2013 NHL TOP PROSPECT PROFILE: SETH JONES

Calgary, AB –Leading up to the 2013 NHL Draft at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey, on June 30, WHL.ca and WHL Web TV, will highlight WHL players who are highly ranked by NHL Central Scouting leading up to draft day.  Wednesday’s featured WHL player is Portland Winterhawks’ blue chip defenceman Seth Jones.

Seth Jones – Portland Winterhawks
Defence

Hometown:  Plano, TX
D.O.B:  October 3, 1994
Ht: 6’4
Wt: 206   
Shoots: R
NHL C.S.S. Final Ranking: 1^st among North American skaters

Seth Jones just completed his first season in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks.  The product of Plano, Texas, scored 14 goals and added 42 assists for 56 points to go with a +46 rating in 61 games to help lead the Winterhawks to their best regular season record in franchise history.  He added another five goals and 15 points in 21 playoff games as the Winterhawks captured the 2013 WHL Championship.  Jones’ outstanding inaugural season in the WHL saw him named the WHL Rookie of the Year, the Jack Link’s CHL Top Prospect of the Year award and a spot on the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team. 

A big, rangy, strong skating two-way defenceman, Jones has all the tools that have scouts believing he could become a true superstar on the blue line in the NHL for years to come.  The 6’4”, 206-lb rearguard is an effortless and deceivingly swift skater who has good agility, lateral movement and a powerful stride that allows him to rush the puck up the ice or join the rush.  Jones’ big frame, his strength, and his ability to handle and protect the puck make it extremely difficult for opposing players to stop him when he’s carrying the puck with speed.  Offensively, Jones boasts excellent vision, hockey sense and playmaking abilities, making him a threat as a puck mover out of the defensive zone and in the offensive zone, and also possesses a heavy shot that he can use to score or generate scoring chances off rebounds and deflections.  Defensively, Jones is tremendously poised and calm in his own end, and rarely gets caught scrambling or out of position.  Though he has plenty of size and strength, Jones relies more on his smarts and his positioning to neutralize opposing forwards rather than playing a physically punishing game.

Coming into the 2012-13 season, expectations were very high for Jones.  The 6’4”, 206-lb defender more than delivered on those expectations for the WHL Champion Winterhawks.

“Right from Day 1 it was obvious how good he was,” said Portland Winterhawks’ acting head coach and general manager Travis Green.  “He’s as good of a prospect as we have seen come through Portland…he’s got the whole package, and that was apparent from the get-go.

“His hockey sense is extremely high…it’s really amazing how well he reads the game and understands the game,” said Green.  “Obviously he’s a great skater, he’s got a great shot, he can play offense and defense, he’s big and strong, but it’s really his understanding of the game that stood out the most.”

At the NHL level, mobility is at a premium, especially for defencemen.  Strong skating ability and speed are a common trait among the NHL’s current top rearguards.  Jones is blessed with excellent skating ability, agility and speed.  With his speed and size, Jones can be an unstoppable force when he’s rushing up the ice.

“Just try and stop him,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting.  “You can’t defend against a guy that big who is coming at you with that kind of speed and skill…He reaches his top speed a lot quicker than most players.

“You look at NHL defencemen like PK Subban and Kris Letang, both Norris Trophy nominees this year, and skating is a huge part of their game.  For a bigger man, Seth has that same skating component to his game,” he said.

Jones’ skills and ability on the ice are unquestioned.  What really makes him stand out is his proven track record of excelling when faced with a new challenge.  At every level he’s played at, Jones has stood out as a dominant force and a leader.

“What people don’t always factor in is that this was Seth’s first year in the WHL and people may not understand that, to come into one of the premiere development Leagues in the world and dominate like he has, it’s a very impressive thing,” said Marr.  “He’s a guy who, when he goes into a new challenge, doesn’t just meet expectations but exceeds them every time.”

Jones’ coach in Portland agrees, noting that character is yet another outstanding attribute of the budding star.

“He’s a guy who continually raised his game, and he took it upon himself to bring his best game when it mattered most, and not a lot of players have that in them,” said Green.  “He’s a very humble and grounded person, he’s confident in his abilities but never cocky, and he’s a guy who is very intelligent and well-spoken.”

Having played nearly 1,000 games in the NHL over a 13-year career, Green went up against several of the best defencemen in NHL history and more than a few current and future Hall-Of-Famers.  Though comparing Jones to any current or former player in particular wouldn’t be accurate, Green says he sees traits in Jones possessed by some of the greats.

“You look at a guy like Chris Pronger, who maybe didn’t have the same skating strength as Seth does at his age, but he had that vision and hockey sense, the ability to make those first passes, and the ability to protect the puck and make the game look easy,” said Green.  “I think that’s how I’d see Seth down the road in the NHL.

“He’s going to be a guy that can play 30 minutes a game, play on your power play and penalty kill, and a guy who ultimately could be someone to build a franchise around…he has that kind of potential,” said Green.

Drafted by the Everett Silvertips in the first round, 11^th overall, in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, Jones was acquired by the Winterhawks in a trade at the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.  He has represented his country, the United States, on several occasions, including helping Team USA win Gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.  Jones captained the American Under-18 team to Gold at the 2012 U-18 World Championship and also won Gold with the team at the 2011 tournament.  Jones captained Team Orr at the 2013 Home Hardware CHL / NHL Top Prospects Game.

Did you know…Jones’ father, ‘Popeye’ Jones, is a former NBA player who is now an assistant coach with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets…Jones was introduced to hockey growing up in Colorado where his father played for the Denver Nuggets…Jones spent two years with the United States National Team Development Program before coming to the WHL…Jones’ love of hockey started was spurred on when he was in attendance when the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2001.

WHL STATISTICS

Season	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
2012-13	Portland Winterhawks	61	14	42	56	46	33

Playoffs	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
2013	Portland Winterhawks	21	5	10	15	15	4

 

2013 NHL TOP PROSPECT PROFILE ARCHIVE:

SHEA THEODORE, SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS
CURTIS LAZAR, EDMONTON OIL KINGS
RYAN PULOCK, BRANDON WHEAT KINGS
ERIC COMRIE, TRI-CITY AMERICANS
MIRCO MUELLER, EVERETT SILVERTIPS
HUNTER SHINKARUK, MEDICINE HAT TIGERS