team.[3]
Professional
editOn April 2, 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Kero to a two-year entry-level contract.[4] He began the 2015–16 season assigned to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. On October 27, 2015, the Blackhawks recalled him to the NHL.[5] He made his NHL debut on October 29, 2015, in a 3–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[6] Just 4 games later, he scored his first NHL goal on November 6, shooting past Cory Schneider, in a 4–2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.[7] On March 23, 2017, the Blackhawks signed Kero to a two-year contract extension.[8]
On June 24, 2018, Kero was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Chaput.[9][10]
On July 1, 2019, having left the Canucks as a free agent, Kero was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2019.[11]
Following four seasons within the Stars organization, Kero as a free agent was signed to a one-year AHL contract for the 2023–24 season with the Colorado Eagles, affiliate to the Colorado Avalanche, on July 18, 2023.[12]
Upon completion of his contract with the Eagles, Kero left North America after 10 professional seasons and signed his first contract abroad in agreeing to a one-year deal with Swedish club, HV71 of the SHL, on July 5, 2024.[13]
Personal life
editKero was born in Hancock, Michigan and is the son of Dale and Joan Kero. He has five sisters (one of them, Jordanna played for the Michigan Tech volleyball team) and four brothers;[1] three of them: Dawson,[14] Devin[15] and Hunter[16] play hockey as well. While attending Michigan Tech, Kero had a grade point average of 3.68 in mathematics.[1]
Career statistics
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Hancock High School | HSMI | 38 | 31 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2009–10 | Marquette Rangers | NAHL | 57 | 32 | 19 | 51 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Fargo Force | USHL | 55 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 39 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 33 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 40 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Michigan Tech University | WCHA | 41 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 60 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 28 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 36 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2018–19 | Utica Comets | AHL | 67 | 24 | 33 | 57 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Texas Stars | AHL | 49 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 39 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 23 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Texas Stars | AHL | 28 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Texas Stars | AHL | 69 | 17 | 33 | 50 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 59 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 134 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NAHL Rookie of the Year | 2009–10 | [17] |
| WCHA Scoring Champion (46 points) | 2014–15 | [18] |
| WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year | 2014–15 | [19] |
| All-WCHA First Team | 2014–15 | [20] |
| WCHA Player of the Year | 2014–15 | [2] |
| NCAA (West) First All-American Team | 2014–15 | [21] |
| Hobey Baker Award Finalist | 2014–15 | [22] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Tanner Kero". Michigan Tech Athletics.
- ^ a b "Developing Story: Tanner Kero". collegehockeyinc.com.
- ^ "Tanner Kero player profile". brownbears.com. April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Chicago Blackhawks agree to terms with Michigan Tech's Tanner Kero – Chicago Blackhawks Blog – ESPN". ESPN.com. April 2, 2015.
- ^ "Blackhawks call up Tanner Kero, send Hinostroza to Rockford – Chicago". Chicago. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "Kero Makes NHL Debut". michigantechhuskies.com. October 29, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Zajac has goal, assist in 1st as Devils beat Blackhawks 4-2". cbssports.com. November 6, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
- ^ "Blackhawks, Tanner Kero agree to two-year contract extension". March 23, 2017.
- ^ "Canucks Acquire Tanner Kero". NHL.com. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Canucks acquire Kero from Hawks for Chaput". The Sports Network. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
- ^ "Stars sign center Tanner Kero to two-year, two-way contract". Dallas Stars. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "Kero signs with Eagles". American Hockey League. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ "Tanner Kero new forward in HV71" (in Swedish). HV71. July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
- ^ "Dawson Kero". Elite Prospects.
- ^ "Devin Kero". Elite Prospects.
- ^ "Hunter Kero". Elite Prospects.
- ^ "Former NAHL Rookie of the Year Kero signs with Blackhawks". North American Hockey League (NAHL).
- ^ "Kero Is WCHA Scoring Champ". michigantechhuskies.com. March 9, 2015.
- ^ "WCHA.com – WCHA Announces 2014–15 Postseason Awards". wcha.com.
- ^ "Conference Honors, 2014–15". collegehockeyinc.com.
- ^ "Five schools net a pair of All-American selections". USCHO.com.
- ^ "WCHA.com – Michigan Tech's Tanner Kero Named Finalist For Hobey Baker Award". wcha.com.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | WCHA Player of the Year 2014–15 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | WCHA Scoring leader 2014–15 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year 2014–15 |
Succeeded by |