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| Tyler Kelleher Enters 6th Pro Season |
Former UNH star Tyler Kelleher topped off his college career by scoring 24 goals and 39 assists in 40 games as a senior. It earned him All-American honors and membership in the UNH Wildcat Century Club (167 total points, 57 goals, 110 assists). He's currently the 16th leading scorer in UNH men's hockey history.
After stops with the Milwaukee Admirals (32 games, 7 goals, 7 assists) and Texas Stars (13 games, 2 goals, 1 assist) as an AHL rookie, Kelleher sought to increase playing time and advance his professional development in Germany's top pro league - the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). The Hockey Writers website ranks DEL the 6th best European pro league and 7th best in the world.
Playing right wing for ERC Ingolstadt in the 2018-19 season, Kelleher tallied 13 goals and 25 assists in 50 regular season games for the 5th place Panthers. In the DEL quarterfinals, he lead the team in scoring with 8 assists.
Over the last three seasons, Kelleher enjoyed success in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top professional league in Sweden. The SHL is considered the third best ice hockey league in the world, behind the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL, based primarily in Russia) and the National Hockey League (NHL).
During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Kelleher was the top scorer on IK Oskarshamn. He scored 28 points (13 Goals, 15 Assists) in 51 games and Oskarsham finished in 13th place in the SHL. He followed up with 29 points (8 Goals, 21 Assists, 48 Games) in 2020-21 for 11th place Oskarsham.
Last July, Kelleher signed a contract with Rögle BK, one of the top teams in the SHL. The move offered him a realistic chance to compete in the SHL Playoffs for the first time in his career. Through the first 34 games of the 2021-22 SHL season, Rögle BK was in first place and Kelleher had tallied 4 goals and 6 assists.
Determined to earn a promotion back to the SHL, HV71 finished the regular season in first place and Kelleher contributed 5 goals and 2 assists over the final 8 games. Kelleher and HV71 dominated the HockeyAllsvenskan Qualification Playoffs. HV71 won all 3 rounds to become the 2021-22 HockeyAllsvenskan Champions. Tyler Kelleher was the 3rd leading scorer in the playoffs with 8 goals, including 3 power play goals, and 7 assists.
In the critical Game 4 of the final round against Björklöven, Kelleher scored the OT game-winner to give HV71 a 3-1 advantage in the series. Here's the video highlight of Tyler's move and shot - a sequence that will look familiar to UNH fans who saw him play in college:
Interview
I had an opportunity to interview Tyler Kelleher, via email, about his 2021-22 season in Sweden and future plans:
Mike Lowry: You began last season with Rogle BK, one of the top teams in the SHL, the top tier pro league in Sweden. However, your contract with them ended in February. Were you surprised and/or disappointed with that development?
Tyler Kelleher: No I was not disappointed. I wasn’t getting a lot of ice time. I knew I wanted more ice and to have more fun playing again. So the opportunity came to help HV71 promote back to the SHL and I was very eager to get going.
Lowry: You quickly signed with HV71 in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier pro league in Sweden. How did that happen?
Kelleher: I received a call from their GM and he just told me he wanted me to come and be a part of history with their club. The Rögle GM was very nice and told me I could either stay with Rögle or go to HV71 and that it was my choice. So I decided to go.
Lowry: Did you notice any differences in the style and/or quality of play between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan?
Kelleher: There were a few differences. The SHL is definitely a more structured league with a lot more team systems. I was very surprised by how great of a league the second league in Sweden is. It is a top league in every way possible.
Lowry: Throughout the HockeyAllsvenskan Playoffs, you rose to the occasion scoring 8 goals and 7 assists in 15 games and becoming the third leading scorer in the postseason. Did the goal of earning promotion back up to the SHL provide extra motivation?
Kelleher: Yes I absolutely had more motivation. Earning promotion was a huge thing to the town and to the all of the fans. It is such an amazing town with great fans. It was a very special moment for everyone to win the championship and earn a spot in the SHL.
Lowry: Do you plan to play with HV71 next season?
Kelleher: I will be going to Tappara in the Finnish League. They won the championship last season so I am excited to get going there.
NOTE: Tappara (Finnish for battle axe), based in Tampere, Finland, won the 2021-22 championship of Liiga, the top pro league in Finland. Liiga rivals the SHL for designation as the 3rd best pro hockey league in the world.
Pro Hockey Statistics
| Player | Season | Team | League | GP | Goals | Asst | Pts | PIM | +/- | Tyler Kelleher (F) | 2022-23 | Tappara | Liiga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | HV71 | HockeyAllsvenskan | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | +7 | |
| Qualification | 15 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 6 | +4 | |||
| Rögle BK | SHL | 34 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 12 | +3 | ||
| 2020-21 | IK Oskarshammn | SHL | 48 | 8 | 21 | 29 | 12 | -4 | |
| 2019-20 | IK Oskarshammn | SHL | 51 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 24 | -13 | |
| 2018-19 | ERC Ingolstadt | DEL | 50 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 48 | -6 | |
| Playoffs | 7 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2017-18 | Texas Stars | AHL | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | -2 | |
| Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 26 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 10 | -9 | ||
| 2017-18 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| UNH | Hockey East | 40 | 24 | 39 | 63 | 32 | +7 |
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