Aaron Ness

Aaron Douglas Ness (born May 18, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the New York Islanders in the 2nd round (40th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Aaron Ness
Ness at the 2015 AHL All-Star Game
Born	May 18, 1990 Bemidji, Minnesota, U.S.[1]
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Defense
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Arizona Coyotes New York Islanders Washington Capitals
NHL Draft	40th overall, 2008 New York Islanders
Playing career	2011–present

Playing career

Ness played High School hockey at Roseau High School in Roseau, Minnesota, and in 2008 he received the Minnesota Mr. Hockey award as the most outstanding senior high school hockey player in the state of Minnesota.[2] In an effort to be able to play collegiate hockey one year earlier than projected, Ness accelerated his course load during his junior year of high school in order to graduate early. A combination of 8 classes at school as well as 3.5 credits online, however, did not stop him from leading his team to a fourth-place finish at the 2008 2A State Tournament.[3] Ness then attended the University of Minnesota where he played three seasons of NCAA Division I college hockey with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

On March 16, 2011, the New York Islanders signed Ness to a three-year entry level contract.[4] In the 2014–15 season, Ness served as team captain of AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.[5]

On July 1, 2015, Ness left the Islanders organization as a free agent and signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals.[6] He later re-signed with the Capitals on May 16, 2018, to another one year two-way contract.[7]

The Capitals called Ness up from Hershey on November 8, 2018, together with fellow defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler, to be available to play against the Columbus Blue Jackets the next night at home in his first NHL game.[8] Veteran Caps defencemen Brooks Orpik (injured reserve) and John Carlson (day-to-day) were both unavailable to play.[9]

After four seasons within the Capitals organization, Ness left as a free agent to sign a two-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes on July 1, 2019.[10]

Personal life

Aaron's father, Jay, also grew up in Roseau and played collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota. Jay was drafted in the 7th round of the 1982 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.[11] [12]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008–09	University of Minnesota	WCHA		37	2	15	17	16		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	University of Minnesota	WCHA		39	2	10	12	24		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	University of Minnesota	WCHA		35	2	12	14	41		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		13	1	3	4	4		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		69	5	22	27	36		3	0	0	0	4
2011–12	New York Islanders	NHL		9	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		76	3	24	27	30		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		48	6	14	20	47		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	New York Islanders	NHL		20	1	2	3	10		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	AHL		74	8	37	45	62		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Hershey Bears	AHL		62	6	21	27	22		21	0	12	12	12
2015–16	Washington Capitals	NHL		8	0	2	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Hershey Bears	AHL		51	5	12	17	24		9	0	1	1	0
2016–17	Washington Capitals	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Washington Capitals	NHL		8	0	1	1	8		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Hershey Bears	AHL		55	4	25	29	26		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Hershey Bears	AHL		71	5	50	55	40		6	0	2	2	0
2019–20	Tucson Roadrunners	AHL		17	2	7	9	14		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Arizona Coyotes	NHL		24	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				71	1	6	7	22		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	United States	WJC18			7	0	6	6	2
Junior totals					7	0	6	6	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
College
WCHA All-Academic Team	2010–11[13]
AHL
Second All-Star Team	2018–19[14]

References

1. "Aaron Ness draft prospect detail". Washington Capitals. 2016-04-03. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-04-03.
2. Minnesota Wild. "Roseau's Aaron Ness named 2008 Mr. Hockey". Minnesota Wild. Archived from the original on 2008-03-11. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
3. Rand, Michael. "BOYS' HOCKEY NOTES; Aaron Ness of Roseau wins Mr. Hockey award." Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN] 10 Mar. 2008: 10C.Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
4. "Islanders Agree to Terms on Entry-Level Contract with Ness". New York Islanders. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
5. "Isles Defense gets another injury as Dallas comes calling". EyesOnIsles.com. 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
6. "Capitals sign Carter Camper, Aaron Ness, Mike Moore and Sean Collins". Washington Capitals. 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2015-07-01.
7. "Capitals re-sign defenceman Aaron Ness to two-way deal". sportsnet.ca. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
8. "Capitals Recall Ness and Siegenthaler from Hershey". NHL.com. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
9. Oland, Ian (2018-11-09). "John Carlson out day-to-day with lower-body injury, Jonas Siegenthaler to make NHL debut". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
10. "Coyotes sign Miele, Ness and Bennett". Arizona Coyotes. July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
11. Spiros, Dean. "Taking the fast track to stardom; Acceleration is at the forefront for Roseau's Aaron Ness, be it on the ice or in the classroom."Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN] 8 Feb. 2008: 01C. Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
12. Jay Ness at eliteprospects.com. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2019, from https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/194976/jay-ness.
13. "All-Academic Team". EliteProspects.com. 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
14. "2018-19 American Hockey League First and Second All-Star Teams Named". OurSports Central. April 11, 2019.

External links

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