Mitchell Chaffee

Mitchell Chaffee
Chaffee with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024
Born (1998-01-26) January 26, 1998 (age 26)
Rockford, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Minnesota Wild
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2021–present

Mitchell Alex Chaffee (born January 26, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life

Chaffee was born on January 26, 1998, in Rockford, Michigan,[1] to parents Dave and Kathy Chaffee.[2] He began skating at the age of four and participated in the local "Learn to Skate" and Triple-A programs in the Grand Rapids.[3] Chaffee then played for the Michigan Nationals U18 team before leaving his hometown at the age of 16 to play with the HoneyBaked Hockey Club.[4]

Playing career

While playing with the HoneyBaked Hockey Club during the 2014–15 season, Chaffee recorded 10 goals and 18 assists for 28 points as they qualified for the USA Hockey National Championship game.[5] As a result of his play with the HoneyBaked Hockey Club, Chaffee was selected to play with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL).[6] However, his playing rights were later traded to the Bloomington Thunder in May 2015.[5] He was also drafted by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 11th round of the 2014 Ontario Hockey League Draft.[7]

In his first year with the Thunder, Chaffee recorded seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 54 games. He subsequently committed to play college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[8] During his tenure with the Thunder, Chaffee attended Normal Community West High School and played one season of golf.[3]

Collegiate

Chaffee played college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. During his sophomore season, he was the Hockey East Scoring Champion and was named to the conference's first All-Star team.[9] He was named as one of the team's co-captains for the 2019–20 season.[10] On March 24, 2020, after his junior season at UMass, Chaffee signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild.[11]

Professional

Following the signing of his contract, Chaffee attended the Wild's 2021 training camp prior to the start of the 2020–21 season. He was subsequently re-assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, for the remainder of the season.[12]

On April 19, 2022, Chaffee made his NHL debut for the Minnesota Wild and played two games in the NHL during the 2021–22 season. At the conclusion of his entry-level contract with the Wild, Chaffee left the organization as a free agent. On July 1, 2023, he was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the 2023–24 season.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Bloomington Thunder USHL 54 7 6 13 40 4 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Bloomington Thunder USHL 35 7 4 11 34 — — — — —
2016–17 Fargo Force USHL 14 1 4 5 4 3 1 0 1 0
2017–18 UMass-Amherst HE 39 13 11 24 22 — — — — —
2018–19 UMass-Amherst HE 40 18 24 42 33 — — — — —
2019–20 UMass-Amherst HE 34 16 13 29 16 — — — — —
2020–21 Iowa Wild AHL 28 2 15 17 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Iowa Wild AHL 49 23 16 39 14 — — — — —
2021–22 Minnesota Wild NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Iowa Wild AHL 10 5 2 7 8 — — — — —
2023–24 Syracuse Crunch AHL 36 12 14 26 16
2023–24 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 30 4 3 7 4 5 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 32 4 3 7 4 5 0 0 0 2

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
College
Hockey East First All-Star Team 2019 [9]
Hockey East Scoring Champion 2019
NCAA First Team All-American 2019 [14]

References

  1. ^ "Mitchell Chaffee". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Mitchell Chaffee". UMass Athletics. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Connolly, John (April 9, 2019). "Mitchell Chaffee scores big for UMass hockey". Boston Herald. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Figurski, Larry (May 4, 2020). "Mitchell Chaffee's pro hockey debut put on hold". WOOD-TV. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Tosti, Brian (May 18, 2015). "CHAFFEE ANNOUNCED TO COMPLETE TRADE Junior Hockey News". Junior Hockey. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  6. ^ "Lumberjacks announce Affiliate and Initial Protected Lists for 2014-15 season". MLive. January 20, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "2014 OHL Priority Selection presented by State Farm Round-by-Round". Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. April 5, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Recruiting: Mitchell Chaffee commits to UMass". MiHockey. August 18, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "HOCKEY EAST NAMES 2018-19 ALL-STAR TEAMS". hockeyeastonline.com. March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Mahoney, Andrew (March 24, 2020). "UMass forward Mitchell Chaffee signs two-year deal with Minnesota Wild". bostonglobe.com. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  11. ^ "Wild signs forward Mitchell Chaffee to two-year, entry-level contract". National Hockey League. March 24, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Wild reduces training camp roster to 31 players". National Hockey League. January 11, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Bolts sign free agent forward Mitchell Chaffee to a one-year, two-way contract". Tampa Bay Lightning. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "Men's CCM Hockey Division I All-Americans Announced". ahcahockey.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Hockey East Scoring Champion
2018–19 		Succeeded by