| Nick Jensen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Jensen with theWashington Capitals in 2021 | |||
| Born | (1990-09-21)September 21, 1990 (age 35) Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Washington Capitals | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 150th overall,2009 Detroit Red Wings | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Nick Jensen (born September 21, 1990) is an American professionalice hockey player who is adefenseman for theOttawa Senators of theNational Hockey League (NHL). Jensen was drafted 150th overall by theDetroit Red Wings in the2009 NHL entry draft. He has also previously played for theWashington Capitals.
Jensen was born on September 21, 1990, inSaint Paul, Minnesota.[1] His father Jeff played college hockey atLake Superior State and was aColorado Rockies draft pick.[2] His uncleSteve Jensen also played hockey for theMinnesota North Stars andLos Angeles Kings and was an Olympian withTeam USA at the1976 Winter Olympics.[3]
Jensen played two seasons with theRogers Royals of theMinnesota State High School League.[3] He graduated to theGreen Bay Gamblers of theUnited States Hockey League (USHL) and in his first season in2008–09, he registered fivegoals, 17assists and 22points in 52 games. The Gamblers made the USHL playoffs, and in seven games he added one assist.[4] In his second season in2009–10, he made 53 appearances, scoring six goals and 27 points.[4] The Gamblers made the playoffs again that season and he was instrumental in the team's run to the finals where they wonClark Cup as league champions.[4][5] Jensen was named a 2010 USHL All-Star.[6]
He playedcollege hockey with theSt. Cloud State Huskies in theNCAA Men's Division IWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) conference.[5] In his freshman season at St. Cloud State in2010–11, Jensen recorded five goals and 18 assists in 38 games. In hissophomore season in2011–12, Jensen was the third-leading scorer for St. Cloud State. Jensen recorded six goals and 26 assists in 39 games. St. Cloud State finished sixth in the competitive WCHA. After sweepingNebraska Omaha in the first round of the playoffs, the Huskies suffered a season-ending loss toNorth Dakota in the quarterfinal.[7] He was named a WHCA Third Team All-Star for 2011–12.[8]
In hisjunior season in2012–13, Jensen skated in 42 games for St. Cloud State, and was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the NCAA West First All-American Team.[4][6] Jensen recorded four goals and was second on the Huskies with 27 assists. St. Cloud State finished tied withMinnesota for first in the WCHA and rebounded from a loss toWisconsin in the WCHA semifinals to reach the Frozen Four. St. Cloud State defeatedNotre Dame, 5–1, andMiami, 4–1, to capture the NCAA Midwest Regional before falling toQuinnipiac, 4–1, in theFrozen Four semifinals.[9]
Jensen was selected by theDetroit Red Wings of theNational Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the2009 NHL entry draft. On May 2, 2013, the Red Wings signed him to a two-year entry-level contract.[10] He was assigned to Detroit'sAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theGrand Rapids Griffins for the2013–14 season. He played 45 games with the Griffins, registering nine assists. He also made three appearances with theECHL'sToledo Walleye. The Griffins made the2014 Calder Cup playoffs and Jensen appeared in ten playoff games, marking one assist.[4] During the2014–15 season, Jensen recorded six goals and 21 assists in 75 games for the Griffins, and ranked second among Griffins defenseman in scoring. Jensen finished the season with a plus-30 rating, which was tied for the bestplus-minus rating in the AHL.[4][11] The2015 Calder Cup playoffs saw the Griffins go on a deep run making it to the Western Conference Finals, before ultimately losing to theUtica Comets.[12] Jensen appeared in 16 playoff games, marking three points.[4] On July 13, 2015, the Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year contract extension.[11][13] During the2015–16 season, on January 24, 2016, Jensen was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to being recalled, Jensen recorded two goals and six assists in 39 games for the Griffins.[14] He was reassigned to the Griffins on January 26 without featuring in a game.[15] He finished the season appearing in 75 games with Grand Rapids, scoring three goals and 19 points. The Griffins made the2016 Calder Cup playoffs and Jensen played in nine playoff games, registering two points.[4]
On December 19, 2016, Jensen was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. Prior to being recalled, Jensen recorded one goal and five assists in 27 games for Grand Rapids. He made his NHL debut for the Red Wings the following day in a game against theTampa Bay Lightning and registered his first NHL point, assisting onAnthony Mantha's third period goal in a 4–1 loss. However, in the same game, he was involved in a collision with his goaltender,Jimmy Howard, that forced Howard from the game.[6][16] Howard suffered aknee sprain in the collision and missed over a month.[17] He scored his first goal with the Red Wings on January 31, 2017 onCory Schneider in a 4–3 loss to theNew Jersey Devils.[18] On February 27, the Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year contract extension.[19] He finished the season playing in 49 games, scoring four goals and 13 points for the Red Wings.[4]
He made the Red Wings out of training camp for the2017–18 season.[20] He registered his first three point game on October 18 versus theToronto Maple Leafs, assisting on goals byDylan Larkin,Tomáš Tatar, andJonathan Ericsson in a 6–3 loss.[21] He made 81 appearances for Detroit, registering 15 points, all assists.[4] During the2018–19 season, his third season with the Red Wings, Jensen recorded two goals and 13 assists, tying his previous season-high totals through 60 games with 15 points.[22] He marked his first multi-goal game on October 11, scoring two goals againstFrederik Andersen in a 5–3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.[23]
While in the final year of his contract, Jensen was traded by the Red Wings, along with a fifth-round pick in the2019 NHL entry draft, to theWashington Capitals in exchange for defensemanMadison Bowey, and a second-round pick in the2020 NHL entry draft on February 22, 2019.[22] He had fallen down the depth chart behind the youngerGustav Lindström and the Red Wings had not agreed with his demands in contract negotiations.[24] He was immediately re-signed to a four-year, $10 million contract extension by the Capitals.[25] He made his Capitals debut on February 24 in a 6–5 victory over theNew York Rangers. He played withBrooks Orpik on the third pairing.[26] He marked his first point with the Capitals on March 6 assisting onNicklas Bäckström's second period goal in a 5–3 win over thePhiladelphia Flyers.[27] He finished the regular season appearing in 20 games for Washington, registering five assists.[4] The Capitals made the2019 Stanley Cup playoffs and faced theCarolina Hurricanes in the first round. Jensen made his NHL playoff debut on April 11 in the first game of the series.[28] He played in seven games in the series, going scoreless, as the Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals.[4][29]
Jensen played in 68 games for the Capitals in the2019–20 season, scoring eight points (all assists), before the NHL suspended the season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020. However, the NHL resumed play with the2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in August with special rules. As the Capitals were among the four best teams in the Eastern Conference, they played in around-robin tournament with the other three best teams to determine their playoff seeding.[30] After playing the round-robin games, the Capitals faced theNew York Islanders, who eliminated them in five games.[31] Jensen appeared in all eight of the Capitals playoff games, going scoreless.[4]
In the pandemic-shortened2020–21 season, in his 109th game with the Capitals, Jensen scored his first goal in a Capitals uniform on March 7, 2021 against the Philadelphia Flyers. At the time of the goal, Jensen had recorded 14 points over 41 games.[32] He finished the season with two goals and 14 points in 53 games. The Capitals made the2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and faced theBoston Bruins in the first round. The Capitals were eliminated in five games.[33] Jensen played in all of the Capitals' playoff games, going scoreless.[4] Prior to the2021 NHL expansion draft, Jensen was among those players left unprotected by the Capitals for theSeattle Kraken to choose from.[34] He was not selected by the Kraken and in the2021–22 season, he appeared in 76 games, setting new career-highs with five goals and 21 points.[4] In the2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Capitals were eliminated by theFlorida Panthers in the first round, with Jensen appearing in all six games, going scoreless.[4][35]
During the2022-23 NHL season, rumors of a potential trade involving Jensen surfaced.[36] However, a few days before the trade deadline on February 28, 2023, Jensen signed a three year, $12.15 million contract extension, which carried a $4.05 million average annual value.[37][38] He appeared in 77 games with the Capitals, tying his career high with five goals and setting a new career high with 29 points. In2023–24, Jensen played in 78 games, scoring just one goal and 14 points.[4] On April 13, 2024 he took a hit fromMikey Eyssimont of the Tampa Bay Lightning along theboards that left him needing astretcher in order for him to leave the ice. He walked out of the building but missed the final two games of the season due to the injury.[39][40]
On July 1, 2024, the Capitals traded Jensen, along with a third-round pick in the2026 NHL entry draft, to theOttawa Senators in exchange for defensemanJakob Chychrun.[41] He made his Senators' debut in the season opener on October 10, in a 3–1 victory over the Florida Panthers.[42] He recorded his first point for the team in the next game on October 12, assisting onTim Stützle's third period goal in a 4–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.[43] He tallied his first goal for the Senators on November 7, in a 4–2 loss to the New York Islanders.[44] Playing primarily withThomas Chabot, Jensen helped stabilize the Senators' defence corps on his arrival.[45] This was further indicated when he missed a short period of time in March 2025 with an injury and his absence saw a decline in the team's defensive capability.[46] He finished the season with three goals and 18 points in 71 games with Ottawa.[4] The Senators qualified for theplayoffs and faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round. The Senators were eliminated by the Maple Leafs in six games.[47] Jensen went scoreless in the series.[4]
Having suffered through the latter part of the season with a hip injury, Jensen underwent surgery on May 19. He spent the entire offseason and most of the 2025 training camp recovering, returning only for the final preseason exhibition game in October.[48]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing United States | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2018 Denmark | |
| World Junior A Challenge | ||
 | 2009 Summerside | |
On April 28, 2018, Jensen and Red Wings teammate Dylan Larkin were named to the United States men's national ice hockey team to compete at the2018 IIHF World Championship.[49] He recorded one goal and three assists in 10 games and won abronze medal.[50]
Jensen and his wife Jenner both played sports atRogers High School. She was an All-State basketball player who scored 1,634 points during her career.[51][52] Jensen and his wife have three children.[53]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Rogers High School | USHS | 21 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Rogers High School | USHS | 14 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 52 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | 53 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 35 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | St. Cloud State Huskies | WCHA | 38 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Cloud State Huskies | WCHA | 39 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. Cloud State Huskies | WCHA | 42 | 4 | 27 | 31 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 45 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Toledo Walleye | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 75 | 6 | 21 | 27 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 75 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Grand Rapids Griffins | AHL | 27 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 60 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 20 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 68 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 53 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 77 | 5 | 24 | 29 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 78 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 71 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 633 | 22 | 133 | 155 | 142 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | United States | WC |  | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-WCHAThird Team | 2011–12 | [8] |
| All-WCHAFirst Team | 2012–13 | [6] |
| AHCAWest First-Team All-American | 2012–13 | [6] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | WCHA Defensive Player of the Year 2012–13 | Succeeded by |