Zac Dalpe helps shape future NHL talent

Zac Dalpe shares a laugh with his longtime supporter Doug Green (left) while Dalpe’s sons proudly sport Florida Panthers jerseys at a jersey retirement event held at the Brant Sports Complex last year. In our September 24th edition, we mistakenly identified Doug as Tyler Pelton — our apologies, Doug! Thanks for being a good sport, both on and off the ice.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

Paris hockey fans have a new reason to cheer for the Seattle Kraken. Hometown favourite Zac Dalpe, who recently retired from professional hockey, has landed a new role with the NHL club as a Player Development Consultant.

For Dalpe, who played more than 15 years of professional hockey across the NHL and AHL, the job represents what he calls “a new beginning.”

“Transitioning out of playing, it’s like pulling back the curtain,” Dalpe said. “To still be involved in a game I’ve played my entire life with another NHL team is really cool. I was just out for camp for two weeks, sitting in GM and coaches’ meetings, and getting a crash course on the other side of the curtain. It means a ton to be involved at a high capacity.”

The job, based out of Ontario, won’t mean uprooting his family or heavy travel. Instead, Dalpe will spend his time keeping an eye on prospects in driving distance, occasionally hopping on flights to places like Minnesota or North Dakota. His focus: building trust with players, helping evaluate their games, and guiding them toward an NHL roster spot.

“Whether it’s conversations, cutting video and going over their games, or getting on the ice to work on skills — the goal is to help get them into a Kraken uniform,” Dalpe said.

Dalpe admits deciding to hang up the skates wasn’t easy, but it was clear the time was right.

“Age, values and injuries were probably the three key things,” he said. “You have to weigh what’s important at this stage of your life — family is at the forefront, and your health.”

The move comes after a career marked not just by perseverance on the ice, but also by an outpouring of support from back home in Paris.

“It’s like a village to raise a hockey player,” Dalpe said. “When got to the NHL, the continued support people showed me definitely stood out. I’d get text messages all the time after games — sometimes when I felt like I didn’t play well — and those messages would brighten my mood. Getting this new job, those same people are reaching out again.”

Dalpe’s own career was built on determination. He never had the comfort of a long-term one-way NHL contract.

“I had to fight, scratch and claw to stay relevant in professional hockey,” he said. “Every year there’s a new wave of draft picks coming in.” So fifteen years of that experience, which he can relay to new prospects, is going to be really beneficial as they find their way in. “That’s why this job appealed to me — I can pass that knowledge along and try to leave the game better than when I came in.”

Asked what advice he’d give young athletes in Brant County with NHL dreams, Dalpe kept it simple.

“You have to be the hardest working guy on the ice. That’s the only way I knew how to do it,” he said. “I feel I created my own luck that way. You need passion to want to do the work, and if you have those two things along with a great support system, you will get rewarded for your hard work.”

That support system has included lifelong friends like Doug Green, who Dalpe still counts as one of his biggest backers. “Doug’s one of those guys I talk about sending me encouraging messages,” he said with a laugh. “I met him in the rinks in Paris, and now he’s my insurance agent and a friend. He’s always been such a great guy to our family.”

For Paris fans who watched his career from afar, Dalpe’s next chapter may look a little different — but he promises the same dedication and drive that carried him through his playing days.

“I’m excited to be part of forming this new team,” Dalpe said. “And to do it while still calling Ontario home is the best of both worlds.”