Introduction
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, to parents Dave and Kathy Chaffee. He began skating at the age of four and participated in the local "Learn to Skate" and Triple-A programs in the Grand Rapids. 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.
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. 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). However, his playing rights were later traded to the Bloomington Thunder in May 2015. He was also drafted by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the 11th round of the 2014 Ontario Hockey League Draft.
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. During his tenure with the Thunder, Chaffee attended Normal Community West High School and played one season of golf.
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. He was named as one of the team's co-captains for the 2019–20 season. On March 24, 2020, after his junior season at UMass, Chaffee signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild.
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.
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.
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 | |
| Hockey East Scoring Champion | 2019 | |
| NCAA First Team All-American | 2019 | |