NHL Defenseman Cares More About Teammate’s Salvation Than Winning Games

Published: September 23, 2025

By Mallory Mattingly

NHL defenseman Jaccob Slavin is always ready to share the gospel, even if it means answering some “funny questions” to get there.

While on the “Sports Spectrum” podcast, Slavin recalled meeting teammate Jalen Chatfield.

“As soon as he came back to camp, he came to church with us, and then on the plane rides, we started talking,” Slavin recalled. “We start just talking about the gospel. He has some of the funniest questions, though, when it comes to the gospel. A lot of, if you think about it, like second and third issues that aren’t like primary gospel conversations. He wants to know about the dinosaurs and all that kind of stuff. So, those are a lot of the questions about it before.”

“There was one dinner we had on the road, and we were at a steakhouse talking about all this stuff,” he continued. “And we used the analogy when the food came. I was just like, ‘Alright, this big plate, this steak right here, this is the gospel. This is what Jesus did. This is who Jesus was. This is Him dying on the cross for our sins. And this is the only way to salvation. All these other side plates — the asparagus, the mashed potatoes — all that stuff is just secondary, and it doesn’t affect what the steak is.'”

Several months later, Chatfield was saved at one of the team’s chapel services and then baptized by Slavin and their chaplain.

“I think back over my career, and all the moments that have happened. And by far, that’s the top one, because I feel like as Christians, right, that’s our purpose. We’re supposed to go evangelize. We’re supposed to share the good news of the gospel. I mean, I’ve said it before, but like, if my whole [I] career never won the cup or anything, but Jalen came to know the Lord, that’s a successful career for sure,” Slavin declared.

Slavin just completed his tenth year in the NHL.

“Crazy how fast that’s been! But what a fun year with lots of great memories!” he shared in a post on Instagram featuring Galatians 1:10, which reads, “For am I now seeking the approval of man or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”