Caleb Jones has signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, marking another step in his professional hockey career. The defenseman described the move as an important opportunity to become a regular presence on the team’s roster.
“I just felt like the opportunity to go into Pittsburgh and kind of be a regular guy every night and really fully be established was something too good to pass up,” Jones said. “I had a lot of communication with management and the coaches, and I just felt really good about the opportunity I was going to have.
“I’m really excited. I think we’ll have a good team, and I think it should be a great chance for me to come in and kind of show what I can do and really earn a spot.”
Jones has been preparing for his new role by training alongside his older brother Seth in Fort Lauderdale. The brothers usually train in Dallas, where they were born while their father Ronald ‘Popeye’ Jones played for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Their interest in hockey began during Popeye’s time with Denver in 1999-00.
“He never really had an issue with it. I’m sure deep down, he probably wanted us to play some basketball [laughs], but it just never happened,” Caleb said about his father, who later became an NBA coach and won a championship with the Nuggets in 2021.
“He was really supportive the whole time. Obviously, him being a pro athlete, he has a lot of good advice. Obviously, a different sport, but kind of just having to work and earn your opportunity every year. I think he’s done a good job of kind of giving me that advice when I needed it.”
Both Caleb and Seth Jones have made careers at hockey’s highest level despite coming from a basketball family background. Seth was drafted fourth overall by Nashville in 2013 before playing for several teams including Columbus and Chicago prior to joining Florida last season. Caleb entered the NHL after being selected by Edmonton in 2015; he later played for Chicago alongside Seth.
“Being able to play with him in Chicago for a couple of years and be paired together sometimes on the same defense pair, it was really cool,” Caleb said. “Looking back, it was a really special moment and something that you definitely don’t want to take for granted. We enjoyed every second of it.”
During his two seasons with Chicago, Caleb appeared in 124 games and scored nine goals—a period he credits with building his confidence as an NHL player.
“I think that was a big time for me, because I was able to kind of show myself or prove to myself that I could do some really good things in the league,” he said.
After spending one season each with Colorado and Los Angeles following his stint in Chicago, Jones is now focused on making an impact in Pittsburgh. Team President Kyle Dubas has previously pointed out weaknesses on defense last season; this signing is part of efforts aimed at strengthening that area by offering opportunities to players who may not have found them elsewhere.
“I’m really looking forward to trying to just kind of get out of my head and just play my game in Pittsburgh and show what I can do,” Jones said. “Just have that confidence every night to go out there and do it.”
