Jim Niekamp

James Lawrence Niekamp (March 11, 1946 – October 10, 2022) was an American professional ice hockey player who played 383 games in the World Hockey Association and 29 games in the National Hockey League in 1970–1977. Jim played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Sharks and Phoenix Roadrunners.
He played junior hockey for the Saint Jerome Alouettes and the Hamilton Red Wings from 1964 to 1966. Turning pro in the Detroit Red Wings' system in 1966, Niekamp played in the minors until 1970-71. That season he got into 24 games for the Wings. The following season he played in five more games.
In 1972-73 he jumped to the Los Angeles Sharks of the World Hockey Association (WHA). After playing there for two years, Niekamp went to the Phoenix Roadrunners where he played for four seasons. He retired in 1978.
In 29 NHL games Niekamp scored 2 assists. In the WHA he scored 18 goals and 96 assists in 383 games.
Niekamp lived in the Phoenix area and was the color commentator for the radio broadcasts of Phoenix RoadRunners home games. He died on October 10, 2022, at the age of 76.James Lawrence Niekamp obituary
==Career statistics==
===Regular season and playoffs===
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1964–65 	Saint-Jerome Alouettes	QJAHL 		33 	10 	31 	41 	— 		8 	1 	5 	6 	38
1965–66 	Saint-Jerome Alouettes	QJAHL 		32 	10 	15 	25 	135 		5 	1 	1 	2 	22
1965–66 	Hamilton Red Wings 	OHA 		11 	1 	6 	7 	55 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1966–67 	Toledo Blades 	IHL 		66 	6 	24 	30 	163 		8 	0 	1 	1 	12
1967–68 	Fort Worth Wings 	CHL 		49 	6 	9 	15 	76 		7 	0 	2 	2 	24
1968–69 	Fort Worth Wings 	CHL 		63 	13 	21 	34 	113 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1969–70 	Cleveland Barons 	AHL 		47 	6 	16 	22 	114 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1970–71 	Baltimore Clippers 	AHL 		46 	9 	29 	38 	93 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1970–71 	Detroit Red Wings 	NHL 		24 	0 	2 	2 	27 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1971–72 	Tidewater Wings 	AHL 		65 	6 	11 	17 	216 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1971–72 	Detroit Red Wings 	NHL 		5 	0 	0 	0 	10 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1972–73 	Los Angeles Sharks 	WHA 		78 	7 	22 	29 	155 		6 	2 	1 	3 	10
1973–74 	Los Angeles Sharks 	WHA 		76 	2 	19 	21 	95 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1974–75 	Phoenix Roadrunners 	WHA 		71 	2 	26 	28 	66 		5 	0 	0 	0 	8
1975–76 	Phoenix Roadrunners 	WHA 		79 	4 	14 	18 	77 		5 	1 	0 	1 	0
1976–77 	Phoenix Roadrunners 	WHA 		79 	1 	15 	16 	91 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
1977–78 	Phoenix Roadrunners 	PHL 		23 	1 	11 	12 	12 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
WHA totals	WHA totals 	WHA totals		383 	16 	96 	112 	484 		16 	3 	1 	4 	18
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		29 	0 	2 	2 	37 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==References==
*
Category:1946 births
Category:2022 deaths
Category:American men's ice hockey defensemen
Category:Baltimore Clippers players
Category:Cleveland Barons (1937–1973) players
Category:Detroit Red Wings players
Category:Fort Worth Wings players
Category:Hamilton Red Wings (OHA) players
Category:Los Angeles Sharks players
Category:Phoenix Roadrunners (PHL) players
Category:Phoenix Roadrunners (WHA) players
Category:Tidewater Wings players
Category:Toledo Blades players
Category:Retired in 1978