Hurricanes select Portland C Seth Jarvis with 13th overall pick

The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed another Canadian center to the club in Tuesday’s NHL Draft, selecting Portland Winterhawks center Seth Jarvis with the 13th overall selection in the first round.

Jarvis, a 5-10, 175-pound center, made a quick rise up draft boards with a second half of the season that was the talk of junior hockey. In the final 30 games of the year, Jarvis scored more than 70 points, and finished the truncated WHL season with 98 points in 58 games. In the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, an annual junior hockey postseason showcase, Jarvis scored three points in five games, and he would have been in line for a larger role at this year’s event had it not been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A native of Winnipeg, Jarvis’ size and game has drawn comparisons to a former WHL center now a star in the NHL: Brayden Point, the Lightning center who scored 33 points and was on the shortlist for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Lightning captured the Stanley Cup last week.

It was the second straight season the Hurricanes selected a sub-six-foot Canadian center with the first round pick. Jarvis joins Saginaw center Ryan Suzuki in the system, following Suzuki’s selection at number 28 in last year’s draft.

One of Kevin’s predraft profiles was on Jarvis:

Jarvis is one of the better skating forwards in the draft, not necessarily in straight line speed, but in explosion and agility in and out of his cuts. His low center of gravity allows for strong puck possession, and is complemented by his high motor which makes the forward a fit for the Hurricanes aggressive forechecking style.

In transition or after puck retrieval, Jarvis is elite, pushing the pace immediately and looking to re-enter the zone to pressure the defense. He isn’t afraid to battle, despite being what the old guard would consider “undersized.”

Armed with the 13th pick that originally belonged to the Toronto Maple Leafs and moved to the Hurricanes in the Patrick Marleau trade last summer, the Hurricanes watched as the first round proceeded with very little variation. There were a few minor surprises, including Swedish forward Lucas Raymond to the Detroit Red Wings with the fourth pick, but no teams traded, either up or down, prior to the Hurricanes’ selection.

The Hurricanes were seen as a potential landing spot for Yaroslav Askarov, but the Russian goaltender went off the board two picks before Carolina’s selection when the Nashville Predators made Askarov the highest-drafted goaltender since Carey Price in 2005.

The release from the team is below.

CANES DRAFT SETH JARVIS WITH 13TH OVERALL PICK

Center recorded 98 points with Portland (WHL) last season

The Carolina Hurricanes selected center Seth Jarvis with the 13th overall selection in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday.

Jarvis, 18, registered 98 points (42g, 56a) in 58 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2019-20. The 5’10”, 172-pound center ranked second in the WHL in points last season, third in goals and tied for fifth in assists. Jarvis recorded a point in 45 of 58 games and posted 28 multi-point games. He also recorded an 11-game point streak (2/4-2/29: 14g, 13a) and a 10-game point streak (1/3-1/31: 11g, 18a) in 2019-20. Jarvis was the recipient of the 2019-20 Brad Hornung Trophy, awarded annually to the WHL’s most sportsmanlike player. He has earned 139 points (58g, 81a) in 130 career WHL games with Portland.

The Winnipeg, Man., native tallied four points (2g, 2a) in five games at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, helping Team Canada earn the silver medal. He also represented Canada at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording five points (2g, 3a) in six games.

Seth Jarvis Post-Draft Interview and Photos

Seth Jarvis Draft Profile

The 2020 NHL Draft will continue tomorrow with the second through seventh rounds (11:30 a.m. ET, NHL Network).