For first-round draft picks Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser, the road to the National Hockey League was a straight line paved with opportunity. No time in the minors. The Show was calling.

For the undrafted Jalen Chatfield, the road to making his regular-season debut with the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena was a twisting, turning trek with plenty of potholes.

“He has worked really hard to get where he is,” Horvat said before facing the Montreal Canadiens in the club’s home opener. “It hasn’t been an easy road for him and he has worked for everything he’s got. I’m really excited for him to get his first start. He’s a heck of a player and if he just plays his game, he’s going to be fine.”

“He’s always had that work ethic,” added Boeser.

Chatfield had to maintain the drive to eventually carve out a franchise niche. The 24-year-old Ypsilanti, Mich., native was paired with Alex Edler in the morning skate while Quinn Hughes skated with Travis Hamonic and Nate Schmidt with Tyler Myers. Olli Juolevi was the odd man out and Jordie Benn was added to the roster after clearing COVID-19 protocol.

The trickle-down effect was expected to be Loui Eriksson returning to the taxi squad and an American Hockey League assignment.

What you instantly notice about Chatfield is how well he skates and his high hockey I.Q. It hasn’t translated into offence with just four assists in 48 games with the AHL’s Utica Comets last season and just 17 points (2-15) in three AHL seasons. But that’s not the whole story. It’s about potential.

“He’s had a good camp,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “He’s a quick skater and has quick defensive reads and a good stick. We like him a lot — we’ve said that from Day 1.”

Chatfield had an expanded role in Utica and was more consistent and made better reads. He also demonstrated a willingness to block shots and be effective on the penalty kill while being physical in the gritty areas. And he wasn’t overwhelmed by the long career journey that got a kick-start with the Detroit-based Compuware Triple-A Under-13 team.

“It’s just part of life,” he once told this reporter. “Some get the easier path and some take the longer road, and I’ve always been taking the longer one. But it has made me who I am today. I think I can play a two-way game and just be as hard defensively as I play offensively.

“I went through a lot of adversity in my hockey career and I’ve just stuck with my game plan.”

Chatfield is the product of biracial parents — his father is white and his mother Black — and in a world of racial injustice, he has found his way with a zest for life fuelled by a passion for sports. His dad played basketball and his sister played soccer.