Eric Jamieson an unsung hero on the Everett blueline
EVERETT, Wash. — Eric Jamieson was about as banged up as could be leaving the ice Wednesday night.
The pain was aided by a 4-3 victory as the Silvertips topped the Prince Albert Raiders, but the final minutes of regulation were particularly brutal for the 18-year-old Jamieson. Takeaways, hits and four blocked shots highlighted an all-important defensive stand for the hulking blueliner facing both 6-on-5 and a 6-on-4 penalty kill down the stretch.
Eric Jamieson is a dang WARRIOR.
Inside the final minute of play, featuring FOUR blocked shots by Jaimo 👀 pic.twitter.com/XJjdYyXHBN
— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) November 16, 2023
“I love him,” assistant coach Mike Field praised after the game. “I absolutely love him. That was a guy really doing all the things we preach all the time: being team-first. Even before the blocks, he took a big hit [at the red-line] trying to get the puck down the other end. After that you could see in his body language he was hurting, and then he decides, ‘I still gotta make these blocks.’ He had four big blocks in a row, he was a big reason why we were able to pull it out.”
“It’s an unbelievable job by the whole group out there but particularly Jaimo,” forward Jesse Heslop commented after the game. “He’s limping out there and he’s still blocking shots. That’s just unbelievable. Props to him.”
The 6-foot-3, 204-pound Jamieson has grown into a physical force on the Everett blueline since joining the team in 2021. Originally drafted 195th-overall in the ninth round of the 2020 WHL Draft out of Edge School, Jamieson posted three goals and 13 points in his first full campaign in 2022-23. He attended Seattle Kraken development camp in July and training camp in September, carrying a pro-style game with him into his season in Everett.
“Getting invited to Kraken camp was a confidence booster for him,” noted general manager/head coach Dennis Williams. “[Heading into 2022-23] I didn’t know if he was making our team, I didn’t have him slated last year. He came in and earned his spot on the team, earned his ice time. He went and put a big summer in back home, you can really tell he put in the work in the gym and on the ice. He’s come back here and played some great hockey for us.”
Jamieson has four goals and two assists through the first 20 games of the season, including a shorthanded goal last Saturday in a 6-2 win over the Vancouver Giants. His improved stick-work and spacing coupled with his innate strength has helped bolster the Tips’ P.K., which has killed 13 of their last 15 powerplays. Jamieson also leads all defenders on the team in shots on goal with 55.
“He’s very intelligent on and off the ice,” noted general manager/head coach Dennis Williams. “He understands the game very well, he sees the ice very well…. He’s got a good, hard shot, he has a knack for being physical finishing his checks. With his reach he can kill plays quickly, which is really good.”
Jamieson’s performance has been a standout for an Everett defense that has limited their opponents to just 23.7 SOG/game over the course of their current three-game winning streak and 28.5 SOG/game over the course of the 2023-24 season. Everett owns the fourth-best team goals-against average in the WHL (2.75), behind only Portland (2.59), Saskatoon (2.63) and Lethbridge (2.70).
“[We’ve had] lots of second efforts,” Jamieson said of the Tips’ defensive corps. “Guys are battling in the corners not giving them opportunities to get shots.”
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