His stock was high among other defensemen in his recruiting class. Mahtomedi, Minnesota, scored 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in 59 games with the U18 National Team in the United States National Team Development Program in his draft year and was projected as a possible first-round draft pick.
Ryan Chesley was waiting to hear his name from one of the 32 NHL clubs. This wasn’t the case the first night, but he didn’t have to wait long for the next morning. The Capitals traded to select Chesley with the 37th overall pick. His dream became a reality.
“I think it’s always good to have that feeling that the team wants you and loves you so much,” said Chesley. “I just love how professional and kind everyone in Washington is, and I love the way they handle everything.”
Chesley, now 19 years old, is an outstanding hockey defenseman with a high hockey IQ. He is very good at finding players on the breakout and is a great passer. All of these attributes make it a perfect fit for the capital city
At the time he was recruited, he had already attended the University of Minnesota. As a freshman, he was joining a roster already loaded with young NHL-caliber talents like Logan Cooley, Matthew Kniss, and Jimmy Snogerode, along with experienced names like Brock Faber and Jackson Lacombe.
While he was unsure of his role, there was also excitement brewing for the next defenseman.
“It was easy to say from the start that we had a lot of talent in our squad and a very competitive team,” said Chesley. “I just tried to make my presence felt and contribute in any way I could to the team. Whether it was penalty kicks, playing five-on-five, or any kind of situation, everything I could do to help the team.”
In addition to being a newcomer to a stacked team, he had to prepare to play in the Big Ten, coined by Penn State coach Jay Jadowski, the “beast conference” of college hockey.
“Playing in those high-pressure matches, it was really nice to learn and play with great teammates and learn from them and see what they do in those moments,” Chesley said.
Chesley played in third pair with fellow freshman Cal Thomas for most of the season. He got off to a great start to his collegiate career, with two assists in the series against Lindenwood, and scored his first career goal against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Ole # gopher The goal 🥲
And in # the border do not say MustafaHosny Oh God, Amen pic.twitter.com/6gh3iTWwAt
– Minnesota Men’s Hockey (GopherHockey) December 10, 2022
Down the stretch he is starting to find his groove. He was playing smart and the Gophers were winning crucial games, en route to a second straight Big Ten regular season title.
But that came to an abrupt halt when Chesley injured his wrist on February 11 in the second half against Wisconsin. Minnesota was already without some of its key pieces on the blue line.
“Obviously it was very frustrating especially towards the end of the year. I was unsure how the end of the year was going to turn out,” Chesley said. If I’m going to be able to play, then I end up going back sooner than I thought.”
Chesley returned in the Big Ten semifinals against the Michigan State Spartans, where he had two assists for his second career multi-point game.
Chesley finished the year with 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 36 games, He was fourth on the team with 52 blocks. Now that he has an entire year under his belt, he’s looking forward to an increased role.
He’s been in talks with Gophers coach Bob Mutzko about how he’ll fill the two-key void in Lacombe and Fabre, both of whom went on to the NHL.
“Next year with the opportunities she has, I think she will step up my attacking game and contribute more in that way,” Chesley said. “I think just proving myself in every situation is going to be important and making my presence feel like a leader to come back as a sophomore and hopefully one of the best defenders on the team.”
By Jacob Shires
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