“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
-Galatians 1:10
Born in Erie, Colorado, from a young age Jaccob Slavin always demonstrated unheralded hockey potential. After playing collegiately at Colorado College, Slavin left after his sophomore year to begin playing for the Carolina Hurricanes. He quickly made his impact, soon signing a 7 year contract extension and becoming an alternate captain for the Hurricanes. But throughout his successes, Slavin has credited his faith as being the reason behind his success.
Throughout Slavin’s childhood, faith was always a priority for his family. But certain experiences and circumstances have grown his faith and led him to where he is today. 
“I was raised in a Christian home, so my faith has definitely always been a part of who I am. It wasn’t till I moved away from home to play juniors in Chicago that it really became the most important thing in my life. Once I moved away from the Christian family setting, I had to really pursue my own relationship with Jesus Christ.” Since then, that relationship for Slavin has continued to grow and remains with him on the ice today.
As a leader for the Hurricanes, Slavin has focused on being a role model for those both on the ice and those watching as well. Slavin holds his faith close and relies on it to help him throughout the taxing hockey season. “My faith has the biggest influence on my career. It gives me a whole different purpose in playing the game. It’s not about me or my success, but rather it’s about glorifying God. He is the one who has given me the platform that I have so I want to use it to spread the Gospel.” Throughout his career, Slavin has emphasized using his platform to glorify God and inspire countless others.
In hockey, faith is not as often on display as in other sports. But Slavin has not let that prohibit him from using his platform to lead by example and make an impact. 
“Hockey has the least amount of Christians out of the 4 major sports in America. So I’ve found the best way is the relationships I’m able to build with guys on the team. Love them and serve them how Jesus would. The conversations will come from the relationship you’ve built.” Those relationships have been the priority for Slavin throughout his career. Through that building of relationships, he has developed friends of all different kinds of backgrounds and upbringings and shown love to everyone he connects with.
Recently, Slavin has also been using his voice to advocate for change in our world. In the wake of recent protests and racial injustices in the United States, Slavin spoke out. He and his wife, Kylie, adopted their Black daughter, Emersyn, and he has voiced against racism and emphasized showing love to all of God’s creation. He posted these words on his Instagram account: “We show we care by how we love one another… I hate racism. It’s evil. God created every single man and woman in His image regardless of the shade of our skin.” Those thoughtful words have helped open many eyes towards the issues we face and the love that we can instead exude; to listen and love as we hear people’s stories.
Slavin continues to be a powerful presence in the NHL both on the ice as one of the most productive defensemen in the league, but also off the ice and the impact he is making. His encouragement has touched so many lives and he has made an impact that will last a lifetime.
