Mason Geertsen (born April 19, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 93rd overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
| Mason Geertsen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 19, 1995 Drayton Valley, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg; 16 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence / Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Vegas Golden Knights Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) New Jersey Devils | ||
| NHL draft |
93rd overall, 2013 Colorado Avalanche | ||
| Playing career | 2015–present | ||
Playing career
editGeersten played bantam and midget hockey as a youth with the Leduc Oil Kings in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League and with the Sherwood Park Kings in the Alberta Midget Hockey League before joining major junior club, the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), with whom he was drafted 18th overall in the first round of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft.
In the following 2016–17 season, Geertsen was assigned to continue with the Rampage, on October 1, 2016.[1] Used primarily in a defensive role adding physicality, Geertsen appeared in 36 games with the Rampage for 4 assists. He split the season again between the AHL and ECHL joining secondary affiliate, the Colorado Eagles in time for the postseason. Geersten remained with the club through the postseason, establishing a regular spot on the defence in recording 1 goal and 4 points in 19 games to help the Eagles capture their first Kelly Cup.[2]
As an impending restricted free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level contract, Geertsen's tenure with the Avalanche ended after he was not tendered a qualifying offer on June 25, 2019.[3] As a free agent over the summer, Geertsen was invited to attend the New York Rangers 2019 training camp. After a successful camp, Geertsen was among the Rangers second round of cuts and was signed to a one-year AHL contract with affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, on September 29, 2019.[4][5]
In the 2019–20 season, Geertsen established a role within the Wolf Pack's blueline as a physical stay-at-home defenceman, appearing in 60 regular season games and leading the club with 109 penalty minutes, before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 23, 2020, Geertsen was signed to remain within the Wolf Pack organization, agreeing to a one-year contract extension.[6]
Entering the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Geersten registered one assist through four games before he was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the NHL affiliate, the New York Rangers, on March 4, 2021.[7]
On October 3, 2021, Geertsen was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils.[8] He made his NHL debut on October 19, 2021, in a game against the Seattle Kraken.[9] He would play 25 games for the Devils that season, and on July 13, 2022, he signed a one-year contract extension at league minimum salary to stay with New Jersey.[10]
Geertsen spent the 2022–23 season with the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he set AHL career highs of 4 goals and 136 penalty minutes.
As a free agent from the Devils, Geertsen was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1, 2023.[11]
International play
editGeertsen represented Canada Pacific at the 2012 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario. He was scoreless in five games from the blueline in a fifth place finish.
Personal life
editOn November 22, 2024, ahead of the Silver Knights' annual Hockey Fights Cancer night, Geertsen released a statement announcing he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, in November 2023, adding that it was the cause of a one-month absence during the 2023–24 season. After undergoing treatment through the summer of 2024, Geertsen's cancer went into remission before the 2024–25 season.[12][13]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Sherwood Park Kings | AMHL | 31 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 84 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 24 | ||
| 2010–11 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 34 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 58 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 66 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 126 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | ||
| 2014–15 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 69 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Lake Erie Monsters | AHL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 42 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Fort Wayne Komets | ECHL | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 2016–17 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 36 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Colorado Eagles | ECHL | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 42 | ||
| 2017–18 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 72 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 117 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 58 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 134 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 60 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 109 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Utica Comets | AHL | 61 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 136 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 58 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Canada Pacific | U17 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| WHL | ||
| Ed Chynoweth Cup champion | 2012 | |
| ECHL | ||
| Kelly Cup champion | 2017 | [2] |
References
edit- ^ "Avalanche makes roster moves before facing Kings". Colorado Avalanche. October 1, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- ^ a b "Colorado Eagles sweep South Carolina to win first Kelly Cup". The Denver Post. June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ "Andrighetto not qualified by Avalanche". coloradohockeynow.com. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ "Wolf Pack sign defenseman Mason Geertsen". Hartford Wolf Pack. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
- ^ "Rangers reduce training camp roster by four". New York Rangers. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ @WolfPackAHL (April 23, 2020). "SIGNED - Defensemen, @Vincent_LoVerde and @geertsy44 have signed an AHL contract extension with the Pack for the 2020/21 season. Happy to have you both back Hartford!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Mason Geertsen". NHL.com. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ Kasan, Sam (October 3, 2021). "Geertsen Claimed by Devils on Waivers". NHL.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ "Geertsen makes NHL debut". www.echl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "New Jersey Devils Sign Four Players". Pro Hockey Rumors. July 13, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ @GoldenKnights (July 1, 2023). "NEWS: The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms with Mason Geertsen and Mason Morelli on two-year contracts, respectively. Welcome to the organization, guys! #VegasBorn" (Tweet). Retrieved October 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Williams, Jack (November 23, 2024). "Silver Knights player reveals cancer journey ahead of Hockey Fights Cancer Game". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ Kuehl, Tyler (November 22, 2024). "Golden Knights' AHLer Mason Geertsen shares story about cancer diagnosis". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database