- Nikita Klepov signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks
- The deal ends his Michigan State commitment and keeps him in the Ducks system
- Read below for Klepov’s record-setting OHL season and the McTavish trade that landed him
Nikita Klepov is a Duck for good, and Michigan State is out of the picture.
Anaheim signed the 18-year-old winger to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday, the team announced. PuckPedia pegs the cap hit at $1.075 million.
Here’s the Ducks making it official:
College is no longer an option. Klepov committed to Michigan State back in 2024, and the Spartans even listed him on their roster in a social media post Friday. That door is shut now. Without a path to full-time AHL minutes at his age, he either stays in junior with Saginaw or cracks Anaheim’s lineup.
The Ducks paid up to get him. They came into June without a first-round pick, then flipped Mason McTavish to St. Louis for the 15th and 29th selections and used No. 15 on Klepov. General manager Pat Verbeek has already said the winger can fast-track to the NHL.
Klepov earned the hype in junior. He led the entire OHL in scoring last season with 97 points (37 goals, 60 assists) in 67 games for Saginaw, and he did it as a rookie.
That put him in rare company. He became just the third player to lead the OHL in scoring and win Rookie of the Year in the same season, joining Patrick Kane and Jack Valiquette.
Here’s the moment he became a Duck last month:
The Deerfield Beach, Florida native also won gold with the United States at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, piling up six points in five games. Anaheim is betting he does not need long to arrive.
