Undrafted to indispensable: This Hurricanes defenseman is enjoying a breakout season
What’s the best way to define a “breakout season” for a player in the NHL?
Here’s a start: setting career highs in games, goals, points and minutes played.
And this: having a positive impact on your team and helping it win.
That’s what defenseman Jalen Chatfield of the Carolina Hurricanes has done this season, becoming a fixture in the lineup for a team leading the Metropolitan Division.
Chatfield, hardly one to seek out attention, has been mentioned often on the Canes’ broadcasts, with analyst Tripp Tracy playfully talking about “Chat-mandu” when the D-man makes a good play.
Then again, Chatfield has earned it. In his past six games, he has three goals and two assists. He was named the first star of the game after the Canes’ win over the Minnesota Wild — the guy called to the bench to be interviewed after the game as Canes fans cheered — after both scoring his fifth goal of the season and assisting on Teuvo Teravainen’s shorthanded snipe.
On the Teravainen score, he jumped into the play, took a pass from Jesper Fast and set up Teravainen for a shot from the slot.
“He’s been great. Whatever we’ve asked him to do, he’s done it,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said this week.
With defenseman Jaccob Slavin out of the lineup last Saturday against the New York Islanders, Chatfield was paired with Brent Burns and logged a season-high 20:24 of ice time. His shot in the opening minute of the game was redirected by Jordan Staal for a quick goal as the Canes took a 5-2 victory.
Chatfield’s plus/minus rating in the game was plus-4. That, too, was a career best, and he has a plus-12 rating in his 47 games this season.
“Burnsie is easy to play with,” Chatfield said this week. “We talk a lot on the bench, trying to figure stuff out, and I listen to him. On the ice, during the play, he’s always calling for the puck and always letting me know my options. With a guy like that, it’s easier to play with an extra set of eyes out there.
With Slavin still sidelined, Chatfield was back with Burns against Dallas on Wednesday, playing 21:42 as the Canes won 3-2 in overtime.
A right-handed shooter, Chatfield has played the left side opposite Burns, but handled it well.
“We’ve asked him to do that a couple of times and he’s obviously shown he can do it,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s just accepted it and done a great job with it.”
Chatfield, 26, made his NHL debut and got in 18 games for the Vancouver Canucks in 2020-21. Signed as a free agent by the Hurricanes, he played 16 games for the Canes last season while helping the AHL’s Chicago Wolves win the 2022 Calder Cup championship.
“If you look at the past in my career, I keep improving,” Chatfield said. “Each year I’m taking a step forward and not a step back. I’m just happy with the way I’m playing and want to continue to get better and keep working on my game.
“The more you get to play, the more you learn about yourself. For me, I think it’s coming here and really dialing in what my game can be for this team, and playing that simple, hard game and trying to help out in a lot of different areas.”
Chatfield was given a two-year extension in January 2022 — the 2023-24 season being a one-way deal that will pay $775,000.
The signing by Canes president and general manager Don Waddell has proven to be a good one. Chatfield, who was undrafted in the NHL, is listed at 6-1 and 188 pounds, but plays bigger than that on the ice. While spending much of the season on the Canes’ third defensive pairing — with Calvin de Haan or Dylan Coghlan — he has been an effective penalty killer.
A memorable moment came Dec. 22, in Pittsburgh. Chatfield scored his first NHL goal on a slapshot from the point, scoring 17 seconds after a Martin Necas goal.
The Canes face off against the San Jose Sharks on Friday at PNC Arena, which should bring back another memory from this season: In the third period of the game in San Jose on Oct. 15, Chatfield dropped the gloves and traded punches with Noah Gregor of the Sharks.
Chatfield was on top after the scrap. The Canes won the game 2-1.
For Chatfield, there would be more stick taps to come from his teammates.
This story was originally published January 27, 2023 at 6:10 AM.
