Jeff Nielsen

Jeff Nielsen
Born	(1971-09-20) September 20, 1971 Grand Rapids, MN, USA
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shot	Right
Played for	New York Rangers Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Minnesota Wild
National team	United States
NHL draft	69th overall, 1990 New York Rangers
Playing career	1994–2001

Jeffrey Michael Nielsen (born September 20, 1971 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota) is a retired American professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Minnesota Wild. He is the older brother of Kirk Nielsen.

Playing career

A highly touted prospect while in high school, Nielsen was drafted by the New York Rangers in the 4th round, 69th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted Nielsen choose to play in the college ranks and played for the University of Minnesota for 4 years. He gradually improved each year and led the team in points during his senior season (1993–1994) and earned a spot on the WCHA second All-Star team the same season.

After college Nielsen joined the Rangers minor league affiliate Binghamton Rangers. He played 3 years with the Binghamton Rangers, most notably scoring 53 points in 76 games during the 1996–1997 season. That year he also made his NHL debut, appearing in 2 games with the New York Rangers.

Nielsen then signed with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. He split the 1997–1998 season between the Mighty Ducks and their minor league affiliate Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. For the 1998–1999 season Nielsen was able to crack the NHL Mighty Ducks starting lineup, playing 80 games and scoring 9 points. The 1999–2000 season saw Nielsen play in 79 games and score an NHL career high 18 points.

Nielsen was claimed in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft by the newly formed Minnesota Wild. He played one season with the Wild before retiring from hockey in 2001.

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA Second Team	1993–94
WCHA All-Tournament Team	1994

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1996–97	New York Rangers	NHL		2	0	0	0	2
1997–98	Anaheim Mighty Ducks	NHL		32	4	5	9	16
1998–99	Anaheim Mighty Ducks	NHL		80	5	4	9	34
1999–2000	Anaheim Mighty Ducks	NHL		79	8	10	18	14
2000–01	Minnesota Wild	NHL		59	3	8	11	4
NHL Totals				252	20	27	47	70

International play

Year	Team	Comp	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	USA	WC	7	1	1	2	2

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database