Michael Chaput

History

2007-08: Michael Chaput was drafted in the first round (9th overall) of the 2008 QMJHL Draft by the Lewiston MAINEiacs.

2008-09: In his QMJHL rookie season, Chaput played 29 games for the MAINEiacs.  He scored 3 goals and added 7 assists for 10 points to go along with 34 penalty minutes.  Michael is the brother of Stefan Chaput (CAR).

2009-10: Chaput played in 68 games for the Lewiston MAINEiacs, scoring 28 goals and adding 27 assists for 55 points.  He added on 60 penalty minutes for the season.  In 4 playoff games, he picked up 1 assist. Chaput was selected by Philadelphia in the third round (89th overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft. 

2010-11: Chaput was the second-leading scorer for the Lewiston MAINEiacs in his third QMJHL season. he scored 25 goals with 34 assists and was plus-23 with 97 PMs in 62 games as the MAINEiacs finished second in the East Division and advanced to the third round of the playoffs. Chaput tied for the team lead in playoff scoring despite missing two games – finishing with 7 goals and 13 assists. Columbus obtained the rights to Chaput in February 2011 in a trade deadline deal with the Flyers.

2011-12: Chaput joined the Shawinigan Cataractes to start the season and he flourished. He scored 21 goals and 42 assists in only 57 games and had a plus-39 rating. In the playoffs he was just above a point-per-game pace with 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in 11 games.

2012-13: Signed to an entry-level three-year contract by the Blue Jackets in April 2012, Chaput skated in 73 games for Columbus AHL affiliate Springfield as a 20-year-old. He scored 13 goals with 19 assists and was minus-2 with 57 penalty minutes. Springfield finished first in the Northeast Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. In eight playoff games Chaput scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was minus-3 with 4 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Chaput made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets in October and skated in 17 games with Columbus in his second pro season — spending the rest of the year with AHL affiliate Springfield. He had 1 assist and was an even plus/minus with 2 penalty minutes; averaging nine minutes of ice time per game during this time with the Blue Jackets.  Chaput scored 19 goals with 26 assists to lead the Falcons in scoring and was minus-4 with 51 penalty minutes in 55 regular season games. Springfield finished first in the Northeast Division before falling to Providence in a five-game first-round playoff series. Chaput scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was minus-4 with 6 penalty minutes in five playoff games. 

2014-15: Chaput skated in 33 games for the Blue Jackets in his third pro season — splitting the season between Columbus and AHL affiliate Springfield. He scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was -8 with 21 penalty minutes, averaging ten minutes of ice time with the Blue Jackets. Chaput scored 10 goals with 11 assists and was +2 with 22 penalty minutes in 45 AHL games for the Falcons. Springfield missed the AHL playoffs, finishing one point behind Portland for the final playoff spot.

2015-16: Chaput skated in three mid-season games with Columbus in December and re-joined the Blue Jackets in late March, spending most of the season with the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters. After scoring a goal against the Flyers on December 4th he did not have any points before returning to Lake Erie and had 1 assist in his first five games when re-called in March. Chaput was among the leading scorers for the Monsters, who reached the playoffs after battling for the top spot in the Central Division most of the year.

Talent Analysis

The younger brother of one-time Carolina defenseman prospect Stephane Chaput, he may be a bit more offensively savvy than his older sibling, but they share the ability to contribute at both ends of the ice. He has the ability to get lost in high traffic areas, which makes him dangerous in the offensive zone. On defense he relies on his speed and positioning to slow down attacking forwards rather than his physicality. Chaput shows a knack for sneaking through traffic and finding open ice.  He is great in the face-off dot .

Future

Chaput has been one of the top forwards for new Columbus AHL affiliate Lake Erie in 2015-16 while seeing fourth-line minutes for the Blue Jackets in two brief call-ups. Now in his fourth pro season, he is still working to crack an NHL lineup on a permanent basis. His scoring skill suggests there is some potential but he is equally likely to spend the rest of his career as a player who shuttles between the NHL and the AHL. He would also likely command a big salary in Europe and that could be an option.