Loving the grind

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This article was published 16/11/2021 (1600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seth Jarvis had a plan and he stuck to it.

The 19-year-old Winnipegger made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 31 in emphatic style, making an assist for the winning goal in 2-1 victory.

What made the historic occasion even sweeter was that Seth’s family — father Ray, mother Tracey, and older brother Kayden — were in the PNC Arena to watch the game and share the experience with Seth, who was drafted by Carolina in the first round with the 13th pick overall in 2020 and has a year of minor-junior eligibility remaining with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.

Ray Jarvis — a vice-principal at Dakota Collegiate — proudly spoke to The Lance recently about the experience and his son’s dedication to get to this point in his career and make his childhood dream come true. Jarvis is grateful to the Carolina Hurricanes organization for its support and for accommodating them at the game.

“Carolina has been awesome to us,” Jarvis said, noting Seth’s billet family were also at the game. “They were so helpful in making it possible for us to be part of Seth’s first NHL game, and share in the celebration with him. It’s a great testament to the organization They’ve been absolutely phenomenal in helping him settle in, and the guys in the team have been great with Seth as he’s the ropes of becoming a professional. It was the best hockey game I’ve ever seen.”

Jarvis said it was, at times, a bit surreal watching his son on the ice with the likes of such hockey heavyweights as Phil Kessel and Andrew Ladd — which added another dimension to the experience.

“From a parent’s perspective, Seth has dreamed of this since he was young. In fact, when we were cleaning out his room we found this list that includes mind maps and bubbles. It lists all of the things that he wanted to accomplish when he was a kid, and right in the centre it says making it to the NHL,” Jarvis said.

“When Seth got his assist, I turned to my older son, Kayden, who was so emotional. It was heartwarming how excited they were being together at the time, and they had grins on their faces from ear to ear. They’re so proud of each other, and this is something I’ll never forget.”

According to Jarvis, Seth has benefited from Kayden’s influence growing up, and has pushed and supported him as they’ve gotten older, whether it’s in hockey, basketball, football or soccer.

“We were certainly advocates of them playing a number of different sports when they were younger,” Jarvis added.

While talking about the odds of young man in Canada making to the top of tree and playing professional hockey, Jarvis said his son has always had the vision and desire to fulfil his dream, which is reflected in his determination and work ethic.

“Coming this far is a testament to how he’s conducted himself. He loves the grind. It’s not always been an easy road, and there’s been good and bad, but his heard work is paying off. He’s competitive by name and very even-keeled. I tell lots of the student-athletes here at Dakota you’ve to love the grind,” he said.

“I’ve got to hand it to Seth. He’s made sacrifices, and he’s done a great job managing things, as it’s about balance. With some support and some guidance, he’s come this far, and it’s also so important to love what you’re doing.”     

At the local grassroots level, Seth’s hockey resume includes time spent at the Starbuck Hockey Academy and the Oak Bluff-based Rink Hockey Academy.