Providing offensive lift for Hurricanes, rookie Seth Jarvis ‘plays with no fear’
A few weeks ago, Seth Jarvis was watching the Carolina Hurricanes play.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Jarvis was “nicked up” a little physically and needed some recovery time. The rookie winger also had not scored in his last 18 games and the relentless grind of his first NHL season appeared to be wearing on him.
But Jarvis has gone from a scratch, to back in the lineup, to a spot on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.
And, he’s producing points again. In the past seven games, he twice has had two-goal games and has had four multi-point games overall — just what the Canes needed.
Against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Jarvis used his speed in transition to score, tipping a Teravainen pass past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. The Canes (44-15-8), called “gassed” by Brind’Amour in the final game of a three-game road trip, lost 4-3 in overtime, but earned a point.
“You learn a lot from games where you’re not at your best,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s a very competitive kid and he’ll keep getting better. But it’s all about learning. Everyone can get better, always, but especially a young kid.”
.JPG "BlueJacketsHurricanesHockey (1).JPG")
Jarvis’ big transition
And Jarvis is still a kid. He turned 20 in February. The past two years, he was playing junior hockey for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League while the Lightning were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
This season, he has been on the ice against Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Vasilevskiy. He’s not in Portland anymore.
“It’s a big whirlwind,” Jarvis said after Tuesday’s game. “I can remember watching the Stanley Cup last year and, yeah, it’s pretty crazy. If you sit back and think of where I am this year compared to last year it’s really cool, but now that I’m in this position I’ve got to take full advantage.”
It has been a season of taking advantage of every opportunity for the Canes’ 2020 first-round draft pick. Jarvis starred in a rookie tournament before the Canes’ training camp. He then made the Canes’ roster out of camp while in the either/or position of either staying with the big team all season or being sent back to junior.
He made his NHL debut against Arizona, earning his first NHL point. He scored his first goal against the Chicago Blackhawks, and first game-winning goal against the Vegas Golden Knights. He had his first multi-goal game against Washington.
Getting physical
But Jarvis also was sidelined by COVID-19. He missed games with a lower-body injury. He absorbed a few big hits along the way as teams physically tested the 5-10, 175-pound forward.
“With the physicality I think I’ve gotten better and better as the year’s gone on,” Jarvis said. “I think at the start it was a big problem for me, just battling bigger guys. Now, I think I kind of find a way to get around it and kind of push through it.”
Canes center Vincent Trocheck, another smaller guy, appreciates Jarvis’ willingness to mix it up with bigger players.
“He plays hard. He doesn’t shy away from any physical contact,” Trocheck said. “He goes in the hard areas, he plays with no fear. A guy with his size, to be able to do that, is all that really matters.”
Jarvis has both the speed and hands to make opponents look bad. Against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, he took a pass from Teravainen and suddenly found himself going one on one with veteran defenseman Colton Parayko.
“I’ve always grown up taking it to the net,” Jarvis said.
Reminded that Parayko had, oh, seven inches and 50 pounds on him, Jarvis smiled and said, “I’m not smart enough to not try it. Basically a stupid willingness to go.”
Jarvis deftly went from backhand to forehand to beating goalie Ville Husso in a flash. The Canes had a 2-0 lead and Jarvis also scored the final goal in a 7-2 road victory.
Feeling comfortable
Brind’Amour changes up the lines, but has kept Jarvis together with Aho and Teravainen for a few games and the results have been there. Like those tough, grind-it-out games, Jarvis has continue to learn from being about the two crafty Finns.
“It’s awesome,” Jarvis said. “I think the biggest thing is always being ready to shoot. Those guys are elite passers and they find a way to get you the puck, and I have to be ready to kind of pull the trigger at any time. The biggest thing I’ve been working on is not to be afraid to let the shots go.”
Jarvis said early in the season he was more the quiet type in the locker room and around the players, afraid to say or do the wrong things. That quickly changed — or maybe you missed him dressed up as Santa Claus to help out goalie Antti Raanta with his kids. He’s one of the guys now.
“I feel more comfortable in my skin and comfortable around the rink, which always helps on the ice,” Jarvis said.
Of note: Gunler signs
The Canes on Wednesday signed forward Noel Gunler to a three-year, entry-level contract that will pay him $775,000 at the NHL level and $80,000 at the AHL level, with a signing bonus of $262,500. Gunler will join the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on a professional tryout contract.
Gunler, 20, had 13 goals and 10 assists in 52 regular-season games with Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League this season. Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said Gunler, a second-round draft pick in 2020, is a “sharpshooter who has the pace to play our up-tempo style.”
Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh.
TV/RADIO: Bally Sports South, WCMC-99.9 FM.
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 12:52 PM.
