Chiarot continues to embrace leadership role with Red Wings

DETROIT -- One of Ben Chiarot’s strengths as a leader is his ability to hold himself and his teammates accountable, a skill that the Detroit Red Wings defenseman believes he’s developed over time.

“It’s a process, for sure,” Chiarot said on Sept. 27. “Building that trust that you’re not just coming down on a guy because he’s not doing something right. Knowing that you’re coming from a good place when you’re doing it. Having that relationship with each guy. You can be hard on them and know after the game that you’re still one of the guys. It’s nothing personal. Once you have that built, once the team is a close unit off the ice, then I think on-ice things go a little smoother when you’re trying to keep each other accountable.”

An 11-year NHL veteran, Chiarot naturally morphed into the Red Wings’ leadership group after signing a four-year free-agent deal with Detroit ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. He’s seen clear growth from the club since then, especially after last season, when the Red Wings pushed for a Stanley Cup Playoffs spot.

“The experience that [the returning players] got down the stretch playing important games, sort of a lite playoff experience, where every game matters,” Chiarot said. “You need those points desperately. The first piece to learning what it takes to play in the playoffs and win in the playoffs is having that desperation.”

Chiarot, who recorded 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 77 games last season, is confident the Red Wings have the makeup to get where they want to go in 2024-25.

"Some scoring goes out, some veterans go out, but we have guys come in that are very similar to those roles,” Chiarot said. “In saying that, having similar makeup, how close we were, we get a little bit more buy-in defensively. We had a tough streak there at the end of the season through March. I wouldn’t say that’s a normal circumstance by any stretch. Avoiding those long streaks like that, and buying in defensively, those are going to be two keys for us.”

Chiarot said successful NHL clubs prioritize a good defensive mindset because it establishes a solid foundation for the entire season.

“It’s kind of in them from Day 1 of Training Camp because they know what it is and what it looks like,” Chiarot said. “Younger teams, or teams that are kind of coming together, they have to learn that.”

And according to Chiarot, that’s exactly what the Red Wings want to do too.

“The first month sets a good tone for the season, getting off on a strong foot,” Chiarot said. “It’s important for a team like ours that’s trying to build something. There will be urgency right from Day 1.”