More time with Moose in cards for improving Roslovic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2017 (2410 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jack Roslovic is smarter, fitter and a more well-rounded player as he begins his second season as a pro.

But that likely won’t be enough to earn the 20-year-old centre regular work with the Winnipeg Jets, who chose him in the first round (25th overall) in the 2015 NHL draft.

Roslovic is expected to continue his development with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Last season, he registered 13 goals and 48 points in 65 games for them.

Roslovic was a standout during Winnipeg’s fitness testing at the start of training camp last week and had a particularly dominant performance in the “beep” test, a definitive assessment of cardiovascular conditioning. With a heavy workload during his off-season workout regimen, the 6-1 Roslovic said he added five to six pounds and now tips the scales at 193.

“It didn’t start from one summer, either,” Roslovic said, following a training camp workout at the Iceplex Wednesday morning.

“I’ve been working as hard as I can for probably now the last five or six summers.

“When you hit a certain age, you can start lifting weights and start doing some more things to add to your game, to add to your strength and conditioning level, so I think just a buildup of a lot of hard work really just set me up for the testing scores that I had.”

The Jets appear content to allow Roslovic plenty of time in the minors.

The NHL team has a bevy of good forwards competing for bottom-six roles, but Roslovic plans to make the decision about his own placement a difficult one for the coaching staff.

Making his pre-season debut against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night, he showed some good burst while playing on a line with wingers Shawn Matthias and Nic Petan.

“Jack’s a really, really good pro,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. “Just outstanding fitness numbers, really off the charts. And he’s learning the game at centre ice.

“We liked his game that he played for us when he came in and he had a long, fruitful year in the American Hockey League and he’ll continue to that.

“We’ll get him in some exhibition games here, give him a chance to maybe run back-to-back (games) and get some bigger minutes and some power-play time…

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Business Weekly

Monday mornings

The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week.

Sign up for Business Weekly

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“For him, every day’s another step closer to the NHL. We have lots of confidence. And when it comes, when that day finally arrives, it might not be a straight line that you get to the NHL and stay forever, but he’s on the right path.”

The Columbus, Ohio, native, who made his NHL debut against his hometown Blue Jackets late last season, believes his time will come, but he’s more than willing to wait.

“It’s not frustrating at all,” Roslovic said.

“A lot of great players (are here), which you can use to your advantage. To watch guys that work hard every day like that the way they do. It really is beneficial.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14

Mike Sawatzky
Reporter

Mike has been working on the Free Press sports desk since 2003.

   Read full biography