The spotlight can be bright on highly regarded prospects for the NHL draft.
Such is the case for St. Sebastian’s junior defenseman Jayden Struble. The Cumberland, R.I., native is rated as a ‘B’ prospect in the most recent update of NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch List, meaning the organization expects him to be picked in the second or third round.
While that attention can be daunting for some, Struble has experienced pressure before. He and his teammates from Cumberland won the U.S. championship at the 2014 Little League World Series.
“It was really fun being that young on a big stage. It helped me with not getting nerves on a big stage and it was fun meeting kids from all over the world,” said Struble.
The former star first baseman has given up the diamond to focus solely on hockey. The strong, athletic, puck-moving defenseman is fun to watch with his flashy style. He’s not afraid to run and gun it up the ice, and he plays with an edge.
“I’m a physical, playmaking ‘D.’ I’m very offensive, but I know my role,” said Struble when asked to describe his style of play.
Struble stands at 6 feet and 194 pounds, meaning he has just average size, but his physical tools more than make up for his lack of physical stature. He has a long, smooth stride that allows him to get up and down the sheet. He has a hard shot and he has offensive instincts for those lead passes out of his own zone. He takes particular pride in hitting opponents hard and throwing his weight around.
Picking his spots wisely, choosing when to rush up ice and when to hold off and not deliver a bone-crushing hit that might take him out of the play are all areas of his game that he’s trying to reel in while not backing away from the player he is.
“It depends on the time of the game. When you see that opening, you know you can make a play and you just have to make the play. You have to trust your instincts,” explained Struble.
All of those positive traits have NHL scouts intrigued. It helped him earn an invite to the prestigious USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, a showcase of the top first-year eligible American talent for the upcoming NHL draft. The event at the XCel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., drew all the top players, including projected first overall pick Jack Hughes, and a myriad of scouts and player personnel staff from each NHL organization.
“It was pretty cool to see the competition, especially to see the best kids my age in the country. It was a special experience. It was run really well. I saw a lot of new stuff and talked to a lot of new people,” Struble explained.
A question NHL organizations ask all their potential draftees is what NHL player they try to emulate or to who they would compare themselves. That answer for Struble is Columbus Blue Jackets star defenseman Seth Jones.
“The offense and physicality in his game,” Struble stated as chief reasons. “I like the way he plays.”
Consistency is another aspect of a prospect’s game that is very important for NHL organizations when grading that individual. It’s something that Struble has focused on this season as he knows there will be watchful eyes at every game.
“You have to bring it every single game. There’s going to be people watching every game. I try to perform the best every time I’m on the ice,” Struble said.
In addition to the NHL scouts, he knows his future college coaching staff could be in the arena. Struble is committed to play college hockey at Northeastern University, a program that has a coaching staff as devoted to recruiting as any staff in the country.
“It’s great,” said Struble of how often they’re around. “They’re at so many games. We get texts before all the big games. It’s nice that your college coach cares about your success.”
Before choosing Northeastern, Struble was a hot commodity on the recruiting trail. Several big programs were pursuing him before he committed during his freshman season.
“I visited there and fell in love with it. The campus is right in Boston. There’s nothing better than that. You’re right in the city, but you still have a campus. The rink. I know kids going there. The coaching staff is unbelievable. It’s the best place for me,” said Struble when asked why he chose the Huskies.
Struble and several of his prep school teammates — Liam Gorman, James Davenport, Liam Devlin, Connor Joyce and Liam Connors — and a future Northeastern teammate — Chase McInnis — captured the Massachusetts Hockey District 18-U Championship on Nov. 11. With that, his split-season team, the Boston Junior Eagles, earned a bid to the USA Hockey National Championship in Grand Rapids, Mich., next April.
“It was great. We have a great team,” Struble said. “It was a great group of guys. We had a lot of fun this year. It’s exciting we get to go to nationals together.”
