Kieffer Bellows (born June 10, 1998) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

who is currently playing for

Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a Swedish professional ice hockey team from Gävle. The club currently plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), promoted from the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of ice hockey in Sweden, following the 2023–24 season. The ...

of the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; ) is a professional ice hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the ice hockey in Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Li ...

(SHL). He was drafted in the first round (19th overall) of the 2016 NHL entry draft by the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

. He is the son of former NHL player

Brian Bellows Brian Edward Bellows (born September 1, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played nearly 1,200 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, Mighty D ...

Playing career

Bellows grew up playing hockey in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...

where he won a Minnesota 2014 Class 2A State Championship as a sophomore at

Edina High School Edina High School is a four-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The current student population is 2,720. Edina High School was ranked as 428th best public high school in the United States ...

. Before being drafted into the NHL, he played with the

Sioux Falls Stampede The Sioux Falls Stampede are a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Stampede are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the Denny Sanford Premi ...

and U.S. National Development Team of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). In his rookie season with the Stampede, Bellows was fifth in the United States Hockey League with 33 goals and was named USHL Rookie of the Year. Bellows then went on to play with

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

before being drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the

. On September 22, 2017, Bellows was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders. Bellows chose to forgo the three remaining years of his NCAA eligibility and subsequently joined the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL), who has drafted him in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Bellows made his NHL debut on February 4, 2020, in the Islander's 4–3 overtime win against the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

and also recorded his first NHL point when he assisted on

Derick Brassard Derick Brassard (born September 22, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Flori ...

's goal. Bellows scored his two NHL goals in the Islanders' 5–3 win against the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

on February 6. On October 9, 2020, the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) announced that Bellows had violated the league's performance enhancing substances rules. On March 13, 2021, Bellows became the first player in Islanders history to score his first four NHL goals in a pair of two-goal games. In September 2021 and August 2022, Bellows was signed to one-year contracts by the Islanders. Bellows opened the season with the Islanders, featuring on opening night before serving as a healthy scratch through 6 games before he was placed on waivers by the Islanders. Bellows was claimed off waivers the following day by the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

on October 27, 2022. Bellows was unable to establish himself within the Flyers, registering just 3 goals through 27 games with an assignment to AHL affiliate, the

Lehigh Valley Phantoms The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a professional ice hockey team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The team competes in the American Hockey League (AHL) and serves as the primary development team for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey Le ...

during his tenure. As a pending restricted free agent, Bellows was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Flyers on 15 June 2023. He joined the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

on a PTO on September 12, 2023 but was released less than a month later. He subsequently joined the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

on a professional tryout contract (PTO) on October 30, 2023. Bellows was subsequently signed to an AHL contract for the remainder of the 2023–24 season with the Marlies and posted his most productive season of his professional career in notching 27 goals and 49 points through 52 regular season games. As a free agent in the off-season, Bellows secured an NHL contract after agreeing to terms on a one-year, two-way contract with the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...

on July 3, 2024. In the season, Bellows was recalled after impressing with the

Milwaukee Admirals The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team based in Milwaukee. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators. They play their homes games at the UW–Milwaukee Panther ...

in the AHL, and made 19 appearances in the NHL for the Predators, adding 2 goals and 4 points. Having concluded his contract with the Predators, Bellows opted to pursue a career abroad after agreeing to a one-year contract with Swedish club, Brynäs IF of the SHL, on July 13, 2025.

Personal life

He is the son of former NHL player

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellows, Kieffer 1998 births Living people American men's ice hockey left wingers Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players Bridgeport Sound Tigers players Ice hockey people from Edina, Minnesota Ice hockey players from Minnesota Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Milwaukee Admirals players Nashville Predators players NHL first-round draft picks New York Islanders draft picks New York Islanders players Philadelphia Flyers players Portland Winterhawks players Sioux Falls Stampede players Toronto Marlies players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players 21st-century American sportsmen