If you happened to watch this year’s Black and Gold game for the Brandon Wheat Kings, you saw a glimpse of what Carter Klippenstein has been working on all summer.
The opening goal of the game came off his tape as he took the puck from end-to-end, drove the net, and cut back to the forehand before outreaching the goaltender and lifting the puck in. The 6-foot-3 forward, already well-known for his hard-hitting, agitating style, is adding more skill to the mix as well.
“All summer it’s been about working in tight and working in small areas, it’s what I’ve been really focused on,” Klippenstein said. “I’m going to try and bring it into this year and get better all year too.”
It’s all been part of a build-up to his first professional camp with the Minnesota Wild. Klippenstein, a fourth-round pick by the Wild this past summer, will be part of their team for the prospects challenge in St. Paul starting on September 12.
“I’m very excited,” said Klippenstein. “I feel like I worked really hard this summer on my nutrition, my diet, my workouts. I feel strong, and I feel fast, which is a good combo. I’m really excited to get into it with a different group of guys.”
No one, the Wild included, would ever doubt Klippenstein would work hard on his workouts and nutrition. One of the physically fittest players at the draft this past season, the Lethbridge native was in fine form at the NHL’s combine in May and elevated himself in the eyes of scouts with his dedication on display. Now the Wild have a few new objectives for him.
“For them, it’s mostly about being in front of the net and finishing in tight,” said Klippenstein. “That’s a big part of my game, being in front of the net. Also, they wanted me to put on more weight. As I try to make the jump in the next couple of years, I’ve got to build up weight and muscle. That’s what I’ve been trying to do and I’ll continue to do that.”
Once he’s finished in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Klippenstein is coming back to the Wheat Kings, and again he’ll have a definite set of objectives. While he didn’t play in any exhibition games this past weekend, he’s seen the kind of team he can expect to come back to, and he has high expectations for them.
“I’ll be back here and I’ll be really excited for this group,” he said. “It’s my third season and this is the strongest we’ve been. It was the strongest Black and Gold game we’ve ever had, it showed in a tight game.”
