| Ben Chiarot | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Chiarot with theMontreal Canadiens in 2021 | |||
| Born | (1991-05-09)May 9, 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 234 lb (106 kg; 16 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Detroit Red Wings Winnipeg Jets Montreal Canadiens Florida Panthers | ||
| NHL draft | 120th overall,2009 Atlanta Thrashers | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Ben Chiarot (born May 9, 1991) is a Canadian professionalice hockeydefenceman for theDetroit Red Wings of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 120th overall, by theAtlanta Thrashers in the2009 NHL Entry Draft. Chiarot has previously played for theWinnipeg Jets,Montreal Canadiens andFlorida Panthers.
Chiarot was born on May 9, 1991, inHamilton, Ontario,[1] to Tara and Matt Chiarot.[2]Canadian football ran in the Chiarot family: his grandfather Gord played for theHamilton Tiger-Cats andBC Lions of theCanadian Football League, while his father and uncle played college football forMcMaster University. Chiarot's father refused to allow him to play football as a child, however, and he focused onice hockey instead.[3] Chiarot playedminor ice hockey as adefenceman for the Mississauga IceDogs of theGreater Toronto Hockey League. In his final season with the team, he recorded 22goals and 64points in 75 regular season games, as well as five points in sevenOHL Cup games.[4]
Chiarot played major junior hockey in theOntario Hockey League (OHL) with theGuelph Storm,Sudbury Wolves, andSaginaw Spirit.
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He was selected by theAtlanta Thrashers in the 4th round (120th overall) of the2009 NHL Entry Draft, and made his professional debut in theAmerican Hockey League with theChicago Wolves during the2009–10 season. On March 16, 2011, theAtlanta Thrashers signed Chiarot to an entry-level contract.[5] On July 23, 2014, Chiarot signed a two-way deal, worth $600,000 with the Jets, after a strong campaign with the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League.[6] Chiarot scored his first NHL goal on January 3, 2015, in a 5-1 win over theToronto Maple Leafs.[7]
On June 18, 2015, the Winnipeg Jets resigned Chiarot to a two-year, $1.7 million contract extension.[8]
On June 24, 2017, the Jets re-signed Chiarot to a two-year, $2.8 million contract extension with an annual average of $1.4 million.[9]
After spending the first eight seasons of his professional career within the Thrashers/Jets franchise, Chiarot left as a free agent following the2018–19 season to a sign a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 4, 2019.[10] Later, on October 9, 2019, Chiarot scored his first goal with Montreal in a 5-4 overtime loss to theBuffalo Sabres.[11] In his first season in Montreal, he managed a new personal best of 9 goals and 12 assists in 69 games.
While playing with the Canadiens over the course of the contract, Chiarot assumed an increasingly prominent role in their defense corps, notably participating in the team's deep run to the2021 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to theTampa Bay Lightning. He led the Canadiens in ice time during the playoffs.[12] He later remarked "getting to the Finals is the pinnacle of what hockey is when you're playing for the Stanley Cup and it's down to two teams. I'll always be grateful that I had that experience because it's not one that everybody gets."[13]
Entering the final season of his contract, he became the subject of increasing speculation that he would be traded before the deadline in order to secure the Canadiens more picks in the2022 NHL Entry Draft.[14] Chiarot recorded 18 points in 54 games with the Canadiens, the last being an assist on the game-tying shorthanded goal in the final minute of the third period of a March 13 game against thePhiladelphia Flyers, leading to a 4–3 Canadiens victory in overtime.[15] On March 15, coachMartin St. Louis announced that he would sit out the remaining games in advance of the trade deadline to avoid injury.[16]
On March 16, 2022, Chiarot was traded by the Canadiens to theFlorida Panthers, for prospect Tyler Smilanic, a2023 first-round pick, and a2022 fourth-round pick.[17] Following the trade, Chiarot remained in Montreal rather than joining the team on the road, and made his debut with the club on March 24 in a game against the Canadiens. He registered his first assist with the team in the game, contributing to a 4–3 Panthers victory.[18] The Panthers won thePresidents' Trophy with the best regular season record in the NHL, and qualified for the2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Chiarot assumed a prominent role in the Panthers' defense during their first round series against theWashington Capitals, where they prevailed 4 games to 2, advancing to the second round for the first time in a quarter century.[19] Chariot was fined for head-buttingTampa Bay Lightning forwardRoss Colton in Game 1 of the second round.[20] The Panthers were swept by the Lightning, bringing their playoffs to an end.[21]
On July 13, 2022, Chiarot signed a four-year, $19 million contract with theDetroit Red Wings.[22]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2006–07 | Mississauga IceDogs AAA | GTHL U16 | 75 | 22 | 42 | 64 | 202 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 67 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 111 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2009–10 | Guelph Storm | OHL | 41 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 106 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 26 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 61 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Sudbury Wolves | OHL | 25 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL | 39 | 5 | 19 | 24 | 51 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 21 | ||
| 2011–12 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Colorado Eagles | ECHL | 24 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 61 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 65 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 96 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 2013–14 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. John's IceCaps | AHL | 24 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 40 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 70 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 59 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 57 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 32 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||
| 2018–19 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 78 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 61 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2020–21 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 41 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 50 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 2021–22 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 54 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 20 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 81 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 723 | 45 | 125 | 170 | 527 | 66 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 53 | ||||