Flames players welcome NHL star Slavin to practice before panel discussion at Convocation
9/4/2025 6:39:00 PM | Men's D1 Hockey
Members of Liberty’s Division I men’s hockey team were moved and challenged by Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin’s testimony in the locker room during Tuesday's visit to LaHaye Ice Center.
With the start of their season just days away, members of Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team welcomed Carolina Hurricanes defenseman and alternate captain Jaccob Slavin into their locker room at the LaHaye Ice Center for a meet-and-greet Q&A session during Tuesday afternoon's practice session.
"It was an awesome opportunity for our guys to hear from Jaccob Slavin on his faith and hockey and for him to invest in our guys," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "It was the first time we've ever had an NHL player come and visit, and I was amazed at how well it worked out."
Slavin is an outspoken Christian who in 2021 and 2024 was awarded the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial trophy given each year to the player showcasing the most sportsmanship. He was only assessed a total of 10 penalty minutes in those two seasons.
"It was awesome," Flames Assistant Coach Ben Hughes said. "We got to pray with him and for him. How cool was that, that one of the best hockey players in the world, who loves Jesus, just came and encouraged our guys?"
Handy was impressed by Slavin's personal demeanor and professional approach, as well as the spiritual impact he had on the team. Slavin spoke to Liberty's team before signing autographs and posing for photos with players.
"With every autograph he signs, he writes AGTG and Galatians 1:10," Handy said of the acronym that stands for All Glory To God and Scripture verse that emphasizes being a bondservant of Christ and not seeking the approval of man. "Those things are big for me, seeing him and the way he lives out his life and the example he leaves."
Hughes said Slavin challenged the players and sharpened them in their faith, and the message he communicated was indelible, especially at this early stage of the season.
"First and foremost, your identity has to be in Christ," Hughes said, noting the discussion served as a catalyst for continued locker room conversations. "Guys that are even here at a Christian university that may be following the Lord and who grew up in a Christian household, they need to hear that and get that encouragement as well, along with those guys that maybe are searching and are wondering about their faith."
At Convocation on Wednesday morning in the Vines Center, Slavin and his wife, Kylie, participated in a panel discussion led by Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell and featuring Handy and Sid Graham, the Carolina Hurricanes' team chaplain, later launching more than a dozen autographed foam pucks into the crowd with his hockey stick.
The Slavins shared their testimonies of how they came to Christ after false conversions as youth that left them living in legalism and unconfessed sin.
"In high school, my relationship with God was based on works," said Jaccob Slavin, who grew up in Erie, Colo., with four athletic brothers — Justin, Josiah, Jeremiah, and Jordan. "Don't drink, don't cuss, don't have sex, and OK, you're a good Christian."
He experienced transformation after moving from Colorado to Chicago as a senior in high school playing two-plus seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL and being selected by the Hurricanes with the 120th pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
"I had to be separated from my family, from that little Christian bubble I had at home," Slavin said. "I had to find my own faith, my own walk with the Lord. That was really where my faith journey started."
Rather than going straight to the NHL, he opted to play NCAA Division I hockey back at Colorado College, where he met Kylie, who encouraged him in his walk with the Lord before they were married at age 21.
"God has been so faithful … in getting us to the spot where He is our foundation," Slavin said. "He is our joy, He is our hope, and hockey is just a sport to us."
Amidst the craziness of balancing his All-Star career as a shutdown defenseman with the Hurricanes and Team USA representative with his family time, the Slavins have found Christian community at Summit Church in Raleigh, N.C., one of two locations Liberty held Convocation on the Road in June, pastored by frequent Convocation speaker J.D. Greear.
By remaining grounded in his faith, Slavin, 31, has been able to avoid the pitfalls of stardom and trappings in this world, including the love of money, which is tempting having signed a recent eight-year contract extension worth over $50 million.
"Money can be an idol for any of us," he said. "Over the course of our career, we've learned and God has been so kind to show us graciously how much more it is than just about tithing, just giving money. … What does it mean to be a good steward of your time, your talents, and your treasure? We've come to realize that everything we have is all God's. We're just the stewards of it, and we really want to make sure that we do a good job of honoring the Lord with what He's given us."
He and Kylie have been able to instill that mentality into their adopted daughter, Emersyn, 6, and their 3-year-old biological son. Over the summer, Emersyn started setting up lemonade stands and giving away some of the profits, experiencing some of the same joy her parents have through their generous, sacrificial giving, including pledging $500,000 to Compassion International last winter.
The Flames' players sat in the same section near the floor of the Vines Center and had further opportunity to meet Slavin and his wife, along with their many fans, afterwards.
"For our guys to meet a guy of his caliber hockey-wise and then just to see how he loves the Lord, and how he's truly using the platform God's given him and using hockey as a means to worship the Lord was so encouraging," Hughes said. "That's what we're trying to train our guys on, too. How can we make the way we practice, what we say, how we skate, how we shoot, truly be worship unto the Lord? And I think Jacob nailed it. You can feel his freedom in talking about his hockey game."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Liberty Broadcast Experience video
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"It was an awesome opportunity for our guys to hear from Jaccob Slavin on his faith and hockey and for him to invest in our guys," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said. "It was the first time we've ever had an NHL player come and visit, and I was amazed at how well it worked out."
Slavin is an outspoken Christian who in 2021 and 2024 was awarded the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial trophy given each year to the player showcasing the most sportsmanship. He was only assessed a total of 10 penalty minutes in those two seasons.
"It was awesome," Flames Assistant Coach Ben Hughes said. "We got to pray with him and for him. How cool was that, that one of the best hockey players in the world, who loves Jesus, just came and encouraged our guys?"
Handy was impressed by Slavin's personal demeanor and professional approach, as well as the spiritual impact he had on the team. Slavin spoke to Liberty's team before signing autographs and posing for photos with players.
"With every autograph he signs, he writes AGTG and Galatians 1:10," Handy said of the acronym that stands for All Glory To God and Scripture verse that emphasizes being a bondservant of Christ and not seeking the approval of man. "Those things are big for me, seeing him and the way he lives out his life and the example he leaves."
Hughes said Slavin challenged the players and sharpened them in their faith, and the message he communicated was indelible, especially at this early stage of the season.
"First and foremost, your identity has to be in Christ," Hughes said, noting the discussion served as a catalyst for continued locker room conversations. "Guys that are even here at a Christian university that may be following the Lord and who grew up in a Christian household, they need to hear that and get that encouragement as well, along with those guys that maybe are searching and are wondering about their faith."
At Convocation on Wednesday morning in the Vines Center, Slavin and his wife, Kylie, participated in a panel discussion led by Liberty Chancellor Jonathan Falwell and featuring Handy and Sid Graham, the Carolina Hurricanes' team chaplain, later launching more than a dozen autographed foam pucks into the crowd with his hockey stick.
The Slavins shared their testimonies of how they came to Christ after false conversions as youth that left them living in legalism and unconfessed sin.
"In high school, my relationship with God was based on works," said Jaccob Slavin, who grew up in Erie, Colo., with four athletic brothers — Justin, Josiah, Jeremiah, and Jordan. "Don't drink, don't cuss, don't have sex, and OK, you're a good Christian."
He experienced transformation after moving from Colorado to Chicago as a senior in high school playing two-plus seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL and being selected by the Hurricanes with the 120th pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
"I had to be separated from my family, from that little Christian bubble I had at home," Slavin said. "I had to find my own faith, my own walk with the Lord. That was really where my faith journey started."
Rather than going straight to the NHL, he opted to play NCAA Division I hockey back at Colorado College, where he met Kylie, who encouraged him in his walk with the Lord before they were married at age 21.
"God has been so faithful … in getting us to the spot where He is our foundation," Slavin said. "He is our joy, He is our hope, and hockey is just a sport to us."
Amidst the craziness of balancing his All-Star career as a shutdown defenseman with the Hurricanes and Team USA representative with his family time, the Slavins have found Christian community at Summit Church in Raleigh, N.C., one of two locations Liberty held Convocation on the Road in June, pastored by frequent Convocation speaker J.D. Greear.
By remaining grounded in his faith, Slavin, 31, has been able to avoid the pitfalls of stardom and trappings in this world, including the love of money, which is tempting having signed a recent eight-year contract extension worth over $50 million.
"Money can be an idol for any of us," he said. "Over the course of our career, we've learned and God has been so kind to show us graciously how much more it is than just about tithing, just giving money. … What does it mean to be a good steward of your time, your talents, and your treasure? We've come to realize that everything we have is all God's. We're just the stewards of it, and we really want to make sure that we do a good job of honoring the Lord with what He's given us."
He and Kylie have been able to instill that mentality into their adopted daughter, Emersyn, 6, and their 3-year-old biological son. Over the summer, Emersyn started setting up lemonade stands and giving away some of the profits, experiencing some of the same joy her parents have through their generous, sacrificial giving, including pledging $500,000 to Compassion International last winter.
The Flames' players sat in the same section near the floor of the Vines Center and had further opportunity to meet Slavin and his wife, along with their many fans, afterwards.
"For our guys to meet a guy of his caliber hockey-wise and then just to see how he loves the Lord, and how he's truly using the platform God's given him and using hockey as a means to worship the Lord was so encouraging," Hughes said. "That's what we're trying to train our guys on, too. How can we make the way we practice, what we say, how we skate, how we shoot, truly be worship unto the Lord? And I think Jacob nailed it. You can feel his freedom in talking about his hockey game."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Liberty Broadcast Experience video
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