North Carolina's Kayden Beasley To Play For Team USA at Paralympic Winter Games

RALEIGH, N.C. - Hurricanes Sled Hockey will be represented on the world stage next month when Kayden Beasley hits the ice for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Set to make his Paralympic debut, the young man from Coats, N.C. will try to help his sled team achieve the same result that both the U.S. men's and women's Olympic teams earned earlier this month - gold.

Named to the roster following a selection camp in New Jersey, Beasley has honed his skills over the years right here in the Raleigh area.

“They were a big part of the start to my journey.  I’m very grateful to have them," the budding star said of Hurricanes Sled Hockey when he conducted a press availability at Lenovo Center this week.  "They taught me the beginning stages and have supported me throughout all of it."

Making it look easy from the get-go, Beasley got started in the sport just six years ago and has already reached the pinnacle.

“Honestly, the first day he came on the ice, he got a sled, took off, and skated for about 30 minutes. I went over to his dad and was like ‘Has he ever done this before?’ He just seemed like a natural from the very first moment he was on the ice, and then just got better from there,” Hurricanes Sled Hockey Coach Geoff Winn added.

Traveling far and wide over the past few years, Beasley's talent nabbed the attention of the U.S. program, leading him to receive invites for national team camps.

“Just getting to the development camps is a process of its own. Only 60 people in the entire country are invited to that program, and then he was invited back each year before he was invited to join the development team. So it's not something [just] anyone gets a chance to do," Danny Morganelli, another Hurricanes Sled Hockey Coach, said.  "It's very elite just getting to the camp.”

Making his U.S. National Sled Hockey Team debut during the 2024-25 season and winning gold as a part of the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championship team, Beasley's stock continues to rise, along with his game.

Producing seven points (two goals and five assists) in five games, he finished the tournament second on the U.S. in scoring.

“I can always get better.  You can’t be satisfied with where you are now," Beasley said ahead of his biggest challenge yet.  "(The sport has) definitely gotten more competitive over the years.  It’s still going to get more competitive, and hopefully we’ll get more awareness about it.”

Born as a congenital bilateral amputee with no legs and abandoned by his birth parents in China, Anthony and Amy Beasley adopted Kayden in 2009, when he was three.  When the process was finalized, they brought him to their town of just over 2,000, roughly 30 miles south of Raleigh.

"We’re excited for Kayden to go (to the Paralympics), but we’re excited to watch more kids walk into the rink and say, ‘I want to try and play hockey,'" Hurricanes Director of Youth Hockey & Community Outreach Shane Willis added.  "We’re using this platform now, and Kayden’s success, and his continued success, to continue to open doors for every young player in our city.”

Team USA’s quest for a fifth-straight Paralympic gold medal begins against host Italy at 11:05 a.m. ET on March 7 at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.  To view their schedule for the event, click here.

To learn more about Hurricanes Sled Hockey, click here.