On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Red Wings added to their blue line as they inked veteran defenseman Steven Kampfer to a one-year contract.
The 33-year-old Ann Arbor native played collegiately at his hometown University of Michigan from 2006-2010. Kampfer tallied 60 points in 147 games through his four seasons as a Wolverine.
Kampfer was a fourth-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks (93rd overall) back in 2007.
Throughout his 231 game career, Kampfer has suited up for the Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, Minnesota Wild, and two stints in Boston with the Bruins. He’s got 15 goals and 39 points over that span.
Despite not having any NHL experience since the shortened 2021 season, Kampfer played the 2021-22 campaign overseas in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Ak Bars Kazan. Through 46 KHL games,
Kampfer was the highest-scoring blueliner on the team as he racked up 11 goals (tied for second on the team) and 30 points (also tied for second). He added four more points through six playoff games as Ak Bars fell in the first round of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs at the hands of former first overall pick Nail Yakupov and Avangard Omsk.
Kampfer also represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Through four games with the U.S., Kampfer was a point-per-game as he scored once and added three assists. He also served as an assistant captain as the Americans fell in the quarterfinals to Team Slovakia.
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