Nick Jensen

Nick Jensen (born September 21, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jensen was drafted 150th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2009 NHL entry draft. He has also previously played for the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators.

Early life Jensen was born on September 21, 1990, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His father Jeff played college hockey at Lake Superior State and was a Colorado Rockies draft pick. His uncle Steve Jensen also played hockey for the Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings and was an Olympian with Team USA at the 1976 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

Amateur Jensen played two seasons with the Rogers Royals of the Minnesota State High School League. In his second season in 2009–10, he made 53 appearances, scoring six goals and 27 points. Jensen was named a 2010 USHL All-Star.

He played college hockey with the St. Cloud State Huskies in the NCAA Men's Division I Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) conference. He was named a WHCA Third Team All-Star for 2011–12.

In his junior season in 2012–13, 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.

Professional Detroit Red Wings Jensen was selected by the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2009 NHL entry draft. On May 2, 2013, the Red Wings signed him to a two-year entry-level contract. He was assigned to Detroit's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins for the 2013–14 season. He played 45 games with the Griffins, registering nine assists. He also made three appearances with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye. The Griffins made the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs and Jensen appeared in ten playoff games, marking one assist. The 2015 Calder Cup playoffs saw the Griffins go on a deep run making it to the Western Conference Finals, before ultimately losing to the Utica Comets. Jensen appeared in 16 playoff games, marking three points. During the 2015–16 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. He was reassigned to the Griffins on January 26 without featuring in a game. He finished the season appearing in 75 games with Grand Rapids, scoring three goals and 19 points. The Griffins made the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs and Jensen played in nine playoff games, registering two points. Howard suffered a knee sprain in the collision and missed over a month. He scored his first goal with the Red Wings on January 31, 2017, on Cory Schneider in a 4–3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. On February 27, the Red Wings signed Jensen to a two-year contract extension. He finished the season playing in 49 games, scoring four goals and 13 points for the Red Wings. He registered his first three point game on October 18 versus the Toronto Maple Leafs, assisting on goals by Dylan Larkin, Tomáš Tatar, and Jonathan Ericsson in a 6–3 loss. He made 81 appearances for Detroit, registering 15 points, all assists. He marked his first multi-goal game on October 11, scoring two goals against Frederik Andersen in a 5–3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Washington Capitals While in the final year of his contract, Jensen was traded by the Red Wings, along with a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft, to the Washington Capitals in exchange for defenseman Madison Bowey, and a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL entry draft on February 22, 2019. He was immediately re-signed to a four-year, $10 million contract extension by the Capitals. He made his Capitals debut on February 24 in a 6–5 victory over the New York Rangers. He played with Brooks Orpik on the third pairing. He marked his first point with the Capitals on March 6 assisting on Nicklas Bäckström's second period goal in a 5–3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He finished the regular season appearing in 20 games for Washington, registering five assists. He played in seven games in the series, going scoreless, as the Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals.

Jensen played in 68 games for the Capitals in the 2019–20 season, scoring eight points (all assists), before the NHL suspended the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020. However, the NHL resumed play with the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in August with special rules. As the Capitals were among the four best teams in the Eastern Conference, they played in a round-robin tournament with the other three best teams to determine their playoff seeding. After playing the round-robin games, the Capitals faced the New York Islanders, who eliminated them in five games. Jensen appeared in all eight of the Capitals playoff games, going scoreless. He finished the season with two goals and 14 points in 53 games. The Capitals made the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs and faced the Boston Bruins in the first round. The Capitals were eliminated in five games. Jensen played in all of the Capitals' playoff games, going scoreless. He was not selected by the Kraken and in the 2021–22 season, he appeared in 76 games, setting new career-highs with five goals and 21 points.

During the 2022-23 NHL season, rumors of a potential trade involving Jensen surfaced. 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. He appeared in 77 games with the Capitals, tying his career high with five goals and setting a new career high with 29 points. In 2023–24, Jensen played in 78 games, scoring just one goal and 14 points.

Ottawa Senators On July 1, 2024, the Capitals traded Jensen, along with a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft, to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Jakob Chychrun. He made his Senators' debut in the season opener on October 10, in a 3–1 victory over the Florida Panthers. He recorded his first point for the team in the next game on October 12, assisting on Tim Stützle's third period goal in a 4–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He tallied his first goal for the Senators on November 7, in a 4–2 loss to the New York Islanders. Playing primarily with Thomas Chabot, Jensen helped stabilize the Senators' defence corps on his arrival. 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. He finished the season with three goals and 18 points in 71 games with Ottawa. Jensen went scoreless in the series. He was in the lineup for the season-opener against the Montreal Canadiens on October 9, but his season ended early after he suffered a knee injury on March 11, 2026, that required surgery to repair a torn meniscus. In 61 games, he tallied four goals and 17 points.

International play

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 the 2018 IIHF World Championship. He recorded one goal and three assists in 10 games and won a bronze medal.

Personal life Jensen and his wife Jenner both played sports at Rogers High School. She was an All-State basketball player who scored 1,634 points during her career. Jensen and his wife have three children.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs 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 2025–26 Ottawa Senators NHL 61 4 13 17 22 — — — — — NHL totals 694 26 146 172 164 33 0 0 0 12

International 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

Awards and honors Award Year College All-WCHA Third Team 2011–12 All-WCHA First Team 2012–13 AHCA West First-Team All-American 2012–13