Color of Hockey: Beasley hoping to have impact for U.S. at Paralympics

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles Kayden Beasley, a 19-year-old sled hockey defenseman from Coats, North Carolina, who will play for the United States at the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 from March 6-15.

Kayden Beasley didn't know where sled hockey would lead him when he first started playing.

The adaptive sport is taking the 19-year-old defenseman from Coats, North Carolina, to Italy as one of the youngest members of the United States sled hockey team at the Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 from March 6-15.

"When I first found sled hockey, I really didn't know what it could be at first," Beasley said. "I was there just to have fun, try something different."

It will be Beasley's first Paralympic Winter Games, and he's joining a powerhouse team that's won gold five times (2022, 2018, 2014, 2010, 2002) behind veterans like Declan Farmer, Jen Lee, Brody Roybal and Malik Jones.

But don't expect Beasley to be a wide-eyed rookie watching and learning from the bench in Milano Cortina, U.S. coach David Hoff said.

"We're going to be counting on him," Hoff said. "There are a lot of people out there in hockey that would love to be a top-six forward, that would love to possess the offensive skills that allow you to play with scoring linemates.

"Not everyone has those skills, but Kayden is really unique in that he does," Hoff said. "He moves the puck so well so, consequently, the guys he plays with get lots of extra puck touches. We used him a lot with Declan last year, and he just loved playing with him because of the fact that he does get extra touches just because Kayden finds ways to get him the puck."

Beasley's skills were on display in the U.S.'s drive to the gold medal at the 2025 Para Hockey Cup in Dawson Creek, British Columbia from Nov. 30-Dec. 6.

He had seven points (two goals, five assists) in five games and finished the tournament second on the U.S. in points, tied for second in assists and fourth in goals.

Beasley called his performance a confidence builder heading into Milano Cortina.

"It definitely helps," he said. "You know, in a game setting, it's a bit different in practice, scoring goals. But there's still a lot to work on between now and beyond."

Beasley's hockey journey began in China, where he was born as a congenital bilateral amputee with no legs and was abandoned by his birth parents. Anthony and Amy Beasley adopted Kayden on Christmas Day in 2009 when he was 3 years old and brought him to their hometown of 2,155 people about 30 miles south of Raleigh.

The Beasleys suspected that their new son was going to be an athlete because the staff at the orphanage in China had nicknamed him "Hercules."

"He was very strong, and he looked like a little body builder at 3 years old," Amy Beasley said. "I mean, he just was broad shouldered. He walked on his hands. He was very quick."

Growing up, Beasley did what other kids and his older brother Caleb, who was adopted from the same Chinese province in 2006, did. He played street hockey, wearing prosthetics, and skateboarded. The family garage has marks from pucks fired at a net inside.

Beasley first learned about organized sled hockey during a doctor's visit in 2019 when the physician asked him and mother if he ever tried sled hockey or adaptive sports.

"I didn't know it was a thing at first," Beasley said. "I didn't know what the possibilities were for the sport, but it's really cool to be able to do it."

The family learned about the Carolina Hurricanes Sled Hockey Team, a nonprofit organization founded in 2018, and took Kayden to a practice session to try it out.

"It was hard, as most new things are, but I really enjoyed it," he said. "I like that it's a full contact sport, so being able to hit people, it's fun to me. And the pace of the game is fast."

He excelled with Hurricanes Sled Hockey and caught the attention USA Hockey's sled hockey program, which invited him to its development camps in the summer.

"And just from year to year, he seemed to be making big gains," Hoff said. "I don't think that's something that we can necessarily take credit for. He's a very driven young man but I think also very fortunate. The people in that Carolina area that have a sled hockey program going, they've really been good at getting him ice time and he has great parents that have made the opportunity available to him."

Beasley made his U.S. men's sled hockey national team debut at the International Para Hockey Cup in Ostrava, Czechia, Oct. 7-13, 2024. He had a goal and an assist in five games and was named U.S. Player of the Game in the semifinals against Italy.

"We took him with us to Czechia last year because we couldn't leave him home, he played so well," Hoff said. "Just really cool to see the way that he's developed."

Beasley followed the IPH Cup performance with five assists in five games at the 2024 Para Cup in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, to help the U.S. win gold.

Now he's looking forward to Milano Cortina and relishing the chance to represent the U.S. on sled hockey's biggest stage.

"It's really cool being able to play for your country at a high level like that," he said.