Kevin A. Cheveldayoff (born February 4, 1970) is a Canadian

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

executive and former player who is currently the executive vice president and general manager of the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Playing career

Cheveldayoff played his junior hockey with the

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Previously, they played in the Manitoba Junior Hocke ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major 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 h ...

. He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the New York Islanders in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He played five seasons in the minor leagues, most notably with the

Capital District Islanders The Capital District Islanders were a team in the American Hockey League based in Troy, New York, which is located within a region popularly called the Capital District. The Islanders were the principal minor league affiliate of the National Hock ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

, having had his career cut short by a knee injury. He never played a game in the NHL.

Front office

Minor leagues

After his playing career, Cheveldayoff joined the

Denver Grizzlies Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

of the International Hockey League for three seasons as an assistant to head coach

Butch Goring Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. He is a four- ...

. In his first two seasons with the Grizzlies (1994-95 in Denver; 1995-96 in Utah), the team won the

Turner Cup The Turner Cup was the championship trophy of the International Hockey League from 1945 to 2001 and the renamed United Hockey League from 2007 to 2010. The Cup was named for Joe Turner, a goaltender from Windsor, Ontario. Turner became professi ...

as IHL champions. Cheveldayoff left the Grizzlies in 1997 to become the general manager of the

Chicago Wolves The Chicago Wolves are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League and are the top minor-league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The Wolves play home games at the Allstate Arena in the C ...

, also of the IHL. The Wolves won two Turner Cups under Cheveldayoff. After the demise of the IHL in 2001, the Wolves were absorbed into the American Hockey League and, in their first season, won the

Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its cur ...

as AHL champions. They won a second AHL championship in 2007-08.

National Hockey League

The

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 i ...

hired Cheveldayoff as their assistant general manager for the 2009-2010 season, working under general manager Stan Bowman. In his first season with the Hawks, the team won the Stanley Cup, defeating 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. The team plays its home games in Well ...

in six games. Cheveldayoff spent two seasons with the Hawks. On June 8, 2011, Cheveldayoff was unveiled as the new general manager of the new

, replacing

Rick Dudley Richard Clarence Dudley (born January 31, 1949) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive, former coach and former player. Dudley is presently serving as a Senior Advisor for the Florida Panthers. Dudley has previously served as an executiv ...

. Dudley and most of the Atlanta Thrashers staff were let go after the team was purchased by

True North Sports & Entertainment True North Sports and Entertainment Limited (TNSE or TNS&E) is a Canadian company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that owns and operates Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. The company also ow ...

and relocated to Winnipeg. Longtime

Manitoba Moose The Manitoba Moose are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and a member of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team plays its home games at Canada Life Centre, the home arena of its parent club, Winnipeg Jets ...

general manager Craig Heisinger, a friend of Cheveldayoff's from their days with the Wheat Kings, was named as his assistant. In addition, Cheveldayoff is also an executive vice-president with True North. On October 5, 2014, Cheveldayoff traded

Eric Tangradi Eric Tangradi (born February 10, 1989) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger. He played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, and Barys Nur-Sultan in the Kontinent ...

to the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...

in return for

Peter Budaj Peter Budaj ( ; born 18 September 1982) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey goaltender. He had previously played in the National Hockey League for the Colorado Avalanche, which drafted him, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, and Tam ...

and Patrick Holland. This marked the first NHL "player for player" trade Cheveldayoff had made in his (at the time) 3+ years as Jets' general manager. On May 16, 2018, Cheveldayoff was named a finalist for the

NHL General Manager of the Year Award The Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award is awarded annually to the top National Hockey League general manager as voted by "a 41-member panel that included all 31 general managers, five NHL executives and five media members." First awarded ...

after he guided the Jets to their best regular season record and to the Western Conference Finals for the first time ever. On February 25, 2019, Cheveldayoff was named the TSN TradeCentre GM of the Day, for his transactions at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline. In May 2021, the Chicago Blackhawks launched an internal investigation after two former players alleged they were sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldrich during the

2010 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season. The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to ...

. The findings of the investigation were released on October 25, revealing that Cheveldayoff, then an assistant general manager for Chicago, was part of a group of executives within the Blackhawks who knew of the allegations against Aldrich, but failed to file a formal police report. On October 29, Cheveldayoff met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who concluded was Cheveldayoff's involvement in the matter was too limited to justify disciplining him.

Personal

Cheveldayoff and his wife Janet have two children. Cheveldayoff is the younger brother of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

politician

Ken Cheveldayoff Ken Cheveldayoff (born April 1, 1965) is a Canadian provincial politician. He is the Saskatchewan Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the constituency of Saskatoon Willowgrove. In 2018 he was a candidate for the leaders ...

, who was first elected in 2003, and later served as a cabinet minister in the Saskatchewan Party governments of both

Brad Wall Bradley John Wall (born November 24, 1965), is a Canadian former politician who served as the 14th premier of Saskatchewan from November 21, 2007 until February 2, 2018. He is the fourth longest-tenured premier in the province's history. His so ...

and

Scott Moe Scott Moe (born July 31, 1973) is a Canadian politician serving as the 15th and current premier of Saskatchewan since February 2, 2018. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook, first elect ...

Career statistics

References

External links

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Kevin Cheveldayoff bio
o
Winnipeg Jets Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheveldayoff, Kevin 1970 births Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey defencemen Capital District Islanders players Chicago Blackhawks executives Chicago Wolves Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Living people National Hockey League first-round draft picks National Hockey League general managers New York Islanders draft picks Sportspeople from Saskatoon Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players Springfield Indians players Stanley Cup champions Winnipeg Jets executives Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States