Kieffer Bellows

American ice hockey player (born 1998)

Ice hockey player

Kieffer Bellows

Born|  (1998-06-10) June 10, 1998 (age 26)
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 (P)
Cur. team
Former teams|  Nashville Predators
Milwaukee Admirals (AHL)
New York Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
National team|  United States
NHL draft|  19th overall, 2016
New York Islanders
Playing career|  2018-present

Kieffer Bellows (born June 10, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators 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.

## Playing career

[edit]

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] He joined the Carolina Hurricanes on a PTO on September 12, 2023 [13] but was released less than a month later.[14] He subsequently joined the Toronto Marlies on a professional tryout contract (PTO) on October 30, 2023.[15] Bellows was subsequently signed to an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2023–24 season with the Marlies and posted his most productive season of his professional career in notching 27 goals and 49 points through 52 regular season games.

As a free agent in the off-season, Bellows secured an NHL contract after agreeing to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators on July 3, 2024.[16]

## Personal life

[edit]

He is the son of former NHL player Brian Bellows.[17]

## Career statistics

[edit]

### Regular season and playoffs

[edit]

|  | Regular season |  | Playoffs

|
|
|
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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  | 52 | 22 | 9 | 31 | 49  | — | — | — | — | —
2019–20 | New York Islanders | NHL | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2  | — | — | — | — | —
2020–21 | New York Islanders  | NHL  | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4  | — | — | — | — | —
2021–22 | New York Islanders  | NHL  | 45 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 19  | — | — | — | — | —
2022–23 | New York Islanders  | NHL  | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | — | — | — | — | —
2022–23  | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL  | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6  | — | — | — | — | —
2022–23 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL  | 12 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 16  | — | — | — | — | —
2023–24 | Toronto Marlies | AHL  | 52 | 27 | 22 | 49 | 40  | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4
NHL totals  | 95 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 31  | — | — | — | — | —
Medal record

Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
| 2017 Canada |
| 2018 United States |
IIHF World U18 Championship
| 2016 United States |

### International

[edit]

Year  | Team  | Event  | Result  |  | GP  | G  | A  | Pts  | PIM

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|
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2016 | United States | U18 |  | 7  | 5  | 3  | 8  | 8
2017 | United States  | WJC |  | 7  | 2  | 1  | 3  | 6
2018 | United States  | WJC  |  | 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

[edit]

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.[permanent dead link]
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. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. 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. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. 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. ^ "Kieffer Bellows, Jayden Halbgewachs to Join Canes on PTOs". The Hockey News. September 12, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
14. ^ "Hurricanes release Zach Aston-Reese, Kieffer Bellows from PTOs". Sportsnet. October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
15. ^ "Why the Maple Leafs's Organization Signed Kieffer Bellows to a PTO With the Marlies". The Hockey News. October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
16. ^ "Predators sign Kieffer Bellows to a one-year, two-way contract". Nashville Predators. July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
17. ^ Compton, Brian (June 30, 2016). "Bellows excited to follow in father's footsteps". NHL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

## 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

Anthony Beauvillier

|  New York Islanders first round pick
2016 | Succeeded by

Oliver Wahlstrom