CHL Sunday Spotlight – 5 Questions with Winterhawks’ Seth Jarvis
A smaller stature has not held back Seth Jarvis.
Seeing an astounding 59-point improvement with the Portland Winterhawks last season, the then second-year centre was the league’s best breakout star who ultimately finished a dominant sophomore campaign with a team-leading 98 points that counted 42 goals with 56 assists and ranked second in the WHL scoring race.
A diminutive dangler who is equally effective at setting up teammates as he is at finding the back of the net himself, Jarvis was one of the top-ranked talents entering the 2020 NHL Draft who later heard his name called 13th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. Shortly thereafter, Jarvis then began the year in the pro ranks, suiting up for nine contests with the Hurricanes’ top farm club where he dazzled to the tune of seven goals and four assists for 11 points before returning to the Winterhawks for further seasoning.
Jarvis reflected on his play with Portland, offered his advice to fellow undersized skaters, and more in the latest edition of the CHL Sunday Spotlight presented by WINMAR:
What do you attribute to your offensive breakout last season?
Last season, I had a lot more confidence in my game and I was gifted a bigger role. I think I played with great teammates like Jaydon Dureau and he and I really clicked. With the mix of that and the coaching staff helping me out in a bigger role, it all kind of fell into place.
What are your goals for this season?
I think my goal and the team goal this season is to catch Everett. They are a few points ahead of us in our division. That is everyone’s No. 1 goal, to catch them and make it interesting in these final games.
How often are you in communication with the Hurricanes?
I talked to them fairly often. I was in Carolina for a while before the season. Now it is probably biweekly that I talk to someone from the organization, whether it is a player development guy or a scout, just checking in and seeing how I am doing and giving me little things to work on in every game.
What advice would you give to other undersized players?
My advice to an undersized player would be to just not look at it as a disadvantage. Obviously, it is nicer to be a bigger player, but as an undersized guy, you definitely have advantages, whether it is speed, quickness, you can get under guys because your centre of gravity allows for it. There are definitely a lot of advantages to being a little bit smaller and being able to get into the dirty areas and use your body a little bit more than somebody who is a little bit bigger.
Which NHL player do you model your game after and why?
I try to model my game after Brayden Point from Tampa Bay. He is someone who I have looked up to these last couple of years. He has really taken off in the NHL and has really put himself into a superstar category. He is someone who I look at who is a little bit smaller but who makes a huge impact on the game, not only offensively but defensively as well.