Obscure former Boston Bruins: Steven Kampfer

After going in net with Zane McIntyre and to the blue line with Jarred Tinordi, the obscure former Bruins series is back with another defenseman. This time, we’ll take a look at Steven Kampfer’s career.

Steven Kampfer was a fourth-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, but didn’t end up playing an NHL game for them. In March of 2010, the Bruins acquired Kampfer from the Ducks for a fourth-round draft pick.

It was at that point that Kampfer made his NHL debut with the Bruins, scoring five goals and adding another five assists while averaging 17:44 of ice time in 38 regular season games. He did not play in the playoffs as the Bruins won the Stanley Cup that year.

He started the next season with the Bruins, recording two points in 10 games before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Greg Zanon. Kampfer didn’t play in the NHL again until 2014-2015 with the Florida Panthers, contributing two goals and two assists in 25 games.

Kampfer then signed a two-year contract with the Panthers prior to the start of the 2015-2016 season, spending a little over a year in Sunrise on that contract before he was traded to the New York Rangers, playing 10 games for the Blueshirts.

After 22 games with the Rangers in 2017-2018, Kampfer was traded back to the Bruins before the 2018-2019 season, coming to Boston along with two draft picks in exchange for Adam McQuaid. Kampfer had three goals and three assists in 35 games.

That year, Kampfer also got his first and only taste of playoff action in the NHL, playing in three games. He scored a goal early in game one of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, a memorable moment in the Bruins four game sweep of the Hurricanes.

Kamper also spent 2019-2020 and the Covid shortened 2021 season with the Bruins, playing 30 games over both years and scoring two goals and five assists. After that season expired, Kampfer went overseas and signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL for one year.

Through 46 games in the KHL, Kampfer had 11 goals and 19 assists. After they were eliminated in the playoffs, Kampfer returned to the states and signed with the Detroit Red Wings. He spent the entire season in the AHL, split between Grand Rapids and Tucson following a trade to the Arizona Coyotes.

Currently, Steven Kampfer is under contract with the Coyotes after signing a one-year, $775,000 contract at the start of the summer. He could be a candidate to make the Coyotes opening night roster, but the majority of his time will likely be in the AHL again.