Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois is conducting a media call as I type this up so the chances of him signing someone in the next 15 minutes is pretty slim. However, before the press conference started, he snuck one more signing in on us. The Bolts signed 25-year-old Mitchell Chaffee to a one-year, two-way contract that would have a cap hit of $775,000 if he makes the NHL roster.
Chaffee, 6’1″ and 201 lbs, most recently played with the Minnesota Wild, appearing in two games with them back in 2021-22. Last year a knee injury limited him to just 10 games with the AHL Iowa Wild, but he did score 5 goals and added 2 assists. The previous season he put up 23 goals in 49 goals with Iowa. Not too shabby.
Prior to his injury, our friends at Hockey Wilderness had ranked 17th in their Top 25 Under 25 noting that:
“Chaffee is an exceptional sharpshooter at the right circle and shows his ability to score on the power play…Most of the highlights you come across are of this guy shooting pucks. He’s a proven scorer at every level he’s had the opportunity to play.”
Can he crack the Lightning line-up? Maybe, but if he doesn’t he would be an excellent addition to a Syracuse Crunch team that needs some scoring. He’s not necessarily a grinder, but can play a heavy game and possesses a NHL-level shot. The organization could use some pure scorers and Chaffee could fill that role at the AHL level.
Official Press Release
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed free agent forward Mitchell Chaffee to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 at the NHL level, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
The 25-year-old Chaffee made his NHL debut April 19, 2022 while a member of the Minnesota Wild and has played two games total in the NHL, both with Minnesota during the 2021-22 season, posting a plus-one rating with one shot and seven hits.
Chaffee was a touted NCAA free agent following his career at UMass that was pursued by several NHL teams before the Wild signed him during the pandemic break.
Chaffee spent the 2022-23 season with Minnesota’s American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa where he skated in 10 games and posted five goals, seven points and a plus-eight rating before a knee injury cut his season short. Chaffee has played in 87 career AHL games, all over the last three seasons with Iowa, recording 30 goals, 63 points and a plus-25 rating. During the 2021-22 season, he ranked second on the Wild for goals (23) and fourth for scoring (39 pts.).
The 6-foot-1, 201-pound Chaffee went undrafted after three seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and was originally signed by Minnesota as a free agent on March 24, 2020.
