There was a distinct tone in Jack Roslovic's voice as he addressed reporters Monday morning. Some of those reporters were there when a young and sometimes brash version of him made his debut for the Winnipeg Jets late in the 2016-17 season.
It was the mature tone of a player whose talent was never in question when the Jets selected him 25th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, a prolific forward whose teammates regularly included Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk in the U.S. National Development Team program.
Roslovic has yet to develop into the second-line center the Jets' amateur scouts projected him to be, although he has never scored fewer than nine goals in a full season and has scored 22 points twice in his 10 seasons.
That number includes the current season, in which Roslovic has enjoyed success with the Edmonton Oilers.
Heading into Monday's game at the Canada Life Center, Roslovic already had 10 goals and 18 points in 26 games, incredible numbers for a man who didn't sign with the Oilers until Oct. 7 and didn't make his season debut until Oct. 14.
It's not easy to miss training camp, so it's no surprise that Roslovic didn't have a goal or an assist in his first seven games for his new team.
Since then, Roslovic has been outstanding and has shown some chemistry with Leon Draisaitl.
Roslovic's incredible speed and scoring ability made him an ideal fit for an Oilers team that reached the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last two seasons.
“The one thing I always said when I joined this team was the opportunity,” Roslovic said. “To be able to get some scoring weight just while some of the other guys are picking up the slack, it's just a chance to help a good team get a couple inches better. That's what I'm trying to do and just try to be a good addition like I've always been. To help push a great group (forward).”
Roslovic has more than fulfilled his role on that front, showing consistency that has kept him from stalling at times against the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes and Jets.
A two-time 22-goal scorer, Roslovic is on track to reach (and likely surpass) that mark again with the Oilers, who signed him to a one-year contract worth US$1.5 million.
The fact that Roslovic had to wait until October to sign was a head-scratcher, as he is just 28 years old and coming off a 22-goal, 39-point season for the Hurricanes.
Roslovic, who has long been known for his remarkable physical fitness, worked hard at home in Ohio and eventually found a deal that made sense for both parties.
“It’s definitely not what you think it is when you’re 20 years old,” Roslovic said. “It's definitely a process that can be fun sometimes, but not so much fun for others. I think I was somewhere in the middle.”
That's fair, but hasn't it been hard to remain patient when most of the seats in this annual game of musical chairs are already taken?
“The games don't start until October anyway. Would I like to be done by July 1? Sure, but you get into a position where sometimes life works out that way,” Roslovic said, noting that he left much of the heavy lifting to his agent, Justin Duberman. “Obviously, it's your career, it's your life, it's your job. You definitely think about it and you definitely play GM in your head. For better or for worse. It's just one of those things where you want to go somewhere that's going to be a good fit. You can help every team, but to be a good fit, have a similar style of play. That's why I ended up coming (to the Oilers).”
The chance to join a Stanley Cup contending team was an obvious bonus, and Roslovic wasn't the least bit concerned when the Oilers started the season sluggishly.
“I played in the East and I didn't usually watch the Edmonton Oilers play in October,” Roslovic said. “But every June I saw that they were still playing, and that's really all that mattered.”
Roslovic showed glimpses of his potential during his four seasons with the Jets, at one point replacing Patrik Laine on the top power-play unit and handling center duties at times – although he was used primarily on the wing.
A restricted free agent in 2020 when he was dealt to his hometown Blue Jackets, Roslovic was unhappy with his role and playing time under then-head coach Paul Maurice.
Since then, he has bounced up and down the lineup, ranging from first-line play to fourth-line minutes, with a few healthy scratches along the way.
Roslovic has always kept the faith, and it looks like he has found the best version of himself, even if it took a little longer than he initially hoped.
“It's also almost finding your role. I've played in teams where I played different positions, and here it was really clear, and it was nice,” Roslovic said. “You have a job, you have a job that you have to do, and you have to do it better than anyone else. We have a really well defined role on our team. The guys know what to do. It makes it a little easier if you can figure out what it is. In the first one, no matter how many games I played, I think I did a pretty good job with that job. I was able to just play. Let my skills show.”
That skill was evident for Jets guard Neal Pionk in the NCAA when he was preparing to enroll at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Roslovic was a freshman for the University of Miami RedHawks.
“Yeah, I saw it back in college when I played against him,” Pionk said. “You can see his talent in the first round. He's still one of the best skaters I've played with to this day, and after signing the contract that he signed, I'm very happy to have him start the way he did.”
Oilers head coach Chris Knoblauch is impressed with Roslovic's ability to integrate into the group.
“Jack has been a great addition,” Knoblauch said. “Of course, when you miss training camp, it takes a while to get your feet under you and find your game – and it did take him a while, but it really wasn’t that long.
“For him to score at that rate is pretty remarkable. The fact that he could score quite regularly is what our team needed – a secondary result. That was the biggest boost he gave our team.”
winnipegfreepress.com/kenwiebe
Ken Wiebe – magazine sports reporter Free presswith a focus on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and analyzed the market since 2000 for Winnipeg Sun, AthleticSportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at Free press in 1999 and returned to Free press full-time in September 2023. More about Ken.
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