As you all probably know, Kevin Klein has signed a lockout deal with Herlev Eagles of the Danish Elite League, my home town team when im in Denmark.
The main reason he came to Herlev is because of Kim Staal Whom he played with in the AHL (Milwaukee)
They stayed friends, and Kevin has been in Denmark visiting Kim prior to this.
Kevin has brought his personal trainer who is also his cousin with him, but has so far left his wife and two children at home.
Here are some pictures from today with Herlev's GM Jesper whom he shares the last name Klein with, and some pictures after practice
Klein & Klein
Staal & Klein
Klein seems a very compassionate, down to earth and friendly guy, really already a fan favourite.
Klein giving an interview to a small local paper after having talked to the bigger news stations.
Klein & your's truly.
Klein was such a sport today, he even gave one of his sticks to one very happy little boy in a Nashville jersey
Klein looked good today.
His skating was good, a little slow maybe, but anyone would be slow after a 17 hour journey, a bunch of interviews and then straight to practice.
His shot looked deadly, quick and precise release.
Passing was sweet and slick.
Physique was top notch
Hope my little intrusion into Predsville is not offensive.
Thank you for the wonderful recap. Best wishes and STAY HEALTHY, Kleiner. The fact he's making this move DOES NOT bode well for any type of hope from the buffoons working out that stupid b.s. contract thing, I guess.
Kleiner is definetly a good guy. Very humble and soft-spoken. Let's his play do the talking. Nothing against him as a person, for sure.
As far as a player, he certainly is more of a defensive D in the NHL, but I'm not sure if his offense will get a big boost playing in a different league. Hope he does well for you! Really turned a corner in the DET series in my opinion.
Kleiner is definetly a good guy. Very humble and soft-spoken. Let's his play do the talking. Nothing against him as a person, for sure.
As far as a player, he certainly is more of a defensive D in the NHL, but I'm not sure if his offense will get a big boost playing in a different league. Hope he does well for you! Really turned a corner in the DET series in my opinion.
I think he'll do pretty well for himself offensively in Denmark. His game is really suited to the larger surface. Positionally sound, great skater, good puck handler (though not a great puck distributor), and a really good wrist shot, especially compared to his peers on the blue line.
I don't know if it's fair to expect point-per-game production from a defenseman stepping down a couple of levels, but AHL flame-out Jordan Smotherman put up 1.5 points per game and led the league in scoring last year, so Klein should see his offense spike. Who knows, maybe he can build some good habits in a different environment that help him when he comes back to Nashville? It worked for Scott Hartnell playing in Norway...
Thank you for the wonderful recap. Best wishes and STAY HEALTHY, Kleiner. The fact he's making this move DOES NOT bode well for any type of hope from the buffoons working out that stupid b.s. contract thing, I guess.
Thank you and no problem
Quote:
Originally Posted by adsfan
Thanks for the photos and story! It is the best thing that I have read in the last week.
Kleiner is definetly a good guy. Very humble and soft-spoken. Let's his play do the talking. Nothing against him as a person, for sure.
As far as a player, he certainly is more of a defensive D in the NHL, but I'm not sure if his offense will get a big boost playing in a different league. Hope he does well for you! Really turned a corner in the DET series in my opinion.
Hmm the Danish league is not super, but it aint that bad skillwise.. It was obvious during practice that he has his streanghts in the defensive part of the game.
but his shot alone is going to get him a few goals and even more rebound assists
Colin Greening of the Sens is also in the Danish league atm.
He has 3g 2a in 4games.
Quote:
Originally Posted by worstfaceoffmanever
I think he'll do pretty well for himself offensively in Denmark. His game is really suited to the larger surface. Positionally sound, great skater, good puck handler (though not a great puck distributor), and a really good wrist shot, especially compared to his peers on the blue line.
I don't know if it's fair to expect point-per-game production from a defenseman stepping down a couple of levels, but AHL flame-out Jordan Smotherman put up 1.5 points per game and led the league in scoring last year, so Klein should see his offense spike. Who knows, maybe he can build some good habits in a different environment that help him when he comes back to Nashville? It worked for Scott Hartnell playing in Norway...
Hmm I would actually expect him to put up atleast an assist per game, the level is not that high defensively.. while the offense in the league is OK.
Jordan did well for him self last year on crap team.. A team that is doing very bad this year again. But the league has taken a step up this year imo.
Ill try to keep ou guys updated. We have a local derby on Saturday against our biggest competitor. A game where it's always full and loud and also sad to say with alot of hooliganism.. But such a high profile game would be awesome for him.
Furthermore Herlev's track record against this team the last 10 games is very bad...
Hope the paperwork turns out before this..
Last edited by ImGoingNucks: 11-15-2012 at 04:06 AM.
Thank you for the wonderful recap. Best wishes and STAY HEALTHY, Kleiner. The fact he's making this move DOES NOT bode well for any type of hope from the buffoons working out that stupid b.s. contract thing, I guess.
or...it means he thinks a deal may be reached in a few weeks, and knowing there isn't much of a training camp, is using this to get ready? maybe? glass too half full?
I have a soft spot and a hard spot for Kleiner. Gets excess praise for good plays and excess flack for bad plays. That's how the cookie crumbles in irrational fandom! GL Kleiner; definitely a nice guy, no two ways about that.
or...it means he thinks a deal may be reached in a few weeks, and knowing there isn't much of a training camp, is using this to get ready? maybe? glass too half full?
probably a bit of both... if the CBA gets done soon, he's a couple weeks ahead getting in shape.. if it doesnt, he has some income....
Here's a picture of Kleiner in full Herlev Eagles Gear.. Picture is from game practice yesterday.
The foreignministry has aproved his papers, and he is playing tonight in the derby.
Hi VikingNuck. I want to join the others in thanking you for taking the time to post pictures and updates on Klein. Its always nice to get updates on the players in Europe. (Although, I wish the updates were only on Preds prospects!)
I hope Klein shines for yall. Good luck to your team in the derby match!
So I have no links for ya yet. The interview and highlights were removed for some reason.
Herlev lost 4-2 to arch rivals Rødovre.
Kevin was easily Herlevs best player, pulled a couple penalties our way and was solid in D.
Seemed a little shaky at times, could see the system Herlev plays and the big ice was new to him..
Herlev played a bad game altogether, they seemed a bit starstruck.
When Aalborg played their first game with Colin Greening they lost 6-0 to their rivals.
So it's quite normal to have the system fall out of place in the first game.
A lot of Preds fans treat Klein like a pariah, but he's ultimately about as good of a second pairing defenseman as you could ask for, especially at his contract.
