BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 12: Seth Jarvis

We are now entering the middle of the first round in this year’s BSH Community Draft Board. In a normal draft year, this would probably be around the time casual draft watchers start to lose familiarity with the prospects still on the board. This year is much different, though. In one of the deeper drafts in recent memory, there is still a ridiculous amount of intriguing players still on the board. And today, we’re going to tackle one of the best offensive players in the class — Seth Jarvis.

BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 12: Seth Jarvis

2019-20 Season

Team: Portland Winterhawks, WHL

Statistics: 42 G, 56 A in 58 GP

Pre-draft rankings

No. 11 (North American skaters/goalies) by NHL Central Scouting

No. 11 by Future Considerations

No. 29 by ISS Hockey

No. 14 by The Athletic (Wheeler)

What’s there to like?

Teams looking to add an elite skater should have Jarvis high on their draft boards. The kid can absolutely fly, and he’s as agile as anyone of his peers in the draft. His skating looks borderline effortless, and it should come as no surprise that his speed often results in quality scoring chances while he’s on the ice.

Jarvis is clearly a terror with the puck on his stick — one does not average 1.68 points per game without knowing how to cut through an opposing defense. However, Jarvis is also an extremely valuable player away from the puck. He’ll never be taking home any Selke awards (like Sean Couturier, who did in fact win the Selke, if you didn’t know), but when the opposing team has the puck, Jarvis is absolutely relentless. He wants the puck on his stick at all times, and his hustle away from the play is arguably as impressive as his hustle on a 2-on-1 rush. There’s no quit in his game.

Also, he’s on record saying he models his game after none other than Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who’s turned out to be rather good.

#MeetTheFuture: Seth Jarvis

The speedy forward from the @pdxwinterhawks was second in @TheWHL scoring race with 98 points but tied for first among #CHL breakout players recording a 59 point increase from his rookie campaign to #NHLDraft season.

🎥 Presented by @KubotaCanadaLtd pic.twitter.com/dSvbP07bB7

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) September 19, 2020

What’s not to like?

For one, Jarvis isn’t as big as some would prefer. At 5’10 and 172 pounds, he will likely need to spend a year or two bulking up before jumping to the NHL. That said, he’s coming out of the WHL, which has become renowned for producing premier NHL defensemen. Jarvis was playing against some big, strong defenders in 2019-20, and his size never once seemed to hold him back.

He was also a bit of a late bloomer this past season. After the calendar flipped from 2019 to 2020, Jarvis went absolutely berserk until the WHL season’s early conclusion. From January 1 to his last game of the season on March 8, he collected 27 goals and 63 total points in just 26 games. An absolutely insane run to end the season — perhaps an unsustainable run. Regardless, it’s possible the club that drafts him will want to see him keep up the momentum when he returns to his junior club next season.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?

The Flyers aren’t exactly in desperate need for a winger, but a player like Jarvis can fit with any team given his skill set. He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses, and while he may never end up being a team’s top-line center, he is capable of stepping in and taking draws every now and again. He also considers himself more of a shooting winger than a pass-first forward, and it’s quite obvious the Flyers could use someone like that in the fold.

Could the Flyers actually get him?

Unfortunately, there’s no realistic way for the Flyers to draft Jarvis without making a significant trade up. The Flyers currently hold the No. 23 pick in the draft, and it’s estimated that Jarvis could be off the board before the first round’s midway point. Some even think he’s worthy of a top-10 selection.

Could something insane happen that results in Jarvis falling all the way to the Flyers at No. 23? Of course. The draft is completely unpredictable. The odds of that happening, though, are incredibly slim.

We’ll make two additions to the poll:

Jacob Perrault — RW, Sarnia Sting (OHL) — 39 G, 31 A in 57 GP

The son of former NHLer Yanic Perreault, he is a dangerous offensive player. Perreault has slick hands and is dangerous in one-on-one situations. He can score in a variety of ways, with the moves to beat goalies in tight, an excellent wrist shot with a deceptive release, an outstanding one-timer, a very good snapshot, and even a strong backhand. His vision and hockey IQ are also very strong for his age. He gets open without the puck and makes smart passes to teammates when he has it. – Last Word On Hockey

Kaiden Guhle — D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) — 11 G, 29 A in 64 GP

He’s one of the smoothest-skating defencemen in the class and he pushes opposing players around along the wall (and occasionally the rush). Concerns about his skill level continue to keep him just outside my top 31 (he has a heavy shot but he’s not a playmaker and his handling still needs a bit of work when he’s working in small areas) but Guhle will be a first-rounder and I wouldn’t fault a team for taking him in the early 20s. While I don’t see power play upside, his defensive game is already pretty refined. Guhle’s skating is going to be an asset at the NHL level too — he can probably stand to get even stronger without sacrificing it — and if he can build upon a decent but unspectacular foundation offensively, he could become a second-pairing guy. – The Athletic

2020 BSH Community Draft Board

1. Alexis Lafreniere — LW, Rimouski (QMJHL)
2. Quinton Byfield — C, Sudbury (OHL)
3. Marco Rossi — C, Ottawa (OHL)
4. Tim Stützle — LW/C, Manheim (DEL)
5. Cole Perfetti — LW/C, Saginaw (OHL)
6. Lucas Raymond — RW, Frölunda (SHL)
7. Jamie Drysdale — D, Erie (OHL)
8. Alexander Holtz — LW/RW, Djurgardens (SHL)
9. Yaroslav Askarov — G, SKA (KHL)
10. Anton Lundell — C, HIFK (Liiga)
11. Connor Zary — C, Kamloops (WHL)
12. Seth Jarvis — RW/C, Portland (WHL)
13. ???

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Please use your vote below to answer the following question: If all of the players listed were available when the Flyers were on the clock, who would you want them to pick?

Who should be No. 14 on the 2020 BSH Community Draft Board?