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Tanner Kero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tanner Kero
Kero with the Rockford IceHogs in 2015
Born (1992-07-24) July 24, 1992 (age 32)
Hancock, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Left
SHL team
Former teams		 HV71
Chicago Blackhawks
Dallas Stars
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2015–present

Tanner James Kero[1] (born July 24, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey player for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars.

Playing career

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Amateur

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Prior to his collegiate hockey career, Kero played for the Marquette Rangers in the NAHL where he led the league in goals (with 32) and was named the league's "Rookie of the Year". He also played for the Fargo Force in the USHL where he posted 13 goals, 24 assists and 37 points in 55 games and earned a spot on the USHL Western Conference All-Star Team.[1]

Prior to turning professional, Kero attended Michigan Technological University where he played four seasons of NCAA Division I hockey with the Michigan Tech Huskies, where he registered 55 goals, 56 assists, 111 points, and 67 penalty minutes in 153 games. In his senior year, Kero's outstanding play was recognized with numerous awards including being selected as the 2014–15 WCHA Player of the Year[2] and being named to the 2014–15 NCAA (West) First All-American Team.[3]

Professional

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On April 2, 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) signed Kero to a two-year entry-level contract.[4] He began the 2015–16 season assigned to AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. On October 27, 2015, the Blackhawks recalled him to the NHL.[5] He made his NHL debut on October 29, 2015, in a 3–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.[6] Just 4 games later, he scored his first NHL goal on November 6, shooting past Cory Schneider, in a 4–2 loss against the New Jersey Devils.[7] On March 23, 2017, the Blackhawks signed Kero to a two-year contract extension.[8]

On June 24, 2018, Kero was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Michael Chaput.[9][10]

On July 1, 2019, having left the Canucks as a free agent, Kero was signed to a two-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars on July 1, 2019.[11]

Following four seasons within the Stars organization, Kero as a free agent was signed to a one-year AHL contract for the 2023–24 season with the Colorado Eagles, affiliate to the Colorado Avalanche, on July 18, 2023.[12]

Upon completion of his contract with the Eagles, Kero left North America after 10 professional seasons and signed his first contract abroad in agreeing to a one-year deal with Swedish club, HV71 of the SHL, on July 5, 2024.[13]

Personal life

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Kero was born in Hancock, Michigan and is the son of Dale and Joan Kero. He has five sisters (one of them, Jordanna played for the Michigan Tech volleyball team) and four brothers;[1] three of them: Dawson,[14] Devin[15] and Hunter[16] play hockey as well. While attending Michigan Tech, Kero had a grade point average of 3.68 in mathematics.[1]

Career statistics

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2008–09 Hancock High School HSMI 38 31 69 — — — — —
2009–10 Marquette Rangers NAHL 57 32 19 51 39 3 1 0 1 0
2010–11 Fargo Force USHL 55 14 23 37 22 5 1 0 1 2
2011–12 Michigan Tech University WCHA 39 9 7 16 14 — — — — —
2012–13 Michigan Tech University WCHA 33 11 13 24 27 — — — — —
2013–14 Michigan Tech University WCHA 40 15 10 25 16 — — — — —
2014–15 Michigan Tech University WCHA 41 20 26 46 10 — — — — —
2014–15 Rockford IceHogs AHL 6 5 0 5 0 6 2 1 3 0
2015–16 Rockford IceHogs AHL 60 20 19 39 23 3 0 2 2 0
2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 17 1 2 3 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Rockford IceHogs AHL 28 7 13 20 14 — — — — —
2016–17 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 47 6 10 16 8 4 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 8 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Rockford IceHogs AHL 36 8 12 20 8 12 0 3 3 8
2018–19 Utica Comets AHL 67 24 33 57 37 — — — — —
2019–20 Texas Stars AHL 49 8 25 33 20 — — — — —
2020–21 Dallas Stars NHL 39 3 7 10 6 — — — — —
2021–22 Dallas Stars NHL 23 0 3 3 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Texas Stars AHL 28 5 12 17 10 2 0 0 0 0
2022–23 Texas Stars AHL 69 17 33 50 40 8 1 4 5 0
2023–24 Colorado Eagles AHL 59 12 21 33 24 3 1 1 2 0
NHL totals 134 11 24 35 16 4 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year
NAHL Rookie of the Year 2009–10 [17]
WCHA Scoring Champion (46 points) 2014–15 [18]
WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year 2014–15 [19]
All-WCHA First Team 2014–15 [20]
WCHA Player of the Year 2014–15 [2]
NCAA (West) First All-American Team 2014–15 [21]
Hobey Baker Award Finalist 2014–15 [22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Tanner Kero". Michigan Tech Athletics.
  2. ^ a b "Developing Story: Tanner Kero". collegehockeyinc.com.
  3. ^ "Tanner Kero player profile". brownbears.com. April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Chicago Blackhawks agree to terms with Michigan Tech's Tanner Kero – Chicago Blackhawks Blog – ESPN". ESPN.com. April 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "Blackhawks call up Tanner Kero, send Hinostroza to Rockford – Chicago". Chicago. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Kero Makes NHL Debut". michigantechhuskies.com. October 29, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  7. ^ "Zajac has goal, assist in 1st as Devils beat Blackhawks 4-2". cbssports.com. November 6, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  8. ^ "Blackhawks, Tanner Kero agree to two-year contract extension". March 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "Canucks Acquire Tanner Kero". NHL.com. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  10. ^ "Canucks acquire Kero from Hawks for Chaput". The Sports Network. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "Stars sign center Tanner Kero to two-year, two-way contract". Dallas Stars. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "Kero signs with Eagles". American Hockey League. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Tanner Kero new forward in HV71" (in Swedish). HV71. July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Dawson Kero". Elite Prospects.
  15. ^ "Devin Kero". Elite Prospects.
  16. ^ "Hunter Kero". Elite Prospects.
  17. ^ "Former NAHL Rookie of the Year Kero signs with Blackhawks". North American Hockey League (NAHL).
  18. ^ "Kero Is WCHA Scoring Champ". michigantechhuskies.com. March 9, 2015.
  19. ^ "WCHA.com – WCHA Announces 2014–15 Postseason Awards". wcha.com.
  20. ^ "Conference Honors, 2014–15". collegehockeyinc.com.
  21. ^ "Five schools net a pair of All-American selections". USCHO.com.
  22. ^ "WCHA.com – Michigan Tech's Tanner Kero Named Finalist For Hobey Baker Award". wcha.com.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by WCHA Player of the Year
2014–15 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WCHA Scoring leader
2014–15 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
2014–15 		Succeeded by
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