Yesterday afternoon the NHL announced the 44 players who will take part in the All-Star festivities in Tampa Bay.
The full list of 44 players who are set to show off the game at the 2018 @Honda #NHLAllStar Weekend in Tampa. https://t.co/H7Eznpd5o2
— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2018
The lone Blue Jacket to be named was defencemen Seth Jones. He will be making his second all-star appearance.
Jones is currently second on the Blue Jackets in scoring with seven goals and 28 points. He is tied for 11th in defencemen scoring, and tied with Nick Leddy for third among Metro division defencemen. Jones has been tremendous for the Blue Jackets this season and it’s more than just the offense. He’s averaging a team leading 24:39 a night, most of which comes at even strength. Jones plays a 1:50 on the penalty kill and 2:32 on the power play, neither of which are the most among Jackets d-men. Jones does his best work at 5 on 5.
Among defencemen who have played 400 5 on 5 minutes this season, Jones has the sixth best Corsi at 55.81%. He along with Zach Werenski, have formed one of the most formidable defensive pairs in the league.
We've reached the halfway point of the season. @AndrewBerkshire breaks down the league's top five defence pairs so far:https://t.co/tXruZjZNx7 pic.twitter.com/hOzlOxZ09u
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 5, 2018
What makes this pair so dominant as that article discusses is how good the pair is in the offensive zone. These two keep the puck out of the net, not by defending but by making their opponents defend. They hem you in the zone and create a ton of scoring chances though a high number of passes.
With great players like Jones, and Werenski, it’s always the little things that make them special. Sure Jones can skate like wind, and shoot it with the best of them, but it’s things like his awareness and smarts on the ice, that help put those all those elite tools together. For example look at the play he made to set up the Jackets second goal against the Leafs.
Defense Away from Puck - Great details and effort by #3 @seth_jones3 of @BlueJacketsNHL on the line change. As 1st player on the ice, he sprints across to take away the lone Leaf player while his teammates take away the middle. #PHTOTD #NHL #BlueJackets pic.twitter.com/J3bdUQHIqG
— Pyramid Hockey (@johnbecanic) January 9, 2018
He gets a read on the play and jumps it. Most players, those who can’t skate like Jones can, just step back and let that pass happen. Jones and Werenski always have offense on the mind. They are always looking to jump into the rush or even lead the rush. It’s been great to watch them roam around on the ice. Kudos to John Tortorella and his staff for embracing this, and giving them free reign, it has certainly paid dividends on the ice.
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