An up-and-coming legend of Newmarket, Ontario,[1] Byfield is the son of Clinton Byfield, who is Jamaican,[1] and Nicole Kasper, who is Canadian.[2][3] His parents met when his mom was a student at the University of Toronto and his dad had just moved from Jamaica to Toronto.[4] He was raised with his oldest sister, Chloe, in a Toronto suburb, and also has an older half-sister.[4] Although neither his mom nor dad played hockey when they were younger,[1][3] his parents built an ice rink in their backyard so that his friends and he could play hockey.[3]
As a teenager, Byfield was named the 2002 Division’s All-Tournament Most Valuable Player At Pro-Am’s 2015 Mini Chowder Cup.[5] At the age of 15, he played AAA hockey in the Toronto area and first met former NHL player Gary Roberts, who encouraged him to join his training and development program.[4]
Career
Byfield was drafted first overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2018 OHL Draft and won both OHL Rookie of the Year and CHL Rookie of the Year.[6] In 2018–19, he put up 29 goals and 61 points in 64 games.[7]
Byfield during warmups on Los Angeles Kings Pride night in 2022
After his second overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Byfield was signed by the Los Angeles Kings to a three-year, entry-level contract on October 16, 2020.[8] He was assigned to the Kings' American Hockey League (AHL) roster to begin the 2020–21 season where he played on a line with Akil Thomas and Devante Smith-Pelly. His line became the first all-Black line in professional ice hockey since Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie, and Manny McIntyre in the 1940s. During their first game together, Thomas recorded a natural hat-trick and his line combined for six points in the eventual win.[9] On April 28, 2021, Byfield made his NHL debut in a 3–2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks.[10] He recorded his first NHL point on May 5, 2021, in a 4–2 win over the Arizona Coyotes.[11]
In October 2021, Byfield fractured his ankle, keeping him from joining the Kings.[12] Byfield eventually returned to the NHL level on January 20, 2022.[13] He scored his first NHL goal in a matchup against the New York Islanders on January 27, in a 3–2 win over the New York Islanders.[14] On April 25, 2023, Byfield scored his first NHL Playoff goal in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.[15]
On July 16, 2024, Byfield (a restricted free agent) signed a five-year, $31.25 million contract extension with the Kings.[16]
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