Klesla was selected 4th overall by Columbus in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, making him the first ever pick in an Entry Draft by the Blue Jackets. He has played 329 career NHL games, scoring 29 goals and 59 assists for 88 points. Statistics are as of the last completed NHL season. He also played with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL. He used to be No. 44 on the Blue Jackets, but is currently wearing No. 97.
On April 18, 2006, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Blue Jackets.
He is usually referred to by fans (and the Blue Jackets' TV broadcast team) as "Rusty".
Klesla ends every interview with Jim Day of FSN Ohio with variations of "Thank you, Jim Day."
On September 26, 2006, Klesla was suspended for two 2006 regular season matches (the first one is on October 6 vs. Vancouver and the second is on October 7 at Chicago) for a hit on Chicago's Tuomo Ruutu in a preseason match on September 22. The hit resulted in a grade II sprain in Ruutu's knee which will put him out of action for a while.
During the 2006-07 Season, when new coach Ken Hitchcock assumed his position, Klesla's talent as a young defencemen became apparent when he earned top defensive pairing with Veteran Adam Foote. Klesla spent 20-25 minutes on the ice during the 75 games he played. The most amount of time he spent on the ice this season was during the December 14, 2006 game against the Dallas Stars where he spent 30 minutes and 02 seconds on the ice throughout 42 shifts
