Andrew Copp shines at the Jets, and plays a mean game as quarterback too

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2015 (3688 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Picture the scene: Paul Maurice and the Winnipeg Jets coaching staff are doing their daily evaluation thing when Andrew Copp’s name comes up for discussion.

Now, the rookie centre certainly hasn’t generated the kind of camp hype and headlines Nic Petan and Nikolaj Ehlers have, but the 21-year-old Michigan product appears to have landed a job with the big club because of his hockey IQ, his defensive awareness, his size and his versatility.

The depth of Copp’s skillset also came up during Maurice’s media availability Friday when some wise-ass — hey, how you doin’ — cracked that if versatility is being tossed around, it should be pointed out the guy can also play a mean quarterback, too…

“I watched (Copp’s high school football highlight reel) yesterday,” said Maurice, his eyes growing wide. “Have you seen it? Google it. It’s unbelievable. I mean, seriously, if we ever have a flag football game we’re drafting him first overall. It’s not even close.

“Google his name… I don’t know if it’s YouTube or what it is, but there’s video of him and some statistics… he threw for 494 yards in one game, fourth-most in Michigan state high school history. It’s something. The first half (of the video) he’s just throwing bombs down the field and then there’s him running for touchdowns.

“It’s awesome,” added Maurice. “It’s to the point where you’re thinking that to the centre-ice position, if you can pick the switch-offs on the defences to play quarterback — and I know it’s high school, but I lived in the States for a lot of years and Friday night’s a big night and that’s a serious game they are playing — I think it helps your centre-ice position. That’s probably why he picks up the switch-offs and the reads and the speeds as quickly as he does.

“It’s also probably why he’s not afraid to go into the corners… he’s probably been in some tougher areas.”

Let’s make something very clear here: hockey has always been Copp’s No. 1 passion, dating back to his days as a kid playing for his father. His mom was also a figure skating coach for the Michigan Wolverines, in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich. They had season tickets to Wolverines hockey and his brother played, too.

But when Copp got to Skyline High School he also got hooked on football — he had played flag in junior high — and lined up at quarterback. And he wasn’t just good, he was good enough to draw Division I interest.

“I personally think he’s the best quarterback I’ve ever seen,” former Skyline coach Lee Arthur told the Michigan Daily in 2013. “I’ve seen some great quarterbacks, and I don’t care what name you pull up.”

“I miss it, but I missed it more the first couple years after I gave it up (he was granted an exemption by the U.S. National Development Hockey Team to keep playing football but quit when he went to Michigan for hockey),” said Copp on Friday. “It was a lot of fun while it lasted. But I wouldn’t trade where I am for anything.”

Where Copp is right now is being on the cusp of cracking the Jets lineup after leaving Michigan after three years with the Wolverines and without playing a single minor-league game. He was almost a point-per-game guy in his last two years with Michigan — 19 goals and 60 points in 69 games — and has been solid enough to be slotted into Jim Slater’s old spot at the Jets fourth-line centre.

But he could be more than that? What’s his ceiling?

“I’m glad I can tell you I don’t know, because I haven’t seen a lot of limitations there,” Maurice said of Copp. “His reads are very, very good. I think I’ve been up here enough time talking about centre-ice men, guys I like on the wing, guys I like at centre. It takes a certain ability to read and switch off in your own end quickly. He’s got size, he’s very strong, very thick. I’ve liked his camp because it’s gotten better almost every day, every game. His penalty killing (Thursday) was much easier for him. With a young player you’re hopeful he gets better, but what you’re really trying to do is figure out how quickly he can fit into certain situations and then start to excel in them.

“I see pieces in his game where it’s worthwhile for us to put the time in to develop him. He’s good enough now to play in a lot of the situations that we’ve put him in. But getting a piece of that penalty kill would be a big step for a first-year player in the national league.”

Copp, like most rookies, won’t allow himself to think too far ahead. His main focus is today’s game in Calgary and it would be foolish to look beyond that. But he does know Michigan plays Maryland in football today and the Wolverines hockey team plays its first pre-season game a day later.

“I don’t have any regrets in terms of what I’ve chosen,” said Copp. “I like where I’m at and feel that this is the right fit, the right decision and I feel like I’m ready to play at this level.

“I could be in school with all my buddies right now. But I’m on to the next chapter in my life making new memories and friends.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait