Date of birth: 10/03/1994
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 205
Position: D
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 4th overall in 2013 by Nashville
Corey Pronman Hockey Prospectus – @coreypronman
Year in Review: Jones played a ton of quality hockey in a year’s span, at multiple levels and events. He was a First Team All-Star in the WHL (East), and he was named the top NHL prospect by the CHL.
The Good: Jones is a plus, if not better skater, and he moves at a unique level for a big man in terms of his four-way movements and top speed. His hockey sense is off the charts. Jones ability to make stops is aided by his mobility, wingspan, and frame, but mostly his great reads. He is always in the right position to make stops, and he anticipates how to create offense very well. Jones is a skilled puck handler with a big shot as well.
The Bad: Jones could put on a little more bulk, but overall,there is no real hole in his game.
Projection: He could be an elite NHL defenseman.
Internationals Scouting Services – @ISSHockey
The Predators were delighted when Jones fell to them at number 4 during this year’s draft. A very dynamic and intelligent defender, Jones is calculated and tremendously skilled. He is a fluid skater with strong two-way instincts and very rare maturity and reliability.
Dobber Prospects – @dobberprospects
July 2013 – The top ranked North American skater according to central scouting, Jones surprisingly fell to the Nashville Predators at fourth in the 2013 entry draft. Prior to the draft, GM David Poile declared Jones the best player available and was naturally ecstatic when Jones was available at four. Jones joins an organization known for developing high end defensive talent and should thrive under Barry Trotz. Jones will step into the lineup immediately and if given powerplay time could be a solid fantasy option sooner rather than later. by Donesh Mazloum
Fantasy Outlook: A : Future NHL superstar defenseman that will put up solid numbers for many years to come.
Profile by Luke Anthony
Strengths: Jones is incredibly well rounded and has everything you could ever want in a young defenseman, he’s very talented both offensively and defensively. Jones has great hockey sense and puck moving ability. He has a very long arm span that makes it extremely difficult to nearly impossible for opposing forwards to get around him. Despite his size, Jones is a very good skater. He also has a great work ethic.
Weaknesses: Jones is in the top tier of prospects/rookies that really have no weakness to their game. Picking anything would be extremely nitpicky, he’ll just get better with age.
General: Jones is an elite prospect that should star in the NHL for years. Unless something completely unforeseen should occur in the next few years, he will be a terrific top pair defenseman.
2012-13 Season: Jones played in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks and was nearly a point per game player as a draft eligible defenseman. Jones was a key player for the Winterhawks in the playoffs and helped them become the WHL champions. The Winterhawks advanced to the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament, where he also performed well. Portland advanced to the finals before falling to the Halifax Mooseheads 6-4. The most impressive part of Jones’ season was probably the World Juniors. He made the United States U-20 team with relative ease, which wasn’t surprising for a player of his caliber. Jones scored 7 points in 7 games at the tournament and was an assistant captain despite being the youngest player on the team. The United States shocked the hockey world by routing Canada 5-1 in the semi-finals. The U.S. went on to win the gold medal against Sweden with the help of Jones. He impressed many scouts at the tournament and became the odds-on favorite to go first overall in the 2013 draft for the time being.
On June 30th, Jones became a major surprise at the NHL draft. The Colorado Avalanche previously had stated they would take Nathan MacKinnon 1st overall, they stayed true to their word and passed on Jones. With the Florida Panthers up at number two, Jones seemed bound for Sunrise, Florida. This wasn’t the case. The Panthers shocked almost everybody by taking Aleksander Barkov 2nd overall. With the Tampa Bay Lightning up at number 3, who were in desperate need for defense, Jones seemed like a sure bet. Not quite. Tampa Bay chose to surprise just as much, selecting Jonathan Drouin over Jones and ignoring team needs. Finally, the Predators eagerly took him at 4th overall.
2013-14 Season: Jones has surprised coming out of the gates playing stellar hockey as a 19 year old defenseman in the NHL. Through his first 12 games, he has 5 points and is averaging 24:42 of ice time per game (over 28 minutes in two games). To put his ice time in perspective, as of October 28th, he ranked 20th in the entire league in minutes played per game. Jones has seemed to make a completely seamless transition to the NHL. His play has been so good, that some (maybe a little prematurely) are in belief that he could make the 2014 United States Olympic team.
Carl Maloney of The Hockey Writers – @maloney3383
At one point last season, he was a lock to go first overall. He fell to 4th on draft day, but may have fallen into an ideal situation. Nashville is a known, defence first type of team, and already have all world talents Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne at two of the most important positions.
Jones will not be expected to play top level minutes, but is expected to make the squad and be a valuable member. He has the opportunity to come in and play in a system that will help him be successful and he can start with limited minutes. Similar to the situation in Boston with Dougie Hamilton, where he can grow into the role of an elite defenceman slowly.
Jones scores his first NHL goal
Predators draft Seth Jones 4th overall
