FanPost

Tropical Storm: Forecasting Jaccob Slavin


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Much like the Hurricanes, defenseman Jaccob Slavin started the season ice cold but as time wore on and the calendar flipped, so did his game. After taking home the January player of the month in Tropical Storm, it’s time to take a deeper look at the young blueliner.

History

Drafted in the 4th round (120th overall) in 2012, Slavin was expected to be a bit of a project. At the time he was drafted, he was skating for the USHL’s Chicago Steel. Most of the reports at the time stated that Slavin was a hard worker with good skating abilities and a knack for the offensive side of the game. He returned to Chicago for the 2012-13 season and amassed 33 points in 62 games while playing big minutes for his junior club.

Following the 2012-13 season, Slavin announced that he would return to his home state and lace up for Colorado College. In his rookie season for the Tigers, he put up 25 points in 32 games – leading the team in scoring while getting to represent the US at the World Juniors (where he had another 2 points in 5 games).

This Year

Jaccob Slavin

GP

G

A

PTS

+/-

PIM

PPP

Colorado College

27

3

11

14

-21

2

7

Flash forward to the 2014-15 and Slavin was expected to take an even bigger role for Colorado College and also take the next steps towards becoming a true NHL prospect. He was expected to lead the offensive charge once again while also honing his defensive craft. Unfortunately for Slavin and his Tiger teammates, things didn’t go as planned to start the season. The team would start slow losing all but three of their first 14 games while Slavin would only tally 2 assists in his first 15 games (both coming against Boston College on Oct. 24). However, once 2015 arrived, Slavin began to turn his season around. The team continues to struggle with an overall record of 5-21-1, but since January began the defenseman has poured on the offense to the tune of 3 goals and 9 assists in 12 games. This brings his total up to 14 points on the season which puts him in a tie for second place on Colorado College – just showing how inept the team has been this season. On top of all the offensive accolades, the Tiger coaches, as well as opponents, have been quick to praise the 20 year old on his defense and ability to eat up minutes.

Future

Jaccob Slavin is still relatively slight of build at 6’3", 195 lbs., but he has time and room to grow. His offense is his calling card and that will be his most likely ticket to the pros. While the Canes can use talent (especially on the back end) as soon as possible, there is no need to rush Slavin and ruin his development. He should return to the Tigers next season as well and hopefully with some new players and another year under their belts, they can improve on this dismal season. After his junior season, the Canes and Slavin can talk about what they both want and where his next steps may lie. Much of that discussion will depend on Slavin adding some weight to his frame and continuing his defensive progression. If he develops fully, Slavin could be a middle-pairing offensive minded defenseman who handles solid minutes and power play time. Even if he doesn’t round out as expected, his offense should keep him in the system for a while and may even get him some glimpses of the NHL.

Slavin Photo: Joe Paisley

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