play a couple games at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.<\/p>\n
What did Plante see from the stands?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was awesome, like our best defenseman,\u201d Plante said. \u201cIt was fun to watch. Normally I\u2019m playing with him. It was nice to see from the stands. He just plays with so much heart, and he doesn\u2019t back down to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
You won\u2019t find Kleber at the top of the statistical charts over at <\/p>\n
College Hockey News,<\/a><\/p>\n USCHO<\/a><\/p>\n or <\/p>\n NCAA.com,<\/a><\/p>\n however, he\u2019s top of mind when you talk to his UMD and USA teammates and coaches about defensemen, whether it\u2019s in the NCAA or World Juniors.<\/p>\n The 2024 second-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres from Chaska \u2014 taken five picks ahead of the Detroit Red Wings\u2019 Plante in that year\u2019s NHL Draft \u2014 is a defensive defenseman at 6-foot-6, 229 pounds. After scoring two goals and three assists as a freshman, he’s already matched those numbers heading into the Bulldogs\u2019 NCHC games at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday at St. Cloud State.<\/p>\n Kleber had one assist in five games at the 2026 World Juniors<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 he had just one assist in six games in 2025 when the U.S. won gold \u2014 but his play deserves more credit than scoresheets allow, Plante said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he turned a lot of heads. People started to realize how good he is,\u201d Plante said of Kleber, who is plus-14 for UMD through 22 games, after finishing the World Juniors with a plus-5 rating in five games. \u201cHe\u2019s just steady back there. How he\u2019s grown, he\u2019s not afraid to make plays. He\u2019s stepping up in the plays, holding onto pucks, not freaking out with the puck. He\u2019s really good at just holding onto pucks, and then closing. <\/p>\n He can surf guys<\/a><\/p>\n all the way around, but he\u2019s been good at closing on guys and just getting pucks back so we can play offense.\u201d<\/p>\n Kleber, who doesn\u2019t turn 20 until late March, has been matched this season with two of college hockey\u2019s top offensive defensemen \u2014 <\/p>\n sophomore Ty Hanson of Hermantown<\/a><\/p>\n at UMD and Boston University sophomore Cole Hutson on Team USA.<\/p>\n Hutson went one pick after Kleber in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, to the Washington Capitals at No. 43.<\/p>\n Hanson and Hutson are two of four defensemen in the NCAA averaging over a point per game this season, with Hanson\u2019s 24 points in 22 games tying him with Denver\u2019s Eric Pohlkamp for first in the nation. Hanson\u2019s 18 assists are alone atop the blue liner scoring charts.<\/p>\n Hutson, who has seven goals and 14 assists in 20 games with the Terriers, finished with a goal and three assists in three games at the World Juniors after missing a couple games after taking a puck to the neck. He had three goals and eight assists playing with Kleber in 2025.<\/p>\n United States defensemen Adam Kleber (6) and Cole Hutson (44) celebrate a second-period goal with forward Cole Eiserman (34) on Friday, Dec. 26 during the World Junior Championship against Germany at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.<\/p>\n Clint Austin \/ File \/ Duluth Media Group <\/p>\n Hutson \u2014 who at 5-foot-11 is slightly taller than the 5-9 Hanson \u2014 said during the World Juniors he enjoys playing with Kleber, especially from an offensive perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just a steady defender,\u201d said Hutson, who is paired with another Sabres prospect at BU, <\/p>\n Gavin McCarthy.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s so good at killing plays fast, getting the puck right up the ice. It makes me be able to play a little bit more free, even though I probably shouldn\u2019t be. It\u2019s a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing with Kleber is much more enjoyable than playing against him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just so hard to get behind,\u201d Hutson said. \u201cYou may think you have a step on him, but he\u2019s got a 20-foot stick to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n Kleber was the workhorse for Team USA coach Bob Motzko \u2014 also head coach of Minnesota \u2014 during the 2026 World Juniors, leading the U.S. in total ice time (111 minutes, 7 seconds), average ice time (22:13 per game) and total shifts (126).<\/p>\n At UMD, Kleber is averaging 21:21 of ice time per night as a sophomore, a year after playing 18:44 per night as a freshman.<\/p>\n Minnesota Duluth defenseman Adam Kleber (6) and defenseman Ty Hanson (2) celebrate a second-period goal against Arizona State on Saturday, Feb. 15 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.<\/p>\n Clint Austin \/ File \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n He\u2019s a player that not only complements two of the NCAA\u2019s top offensive defensemen, but someone coaches can trust on the ice.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a big, solid insurance policy back there,\u201d USA coach Bob Motzko said during the World Juniors.<\/p>\n \u201cOne guy not afraid to play defense,\u201d Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said after Kleber returned to UMD. \u201cHim and Ty logged a lot of minutes (in the first half), but just played really well. We need those guys to continue that.\u201d<\/p>\n Minnesota Duluth defenseman Grayden Siepmann (37) skates with the puck against St. Cloud State forward Jack Reimann (7) on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. Siepmann has been ruled out with an upper-body injury for the rematches with the Huskies this weekend in St. Cloud. <\/p>\n Clint Austin \/ File \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n Kleber could be in for an above average weekend of Olympic ice time in St. Cloud, replacing the injured Grayden Siepmann on the power play. <\/p>\n Siepmann took a hard hit during Friday\u2019s game<\/a><\/p>\n against Lindenwood <\/p>\n and missed the series finale.<\/a><\/p>\n Sandelin has ruled Siepmann out this week with an upper-body injury.<\/p>\n Unlike most defensemen, Kleber said he\u2019s a fan of playing on the large 200-by-100 ice sheet at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to use the extra space,\u201d said Kleber, who replaced Siepmann on the second power play unit last Saturday. \u201cIn St. Cloud, they have an Olympic rink there, so be poised with the puck and just try to make a lot of plays.\u201d<\/p>\n The No. 6-ranked Bulldogs (16-6 overall, 7-5 NCHC) boast the best power play in the NCAA at 35.1 percent. They scored on two of seven chances \u2014 though one PP in the series was just four seconds long \u2014 in <\/p>\n![\"men](\"https:\/\/cdn.forumcomm.com\/dims4\/default\/85e17e8\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3428x2286+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc4%2F58%2F563be33441a6954f2b822df9c969%2F122625-dmg-s-usagerpux-c23.jpg\")
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