
Keegan Iverson
Birthday: 1996-04-05 | Position: C |
Eligible for draft: 2014 | Shoots: Right |
Drafted: 2014 | Height: 6-0 |
Acquired: 3rd round (85th overall), 2014 | Weight: 215 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- C
History
2010-11: Keegan Iverson played for the Breck School high school team as an eighth grader — skating alongside his brother Wesley Iverson, a junior. In 30 games for the Mustangs he scored 12 goals with 13 assists and had 50 penalty minutes. Breck finished first in the Tri-Metro Conference and reached the Class A state tournament after capturing the Section 2A title.
2011-12: Iverson made his WHL debut as a 15-year-old — joining the Portland Winterhawks following his freshman season at Breck. He played in one regular season game and one playoff contest for Portland with no points nor penalty minutes in the two games. Iverson scored 18 goals with 27 assists and had 35 penalty minutes in 29 games for Breck. The Mustangs were 12-0 in Tri-Metro Conference play, captured the Section 2A championship and finished third in the Class A state tournament. Iverson attended USA Hockey’s Select 16 Player Development Camp and was chosen for the USA squad at the 2012 Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic in August.
2012-13: Iverson played for the USA in the 2012 Five Nations Tournament before returning to Portland for his first WHL season and skated for the USA U17 team at the 2013 World Hockey Challenge in Canada. He scored 6 goals with 4 assists and was +4 with 69 penalty minutes in 47 regular season games for the Winterhawks. He had 2 assists and 15 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games as Portland won the WHL championship. Iverson was -2 with no points or penalties in five Memorial Cup games. In six games for the USA’s third place team at the WHC he scored 1 goal with 1 assist and had 4 penalty minutes.
2013-14: Iverson played for the USA’s U18 team at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament before returning to Portland for his second season with the Winterhawks. He scored 1 goal with 4 penalty minutes and was +2 in five games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. Iverson played in the 2013 USA Hockey/CCCM All-American Prospects game and was ranked 85th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings. He was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round (85th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
2014-15: Iverson played a two-way role for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and led the team in penalty minutes in his third junior season. He scored 15 goals with 24 assists and was +3 with 91 penalty minutes. Portland finished second in the U.S. Division and reached the Western Conference finals, falling to eventual Memorial Cup runner up Kelowna. Iverson scored 2 goals with 7 assists and was +4 with 27 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games.
2015-16: Iverson skated in 55 of 72 games for Portland in his fourth WHL season — missing time in December after suffering a lower body injury and then suffering an upper body injury on a hit from Seattle’s Turner Ottenbreit in February. Iverson scored 11 goals with 18 assists and was -3 with 56 penalty minutes. Portland finished fourth in the U.S. Division before being swept by Everett in a first-round playoff series. Iverson was -3 with 1 assist and no penalties in four playoff games.
Talent Analysis
Iverson was drafted by the Rangers in 2014 due to his combination of size, willingness to battle, and some goal scoring touch. Coming off a 20-goal season for a Portland Winterhawks' squad that dominated the WHL that year, he has not matched those goal scoring numbers since and his game has been that of a streak scorer who can be hard to play against. That will likely be Iverson's role in pro hockey.
Future
Iverson provided a veteran presence in a young lineup for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks in 2015-16 in his fourth season of major junior hockey. Drafted by the Rangers in 2014, he has yet to sign an entry-level contract with New York and would re-enter the 2016 NHL Draft if not signed before then. Iverson's combination of size and combativeness are similar to that of current Rangers forward Tanner Glass but team's generally rely on older veterans to fill that role. Iverson may begin his career on an AHL contract somewhere om 2016-17 or return to Portland for an overage season.