The list of players for Canada's Olympic roster has been whittled down to 35-40 names, according to St. Louis Blues and Team Canada General Manager Doug Armstrong. Canada's management team met on Monday for nine hours, working through their list and eliminating more than half of the names from their previous list over a month ago.
While the list of names isn't public, and the final roster of 25 players isn't due until New Year's Eve, Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis is, without question, one of the names still on the list after appearing for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February. He appeared in three of Canada's four games, recording an assist in their opening victory against Sweden.
Analysts from the United States and Canada alike have been piecing together what the rosters could look like for months now. Some of them, like ESPN and Daily Faceoff, have Jarvis making the team, while others, like TSN, leave him out. Maybe this comes from a biased frame of mind, but Seth Jarvis has earned a chance to represent his country in Milan this coming February.
Compared to his 4 Nations teammates, Jarvis is off to a good start
Through 16 games this season, Jarvis is second on the Hurricanes in scoring, sitting one point behind Sebastian Aho, one of Team Finland's first six roster members, with 15. He also leads the team with 10 goals, four more than anyone else and eight of which have come at even strength. His four game winners are tied for the most in the league with Utah's Dylan Guenther.
Obviously, there are some massive hitters on Team Canada. Five of the, presumably, 14 forward spots are already taken by Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Sam Reinhart, and Brayden Point. This makes the competition for the final nine spots incredibly intense, especially with several February omissions making major pushes over the last 10 months.
While MacKinnon, McDavid, and Crosby are off to scorching starts, there's no question that Jarvis has started better than many of his 4 Nations teammates. Both Reinhart and Point, who are already on the roster, haven't reached double digits in points as of Wednesday. Of the 13 forwards from the 4 Nations roster, Jarvis has the 3rd-most goals and the 6th-most points.
Jarvis's all-situations versatility will be his greatest asset
One distinction Jarvis has over many of his Team Canada comrades is his versatility in all situations. Compared to his teammates from February, Jarvis averages the 3rd-most time on the penalty kill, playing over 2:00 per night as the Canes' second most-utilized forward tandem with Aho. Only Tampa's Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel play more. He also has a short-handed goal this season.
With the firepower Canada already possesses, I doubt Jarvis would see much, if any, time on the power play, but he can do that, if necessary. He can play anywhere throughout the lineup. He has moved throughout the Canes' Top 9 this season. While he's most useful on the top line, Jarvis can play on the team's checking line as he has developed into one of the league's best two-way forwards.
I would like to think that his participation in the 4 Nations tournament gives him the inside track over some of the other names in contention. It's anyone's guess how Canada's roster will look. Even if he isn't utilized in every game, seeing Jarvis in a Team Canada sweater would be incredibly cool and well deserved for the work he has put in. There are few players whose likeability and skill are that high.