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Nicholas Kempf

Nicholas Kempf (born March 1, 2006) is an American college ice hockey goaltender for the University of Notre Dame. He was drafted in the fourth round, 114th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Kempf played under-13, under-14, and under-15 Tier I AAA youth hockey with the Chicago Mission. In the 2020–21 season, he played in 21 games including 5 shutouts and a league-leading 1.61 Goals Against Average (GAA). Kempf played in five of the six games for Mission at the 2022 USA Hockey Youth Tier I 15-only National Championship and finished with an impressive .944 Save Percentage (sv%), 1.20 GAA, and one shutout.

Kempf played two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Appearing in 30 games with the under-17 team, he posted a 15-11-0 record, a 4.04 GAA, a .886 sv%, and two shutouts. With the under-18 team, he appeared in 30 games posting a 3.21 GAA, a .894 sv%, a 18-8-0 record, and one shutout. Kempf ranked second among draft-eligible goalies in North America in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft midterm ranking (January 12, 2024) and fourth in the final NHL Central Scouting ranking (April 16, 2024). As an under-18, he also played at the 2024 USA Hockey All-American Game. He is committed to play college ice hockey for the University of Notre Dame.

Kempf was drafted 114th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL entry draft. He was the tenth goaltender and only American goaltender selected in the draft.

International play

Kempf represented the United States at the 2022 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, recording a .917 Save Percentage (sv%) over four games en route to a gold medal, and posted a .919 sv% in six games at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships for the silver medal.