Hurricanes’ Defenseman Jalen Chatfield: A Role Model for Young Campers
This summer has been significant for Jalen Chatfield of the Carolina Hurricanes. The defenseman signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the team and witnessed some teammates, including veterans Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, leave in free agency. Additionally, Chatfield got engaged to his girlfriend, Drew. Returning to Raleigh recently, Chatfield is gearing up for what promises to be an exciting season following an intriguing offseason for the Hurricanes.
On Saturday, Chatfield made a guest appearance at the Hockey Players of Color summer camp at Invisalign Arena. Over 40 young players attended and were thrilled to have Chatfield among them. “They all had smiles on their faces and many had questions,” Chatfield shared. “I just went out there and tried to be who I am, and hopefully make their day and continue to push them to play hockey and grow into great men and women.” Some questions surprised Chatfield, including one about a false rumor regarding Sebastian Aho being traded. He also enjoyed some playful trash talk from the kids.
At 28, Chatfield is a valuable role model for the camp attendees. As a player of color with a white father, Scott, and a Black mother, Tomara, he represents a self-made NHL success story. “It’s amazing to see these kids have someone they can look up to,” said Jazmine Miley, founder and CEO of Hockey Players of Color. “He’s currently playing for the team, and to be able to see him first-hand and talk to him and get autographs from him, I can’t thank him enough for taking time away from his personal life to be here.”
Chatfield began skating at 5 years old in his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Although his parents weren’t hockey fans, Chatfield became a Detroit Red Wings fan and pursued hockey passionately. Despite not being drafted by an NHL team, he signed with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, won a Memorial Cup, and attended camps in San Jose and Detroit before securing an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. He played for their AHL team, overcame an injury, and made his NHL debut in January 2021. Chatfield later signed with the Hurricanes, contributing to their AHL team’s Calder Cup title while also playing some NHL games. He has since become a key player for the Hurricanes, known for his defensive skills and occasional offensive contributions.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” Chatfield said. “It took me a while to really appreciate my career, but it was an uphill battle most of my career. Still now, I’m going to continue to grind. Coming from Ypsilanti, getting cut my whole life, never being drafted, I just continue to face adversity the right way and work hard.”
Chatfield and Dmitry Orlov formed the Canes’ third defensive pair last season, but this may change with the departures of Skjei and Pesce. The Hurricanes signed free-agent defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker, and training camp will determine the new pairings. “We lost a lot of guys but we’ve got a lot of guys coming back,” Chatfield said. “We’ve got the same coaching staff. We’ve got players who know how to play and how to win, so we’ve got to continue to raise the bar and get the job done.”
At the camp, Chatfield skated with the young players, including 15-year-old Sergio Becom, part of the HPOC program. “It was awesome,” Becom said. “Being Mexican-American, having another person of color here, someone in the NHL, was really inspiring for everyone out here.”
