Preseason hockey is a time for players to knock the rust out of their games. We’ve seen professionals try to knock the rust off their bodies as getting motion back in their legs as we ramp up towards the start of the NHL season. We also see the blossoming of young players as they start to emerge into stars. This year, we’re seeing young Seth Jarvis start to become a big-time player for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Carolina’s 13th overall pick from the 2020 NHL entry draft has impressed dramatically during the preseason. For someone who is only 19 years of age, Jarvis has done a lot of good things in the NHL setup and it’s giving the management team a tough decision to make. Do they give him a shot this year and start burning his entry-level contract or do they send him back to juniors where they cannot recall him?
I would also like to reiterate that Jarvis is not eligible to play for the Chicago Wolves. Players who are products of the CHL must report to their junior teams until the age of 20 unless they are directly making the jump into the NHL. This is so CHL teams can still sell jerseys with star player names and rake in the revenue in that regard.
He played pretty well. He certainly doesn’t look like a teenager in his first camp. That was a real team out there. They were coming hard. He was impressive. That’s all I can say. He looks like he belongs in this league, that’s for sure… That’s the problem with the system, unfortunately. There’s still a huge learning curve. There’s still a lot of mistakes being made, and that’s not just from not being here and understanding it, but he’s a quick learner from what I’ve seen in the time I’ve been with him. So yeah, the system on kids like that, definitely doesn’t help them.
Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’amour was quick to praise the young man from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rod kept suggesting that Jarvis is certainly deserving of a place in the NHL. He’s not going to have the option of going from his WHL team in Portland to the Carolina Hurricanes the organization sees fit. However, you do not want Jarvis to become accustomed to the WHL. You want to encourage his development which means that the AHL is the next logical step. Yet, he’s not eligible for the American Hockey League. Again, the logic is dumb that he cannot play in the AHL due to his age and the fact he came through the WHL, so he must return to the same level he is already dominating as opposed to moving onto a more difficult challenge in the hopes of becoming the best player he can be. It’s borderline insanity but not the point.
The other option is to have Jarvis in the NHL lineup. If he’s ready, then there are no issues with this whatsoever. Any player that is ready for the challenges of the National Hockey League should be welcomed with open arms by any team. But rushing a prospect is a cardinal sin.
Let’s go on the assumption here that Jarvis makes the roster. He’s been so fantastic through the pre-season that management cannot send him back to Portland for the season. Do you really want to waste Jarvis’ talents as a grinder on the 4th line? If not, and you decide to shelter him on the 3rd line, who do you make the grinder? It’s such a difficult situation.
No one wants my opinion but have it anyway. For me, I think you have to wait on Jarvis. One more year in juniors shouldn’t damage his game. Find the holes he needs to work on, whether it’s his defense or just trying to improve his skating, and let him do that in Portland. Who cares if his production drops if he’s a better overall player? The important thing is to get the best from this very talented young man.