Mason Geertsen

Mason Geertsen
Born (1995-04-19) April 19, 1995 (age 29)
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

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.

Playing career

Geersten 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

Geertsen 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

On 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

Regular season and playoffs

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

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

Award Year
WHL
Ed Chynoweth Cup champion 2012
ECHL
Kelly Cup champion 2017 [2]

References

  1. ^ "Avalanche makes roster moves before facing Kings". Colorado Avalanche. October 1, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Colorado Eagles sweep South Carolina to win first Kelly Cup". The Denver Post. June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Andrighetto not qualified by Avalanche". coloradohockeynow.com. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Wolf Pack sign defenseman Mason Geertsen". Hartford Wolf Pack. September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  5. ^ "Rangers reduce training camp roster by four". New York Rangers. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  6. ^ @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.
  7. ^ "Rangers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Mason Geertsen". NHL.com. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  8. ^ Kasan, Sam (October 3, 2021). "Geertsen Claimed by Devils on Waivers". NHL.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  9. ^ "Geertsen makes NHL debut". www.echl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  10. ^ "New Jersey Devils Sign Four Players". Pro Hockey Rumors. July 13, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  11. ^ @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.
  12. ^ Williams, Jack (November 23, 2024). "Silver Knights player reveals cancer journey ahead of Hockey Fights Cancer Game". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  13. ^ Kuehl, Tyler (November 22, 2024). "Golden Knights' AHLer Mason Geertsen shares story about cancer diagnosis". Daily Faceoff. Retrieved November 23, 2024.