Chatting with “Addy”: Meet Comets’ Defenseman, Calen Addison
Nov 3, 2025Utica, NY – Last week, we caught up with one of the Comets’ offseason acquisitions, defenseman Calen Addison, who was signed by the New Jersey Devils to a one-year, two-way contract in July.
While Utica represents the latest stop on Addison’s professional hockey journey, he took us back to square one. Addison was born 130 miles west of Winnipeg in Brandon, MB, the province’s second-largest city with a population just north of 50,000. In 2002, the Addison’s moved to Thompson, MB, 90 minutes southeast of Brandon, when Calen was two years old. It was around the same time that he skated for the first time. “We’ve always been a big hockey family. My grandpa, my mom, and my dad got me into it super early and were always out there with me. Being from up there, it’s rare to see someone who doesn't skate or play hockey. You don’t get forced into it, but it’s prevalent and I started at a young age and stuck with it.”
At the end of 2007, Calen’s younger sister was born, and his family moved back to Brandon where his youth hockey career began. He traveled frequently to and from Winnipeg for games, a five-hour round trip, but there was always good competition which laid a solid foundation for him.
Situated right in Brandon, however, were the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), the highest tier of Canadian junior hockey. The Addison’s had been longtime season ticket holders, and Calen frequently attended games with his dad and grandfather at the Keystone Centre where his dream of someday playing in the WHL formed.
That dream came true in 2016 when Addison made his WHL debut with the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the age of 15. It was his first time moving away from home and he was far from it, nearly 600 miles. While playing in college crossed his mind, his heart was set on playing major junior hockey. “In my opinion, it’s the best route to pro because you’re playing so many games and the Western League is hard travel, it’s long road trips, it’s a lot of nights in hotels, and the biggest thing is it’s a lot of games. When you’re playing underage at 15 and then coming in at 16, you’re playing against guys who are 20 and 21. I just think the lifestyle and grind translates really well to pro and it helped me for sure.”
Ahead of his third season in Lethbridge, Addison was selected in the second round and 53rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 NHL Draft. After racking up 65 points in 67 games as a defenseman with Lethbridge that next season, he made his professional debut with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) later that same season and recorded two points in three games. The following 2019-20 season was Addison's fourth and final in Lethbridge which was unfortunately cut short by the pandemic, but he continued to produce at a torrid pace, registering 52 points in 50 games.
The call that Addison had waited his entire life for came the next season when he made his NHL debut on February 16th, 2021, as a member of the Minnesota Wild who were in LA taking on the Kings. It was an interesting time with the NHL still under COVID-19 protocol and no fans in the arena, but it was undoubtedly a special moment. He played three games for the Wild that season, and an additional 31 games with their AHL affiliate in Des Moines, the Iowa Wild.
The 2022-23 season was the highlight of Addison's career, suiting up in 62 NHL games with the Wild and recording 29 points. “We were a close team; a lot of those guys are still my best friends and always will be. The ‘State of Hockey’ was unbelievable. The way we were treated was amazing. The fans were incredible. I loved it there.” When asked about some of his favorite memories of playing in the NHL, Addison said it was the friendships he made and getting to play alongside guys that he looked up to as a kid, such as Marc-Andre Fleury whom Addison was teammates with for a year and a half in Minnesota.
He spent the majority of the 2024-25 season in Nevada with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL). After going through what he described as a tough season with the San Jose Sharks (NHL) the year prior, he said that being in Henderson was the perfect reset. “It made me enjoy going to the rink every day again. It brought me back to the energy level I needed to be at. Living out there is second to none.”
As Addison has learned throughout his career, things can change in the blink of an eye, for better or worse. In March of 2025, he was traded from Henderson to the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL), a tough transition and a city that he mentioned did not match the quality of life he had enjoyed in Henderson. Despite the disappointment, Addison said the experience made him stronger and ultimately led him to Utica, which he has thoroughly enjoyed so far. “You don’t need too much to be satisfied. We go to the rink for a few hours and then after that, you have your apartment, you have your buddies, a lot of whom are in the same building or close by. There’s no traffic, it’s easy going, and for me that’s nice. I barely touch my car; I pretty much walk everywhere. The fans are great, and the organization treats us very well.”
Away from the rink, Addison enjoys playing golf, pickleball, and tennis. He added that he wishes he knew how to play guitar but isn’t sure he has the patience for it. A fun fact he shared is that he was born on April 11th at 11:11 am.
Calen Addison and the Comets are back home this Friday at 7 pm when they host the Belleville Senators on Muzzys and Mullets Night. For tickets, just call 315-790-9070 or visit uticacomets.com/tickets.