Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Carolina Hurricanes have made the Stanley Cup playoffs each of the past eight seasons, but they advanced to the Final in none of them. That is, until this season.
Standing in the way of Carolina’s first title in 20 years are the Vegas Golden Knights, champions of the Western Conference who won the Cup Final in 2022-23 and have only ever missed the playoffs once in the franchise’s nine-year existence.
Game 1 of the seven-game series between the two heavyweights is set for Tuesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, at 8 p.m. ET.
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During the regular season, Carolina’s offense grabbed the headlines, scoring 3.55 goals per game (No. 2 in the NHL), but in the playoffs, the defense has taken center stage, allowing a paltry 1.62 goals per game (No. 1 in the playoffs) with three shutouts.
A crucial piece to the Hurricanes’ defensive performance has been the play of 30-year-old defenseman Jalen Chatfield. He’s third on the team this postseason in time on the ice (22:12 per game), and has also pitched in offensively with four assists and one (shorthanded) goal in 13 playoff games.
Growing up in Michigan, one of hockey’s hotbeds, Chatfield began playing the sport competitively as he entered his teenage years. His development as a defender led him to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and eventually to some looks from NHL teams. Then, in March 2017, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks to begin his professional career.
Being undrafted and unproven, Chatfield was assigned to Vancouver’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Utica Comets. He would bounce between the Canucks and Comets for years, finally making his NHL debut in 2021 and appearing in 18 games with Vancouver.
Then, he became a free agent, and he bet on himself.
He signed a two-way contract with Carolina and has thrived in his five seasons in the Hurricanes’ system, working all the way up to the top defensive pairing with Jaccob Slavin, widely considered one of the best defensemen in the league. Now an NHL veteran older than many of his teammates, Chatfield recently reflected on his long and improbable journey.
“It has made me who I am,” he said in May via TheProvince.com. “I went through a lot of adversity in my hockey career and I’ve just stuck with my game plan.”
Playing alongside Slavin has certainly benefited Chatfield on the ice. But hockey is almost an afterthought as Chatfield talks about their relationship.
“He’s known about all my struggles, because I was very open with him and talking to him about stuff,” Chatfield told Raleigh’s News & Observer in May. “Whether it was my first year or second year, getting scratched or things like that, he’s always been there for me and he’s been my best friend.
“Just his guidance, and seeing how he is as a father, as a teammate, as a leader, I learned a lot from him and I appreciate (him) every single day. And especially being able to work with him, play with him. It’s special, for sure.”
Chatfield arrived in Carolina curious yet ignorant about the Christian faith, and he was told Slavin — who is well known for speaking openly about his faith in Jesus — could help with that. Chatfield began attending chapel services, and then Slavin’s church in Raleigh, with his new friend. The pair shared lengthy discussions at the back of the team plane about life and faith and everything in between. And through Slavin’s life, God began to draw Chatfield to Himself.
After one particular chapel service, Chatfield professed his faith in Christ and moved from death to life. With Slavin as his spiritual mentor, he grew deeper in faith with each passing day.
Chatfield’s girlfriend at the time (now wife), Drew, quickly noticed the change, and curious about it, she sought out and befriended Slavin’s wife, Kylie. A month later, Drew was a follower of Christ as well.
As one couple guided the other into greater spiritual maturity, the new believers increasingly recognized their need to be baptized. Both Jalen and Drew underwent the sacrament in the Slavins’ backyard pool.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Chatfield told the News & Observer. “… It was a really special moment. Something you never forget.”
In the Winter 2024 edition of Sports Spectrum Magazine, Kylie talked about the joy of watching Jalen and Drew come to faith and get baptized.
“God literally did everything and just let us be a part of it,” she said. “I think that was also so that we could never boast about it. We didn’t do anything. … It’s been cool to see God move so evidently.”
For Jaccob, the story of Jalen and Drew is perhaps the crowning story of his time in the NHL — which isn’t even over yet, and will soon include playing in the Stanley Cup Final.
“I think back over my career and all the moments that have happened, and by far that’s the top one,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast last September. “Because I feel like as Christians, that’s our purpose. We’re supposed to go evangelize, we’re supposed to share the Good News of the Gospel.
“And I mean, I’ve said it before, but if in my whole career I never win the Cup or anything, but Jalen came to know the Lord, that’s a successful career.”
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