Colorado Avalanche prospect — and recent No. 10 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft — Tyson Jost played on the top line again for Canada on the World Junior stage, and he’s drawing attention again.
By now Colorado Avalanche fans know the stats. Tyson Jost put up 104 points in 48 games for the Penticton Vees, a team in the BCHL.
He refused a promotion to the WHL, and instead opted to go to college at the University of North Dakota (UND). That’s not the normal path, and putting up those numbers in the BCHL won’t normally gain you the national attention necessary for the NHL draft.
That’s why Jost’s numbers at the U18 World Juniors were so important for his draft stock.
Part of the reason the Colorado Avalanche drafted Tyson Jost to begin with was certainly because of his dominant performance at the U18 World Juniors, when he put up 15 points in 7 games and lead the tournament.
Those numbers are even more impressive when considering the fact that he set a new record at the tournament for points, breaking Connor McDavid’s previous record.
So it’s no surprise that he got an invite back this summer for the World Junior Showcase, which is essentially a tryout for the roster countries will ice in the winter for the U20 World Juniors.
Just for clarification there were only four countries that attended the showcase: Finland, USA (obviously since it was hosted in Plymouth), Sweden, and Canada.
In the summer series that saw Canada outscored 12-3 in three contests, Jost was one of just six players to pick up a point for the club, and that’s saying a lot because no player scored more than one point for Canada.
Jost also hit several posts, and set up some nice passes off the rush, and one of them ended in a goal for Travis Konecny. Unfortunately there’s no video that shows the set up from Jost, only the goal from Konecny, so I’m not going to include it.
But where he stood out most to me was with his speed and tenacity.
On almost every rush where he had the puck he was taking it straight to the net. And, he was a possession beast behind the net, winning puck battles and scraps in the corners and playing hard to get the puck for his teammates.
I’m not the only one who noticed Jost either, as he drew a lot of attention from around the hockey world.
Scotty Bowman gives a good report on Avs draftee Tyson Jost. "Gonna be solid player, does the little things"
— Adrian Dater (@adater) August 8, 2016
Scotty Bowman… ’nuff said.
And here’s what an anonymous NHL scout had to say about Jost:
"An NHL scout suggested that beyond Marner and Tyson Jost, there might not be another Canadian who thinks the game well."
Obviously Canadians are nonplussed with their team’s performance lately on the world stage because they finished sixth in last year’s tournament, and 0-3 in the showcase this summer by an embarrassing score.
Nonetheless, praise like that from an NHL scout should not be ignored, especially when your name shows up right next to Mitchell Marner’s — a former No. 4 overall pick, and a near lock for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster this season. I’ll let some video do the talking on this one:
That second goal…
Ok, back to the topic at hand.
Tyson Jost is still probably two years from finding himself on the NHL roster, but a good year at UND could see that number halved.
The thing is, the Colorado Avalanche don’t need Tyson Jost right now, nor do they need him next year because he is a center through and through, and a center that will not play in the bottom six.
Sure, he may start there at the beginning of the season, but two years at UND would see him start in the top six. My guess is that the Avs drafted him to one day replace Matt Duchene.
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Two years at UND would see him joining the Avs in the final year of Duchene’s contract, and when Dutchy will be almost 28 years old.
That will bring the wrath from you fans, I know these things, but the fact of the matter is that hockey is a business and Tyson Jost plays a very similar game to Dutchy’s.
Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day, and a topic for a different article.
After the summer showcase it’s hard to think that Canada will bring any of the players back for the winter, but Tyson Jost is sure to be included on the U20 roster because he stood out amongst a crowd of poor performers, and lead the way for the U18 club last year.
In finality, Jost had a really good summer showcase. He was active on the penalty kill, real good in his own end, and his willingness to drive the net with and without the puck stood out to me the most.
Next: Expectations Against the Winnipeg Jets Next Season
Jost is going to be a really good two-way forward because he is defensively gifted, and still possesses a strong offensive game.
He has an extremely active stick, isn’t afraid to bear down on a forward and pressure them with sound positioning, and he’s surprisingly physical for his size. Furthermore — and I’m going to harp on this point — his willingness to drive the net is going to ensure his success in the NHL.
There’s a lot to be excited about with Tyson Jost, so if you get the chance to watch him play for UND next season then don’t hesitate.
If there was ever a reason to wish you lived in either of the Dakotas or Minnesota — the only places where UND’s games are broadcasted on free cable — then Tyson Jost is that reason. I was personally hoping that Montana would be included, alas I was disappointed.
Either way his growth from now until the World Juniors in December should be exponential so he’ll certainly be an exciting talent to watch this winter.
That’s all for today folks, keep an eye on the horizon for the rising sun that is Tyson Jost.