NHL teams come calling during recent draft

BY MATT MACKINDER

David Klee spent the 2022-23 season playing his rookie season in the USHL for the Waterloo Black Hawks.

That season saw NHL clubs take notice, with the San Jose Sharks being impressed enough to take the Denver native in the seventh round (196th overall) of the NHL Draft June 29 in Nashville.

California connections Aiden Celebrini (San Jose Jr. Sharks), Sam Harris (San Diego native, San Diego Jr. Gulls, Anaheim Jr. Ducks), Ty Henricks (Mission Viejo, Jr. Ducks) and Jaden Lipinski (Jr. Ducks) were also drafted June 29 on Day 2 of the NHL Draft in Nashville.

Lipinski is also a Jr. Coyotes product out of Scottsdale.

For Klee, the day was the culmination of years of hard work.

“I found out I was drafted actually after we finished a skate and workout at Drill House,” said Klee. “We had just gotten back up to the room, me, my brother and a couple of my closest friends, and then I got a text saying ‘Congrats’ and ‘Welcome aboard’ from the Sharks, and that’s kind of just how I found out. It was pretty special being with the people who I was with, the people who are my closest friends and people who push me everyday and have helped so much getting me to this point.

“I don’t think it truly has set in yet because I’m out at (Sharks) develop- ment camp already getting to work, so I’m just trying to learn the most I can and try to gain knowledge on how it is and what I need to do to be there one day. So I think after it’s over and I go home, I’ll be able to kind of let it set in and just enjoy ev- erything that has happened so far.”

Drill House is a summer program that sees Klee as a key member.

“We have a great pro and college group and we skate and work out together and skate 2-3 days and work out four days a week,” Klee explained. “It’s been great. Eric Lacroix takes great care of us and we are extremely lucky to be there.”

Earlier this offseason, Klee was traded to the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

Klee played in 57 games for the Black Hawks season, going for three goals and 10 assists for 13 points. He was ranked 188th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in the service’s final predraft rankings.

“I think this is a huge summer for me to be prepared at Muskegon, to have a huge year and develop myself physically and mentally to have an impact at North Dakota (in 202425),” Klee said. “We are putting in a lot of work this summer to be ready, and I couldn’t be more excited for the year.”

During his youth hockey days, Klee played for the Colorado ThunSee DRAFT on 5