Ryan Chesley (born February 27, 2004) 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

Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

in 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). He was selected in the second round, 37th overall, by the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Chesley played two seasons with the

USA Hockey National Team Development Program The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) represents the United States in the IIHF World U18 Championship. Additionally the team plays domestically against opponents in the United States Hockey League (under-17 and under-18 t ...

, spending 2021–22 season with the under-18 team, and the 2020–21 season with the under-17 team. On July 8, 2022, Chesley was drafted in the second round, 37th overall, by the

in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Chesley began his

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...

for the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

during the 2022–23 season. During his freshman year he recorded two goals and eight assists in 36 games. During the 2023–24 season, in his sophomore year, he recorded two goals and six assists in 37 games. He led the league with 74 blocked shots. Following the season he was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. During the 2024–25 season, in his junior year, he recorded eight goals and 12 assists in 40 games. Following the season he was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honoree.

International play

Chesley first represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

internationally at the

2020 Winter Youth Olympics The 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (; ; ; ), officially known as the III Winter Youth Olympic Games and commonly known as Lausanne 2020 (Italian and Romansh: ''Losanna 2020''), were the third edition of the Winter Youth Olympics; a major int ...

, where he recorded one goal and two assists in four games and won a silver medal. The following year, he was named to

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

for the

2021 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2021 IIHF World U18 Championship was the 22nd such IIHF World U18 Championship, event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams would have participated at several levels of competition. The competition also would have served a ...

, where he recorded one goal in five games. He again represented Team USA at the

2022 IIHF World U18 Championships The 2022 IIHF World U18 Championship was the 23rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams participated at several levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2023 competition. On 28 Fe ...

, where he recorded two goals and three assists in six games, and won a silver medal. Team USA lost the championship game against

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, despite outshooting them 51–15 during the game. On December 12, 2022, Chesley was named to the national junior team to compete at the

2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2023 WJHC'') was the 47th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, held from 26 December 2022 to 5 January 2023. It was won by Canada men's national j ...

. During the tournament he recorded one assist in seven games and won a bronze medal. On December 16, 2023, Chesley was again named to Team USA's roster to compete at the

2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2024 WJHC'') was the 48th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, held from 26 December 2023 to 5 January 2024. This was the seventh time Sweden hoste ...

. Serving as an alternate captain, he recorded one goal and three assists in seven games and won a gold medal. He skated on the top defensive pairing with

Lane Hutson Lane Hutson (born February 14, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey Defenceman, defenseman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 62nd overall, by the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL ...

Personal life

Chesley was born to Steve and Paula Chesley. He has an older sister named Rachel.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chesley, Ryan 2004 births Living people Ice hockey players from Minnesota Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players Montreal Canadiens draft picks People from Mahtomedi, Minnesota USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Youth Olympic silver medalists for the United States 21st-century American sportsmen