Caleb Jay Jones (born June 6, 1997) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was drafted 117th overall by the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Jones has previously played for the Oilers,

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

, and

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

Playing career

Jones played junior hockey for the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

(WHL) and the United States National Team Development Program in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). He was selected in the 2015 NHL Draft in the 4th round by the

and signed an entry-level contract with them on April 7, 2016. Jones continued with the Winterhawks for the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons, though he did get called up for three games with the Oilers' farm team, the

Bakersfield Condors The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team based in Bakersfield, California. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Dignity Healt ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL), in 2015–16. Jones played the full 2017–18 season with the Condors, returning to their lineup for the 2018–19 season. Jones was called up by the Oilers on December 12, 2018, following an injury to Oscar Klefbom. He made his NHL debut on December 14 against the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

. On July 12, 2021, Jones was traded by the Oilers to the

, along with a conditional third-round pick in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, in exchange for

Duncan Keith Duncan Keith (born July 16, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. He won three Stanley Cup championships with Chicago i ...

and Tim Söderlund. After becoming an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

following the

2022–23 NHL season The 2022–23 NHL season was the 106th season of operation (105th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began on October 7, 2022, when the San Jose Sharks and the Nashville Predators played the first of two game ...

, Jones left the Blackhawks and was signed to a one-year, $775,000 contract with the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Con ...

on August 10, 2023. Before playing a regular-season game for Carolina, however, Jones was traded to the

on October 10, in exchange for Callahan Burke. Due to Carolina's lack of an AHL affiliate for the 2023–24 season, Jones had already been assigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...

the day before the trade. After a lone season with the Avalanche, Jones left the club as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, two-way contract for the season with the Los Angeles Kings on July 5, 2024.

Personal life

His older brother, also a defenseman, is

Seth Jones Jared Seth Jones (born October 3, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman, defenseman for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2013 NHL entry ...

. His father is former NBA player

Popeye Jones Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones (born June 17, 1970) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). College career B ...

, and was born in Arlington when his father was a member of the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Caleb 1997 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen African-American ice hockey players American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American men's ice hockey defensemen Bakersfield Condors players Chicago Blackhawks players Colorado Avalanche players Colorado Eagles players Edmonton Oilers draft picks Edmonton Oilers players Ice hockey people from Texas Los Angeles Kings players Ontario Reign (AHL) players Portland Winterhawks players Sportspeople from Arlington, Texas USA Hockey National Team Development Program players