Roslovic is on the right path

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This article was published 18/11/2015 (3639 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The Winnipeg Jets reside in the bruising, competitive Central Division, the consensus toughest address in the NHL.

Future success, though, isn’t going to always be about muscle.

Meet Jack Roslovic, one of the two first-round draft picks the Jets made in June, who may not have a brawny bone in his body.

The 18-year-old, right-shooting centre was the 25th-overall pick (the Jets’ second of the first round) and is now a freshman at Miami University in Ohio. He’s off to a very good start to his college career, doing what he does best — creating offence.

Roslovic leads the RedHawks in scoring through 12 games, going without a point in just two games. After a four-point weekend at North Dakota, he’s got seven goals and six assists.

Saturday, when Miami lost a 4-3 heart-breaker in overtime to UND, he orchestrated dangerous chances to help his team twice take the lead.

His second primary assist of the night was a glimpse of what Jets fans hope to see more of down the road.

Rushing to the left-wing side, Roslovic slipped the puck deliberately into his skates and quickly kicked it up to his stick, creating just enough distraction and hesitation in the UND defenceman to be able to beat him around the corner for a clear path to the net.

UND goalie Matt Hrynkiw stopped Roslovic’s in-alone shot but the rebound was an easy tap-in for Sean Kuraly.

That move won’t work every time, but there’s plenty enough shiftiness and quick-hands plays to make you wonder, however briefly, that Roslovic may just have some Johnny Gaudreau or Jack Eichel in him. It’s a long way from saying he’ll be either of those NHLers, but the qualities are evident.

“It’s been our team; I can’t do it all alone,” Roslovic said after the weekend doubleheader in Grand Forks. “The guys I’ve been playing with have been helping me a lot.

“Every day, it’s working in practice, and the coaches have been helping me out on different skills. It’s something that I’ve always done, create, and I’ve learned that I can do it at this level.”

Roslovic was introduced to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) last season, when, as a member of the U.S. under-18 team (he scored 11 goals and had 38 points in 25 USHL games), he played in a few exhibition matches against college-level competition.

“We played a few games in it last year, and it was fun,” said the product of Columbus, Ohio. “I learned how big the guys were, how much older they were and how skilled they were.

“But I’ve learned that in your league, things are amped up a little more and every team’s good, every team’s big and every team’s strong. I think it’s a lot like the NHL in that you have to stay and battle. This league will be good for me.”

Roslovic, who clearly has big dreams, sounds like he knows about patience and the process. He said June’s draft changed just about nothing in his life.

“Personally, no, that hasn’t affected me much at all,” he said. “I mean, there’s obviously a bigger spotlight, but that means it’s just something you have to shine under.

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“I love going to the rink every day and that’s all that matters for me.”

For now, with a great start down the development road, Roslovic knows what his immediate priorities are.

“Just to win games, help our team win games,” he said. “Our record’s not the best right now (5-6-1), but it’s just to get to a leadership role on this team and help the team compete in the NCHC and out of conference as well.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

Jets Prospects Report D3