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By Jared Clinton, features writer
Representing Canada internationally isn’t foreign to Brad Marchand.
Beyond a pair of WJC golds, which came before he went from relative unknown to possible (or even probable) Hall of Famer, Marchand has helped Canada to World Championship and World Cup titles.
Despite his experience, though, Marchand had options when asked on an NHL on TNT broadcast to name a fresh face he was looking forward to playing alongside at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
What gave him the veritable pick of the litter was that the landscape had shifted enough that when Team Canada unveiled their 4 Nations squad, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart and Drew Doughty were the only players Marchand had previously called national teammates. The field was open, with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner and Brayden Point among the names leaping into the minds of those watching from home.
But without missing a beat, Marchand singled out not a Stanley Cup champion, Hart Trophy winner or Atlantic Division rival but a tenacious up-and-comer: Seth Jarvis.
That wasn’t lost on the Carolina Hurricanes right winger.
“Being the kind of new kid to that group was definitely nerve-wracking,” Jarvis said. “For him to say something like that meant a lot to me.”
In one sense, it was recognition that Jarvis had gained the respect of his peers and caught the attention of the game’s best. But Marchand’s shout-out was also evidence that the chip Jarvis has been toting around on his shoulder hasn’t been out of place.
After all, Jarvis was named to the 4 Nations roster five years almost to the date after his drive to establish himself as a big-game, big-stage player had reached new heights.
Arriving at Canada’s training camp ahead of the 2021 world juniors, Jarvis was fresh off of a 42-goal, 98-point campaign with the Portland Winterhawks, totals that were third- and second-best in the WHL that season.
Only two months earlier, Carolina had selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft. And while he was by no means pre-destined for the Canadian roster, Jarvis nevertheless seemed in pole position to earn a spot.
Then came an early-morning knock on the door, with the news he’d been cut and the dashing of his dream. That moment, which crushed Jarvis at the time, soon turned his desire into an insatiable hunger.
“It set a lot of things in motion really quickly for me,” he said.
With uncertainty about the upcoming WHL season amid the pandemic, Jarvis redoubled his training efforts.
When temporarily modified eligibility rules allowed him to suit up in the AHL in February 2021, he turned in a seven-goal, 11-point output in nine games with the Chicago Wolves.
After finishing out 2020-21 in the WHL, Jarvis made the leap to the NHL the following year, where he has, in four seasons, ascended from rookie surprise to steady sophomore to top-six fixture in Carolina and best-on-best champion with Canada.
Jarvis said it’s always been about “proving not just people wrong, but proving myself right that I do belong in these tournaments, I can represent my country, and I can do it at the highest level.”
There was a time, too, when some questioned the latter.
While fire, feistiness and passion are words that were and continue to be used to describe the 23-year-old, so has every five-dollar synonym for small. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds, Jarvis has always seen his size be a big part of his scouting report.
Whereas his height comes down to nature, though, there was an aspect of nurture to coming up in a Winnipeg youth-hockey system that Jarvis noted tends to lean more toward will than skill.
The physical superiority of his foes schooled Jarvis in how to use his size to his advantage. It taught him never to back down. And when he looked to the big leagues, which had gone from the land of giants it had been in his youth to one where talent could prevail, Jarvis was encouraged.
“I’m hoping to continue that trend and be someone that kids can look up to that aren’t these big genetic mutants,” he laughed.
As much as his physical attributes are out of his hands, though, Jarvis has taken pains to grow elsewhere. Take his defensive game.
When he arrived in the NHL, Jarvis saw a symbiosis between his personal style of play and the way Carolina wanted to attack the game. It’s a cohesiveness that has made him a perfect fit for the organization.
Like the club’s style of play, Jarvis’ game is fast, energetic and physical; Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov are the only Hurricanes who have thrown more hits than Jarvis since his NHL debut. But he readily admits his mindset as a youngster was one of pure offensive production. That was never going to fly under coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Indeed, anyone who has watched a minute of Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes knows their tight structure and defensive solidity. And not long into his NHL tenure, Jarvis was schooled by the Carolina bench boss.
“He made it pretty clear to me early on,” Jarvis said, “that I was going to need to play defense if I want to get out there.”
Jarvis’ metamorphosis has been spectacular. He was second among Carolina forwards in shorthanded ice time and tied for second in the NHL with five shorthanded goals. Further, no Canes forward has blocked more shots since Jarvis’ debut.
He has turned what he himself once perceived as a weakness into a strength so great it’s being acknowledged the league over. Last season, he finished eighth in Selke Trophy voting and garnered 10 second-place votes.
It continues to be Jarvis’ desire to put in the hours and do the small things – and, as he often repeats, the opportunity and trust from Brind’Amour and Co. – that have paved his way into the league’s upper echelon. It is perhaps because of Jarvis’ work ethic and style of play, then, that there is no air of braggadocio when he says he makes “the plays that result in winning hockey games.” He speaks it as if it’s a statement of fact.
And if his is a confidence well-earned, it is also one Jarvis intends to maintain.
“Whenever you get a chance to get better, you don’t want to pass it up and think back on your career when you’re done and wonder what could have happened if you worked a little harder or did the extra stuff,” he said. “I’m just trying to make sure that when I’m all said and done and hang up my skates that I’m happy with how it went and I don’t have any regrets.”
This article appeared in our 2025 Top 100 NHLers issue. This issue focuses on the 100 best players currently in the NHL, with the Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon sitting atop the list. We also include features on Alex Ovechkin finally beating Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record, and former CFL running back Andrew Harris' switch to semi-professional hockey. In addition, we provide a PWHL playoff preview as the regular season nears its end.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
Continue reading...
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Representing Canada internationally isn’t foreign to Brad Marchand.
Beyond a pair of WJC golds, which came before he went from relative unknown to possible (or even probable) Hall of Famer, Marchand has helped Canada to World Championship and World Cup titles.
Despite his experience, though, Marchand had options when asked on an NHL on TNT broadcast to name a fresh face he was looking forward to playing alongside at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
What gave him the veritable pick of the litter was that the landscape had shifted enough that when Team Canada unveiled their 4 Nations squad, Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Sam Reinhart and Drew Doughty were the only players Marchand had previously called national teammates. The field was open, with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mitch Marner and Brayden Point among the names leaping into the minds of those watching from home.
But without missing a beat, Marchand singled out not a Stanley Cup champion, Hart Trophy winner or Atlantic Division rival but a tenacious up-and-comer: Seth Jarvis.
That wasn’t lost on the Carolina Hurricanes right winger.
“Being the kind of new kid to that group was definitely nerve-wracking,” Jarvis said. “For him to say something like that meant a lot to me.”
In one sense, it was recognition that Jarvis had gained the respect of his peers and caught the attention of the game’s best. But Marchand’s shout-out was also evidence that the chip Jarvis has been toting around on his shoulder hasn’t been out of place.
After all, Jarvis was named to the 4 Nations roster five years almost to the date after his drive to establish himself as a big-game, big-stage player had reached new heights.
Arriving at Canada’s training camp ahead of the 2021 world juniors, Jarvis was fresh off of a 42-goal, 98-point campaign with the Portland Winterhawks, totals that were third- and second-best in the WHL that season.
Only two months earlier, Carolina had selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft. And while he was by no means pre-destined for the Canadian roster, Jarvis nevertheless seemed in pole position to earn a spot.
Then came an early-morning knock on the door, with the news he’d been cut and the dashing of his dream. That moment, which crushed Jarvis at the time, soon turned his desire into an insatiable hunger.
“It set a lot of things in motion really quickly for me,” he said.
You must be registered for see images attach
With uncertainty about the upcoming WHL season amid the pandemic, Jarvis redoubled his training efforts.
When temporarily modified eligibility rules allowed him to suit up in the AHL in February 2021, he turned in a seven-goal, 11-point output in nine games with the Chicago Wolves.
After finishing out 2020-21 in the WHL, Jarvis made the leap to the NHL the following year, where he has, in four seasons, ascended from rookie surprise to steady sophomore to top-six fixture in Carolina and best-on-best champion with Canada.
Jarvis said it’s always been about “proving not just people wrong, but proving myself right that I do belong in these tournaments, I can represent my country, and I can do it at the highest level.”
There was a time, too, when some questioned the latter.
While fire, feistiness and passion are words that were and continue to be used to describe the 23-year-old, so has every five-dollar synonym for small. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 184 pounds, Jarvis has always seen his size be a big part of his scouting report.
Whereas his height comes down to nature, though, there was an aspect of nurture to coming up in a Winnipeg youth-hockey system that Jarvis noted tends to lean more toward will than skill.
The physical superiority of his foes schooled Jarvis in how to use his size to his advantage. It taught him never to back down. And when he looked to the big leagues, which had gone from the land of giants it had been in his youth to one where talent could prevail, Jarvis was encouraged.
“I’m hoping to continue that trend and be someone that kids can look up to that aren’t these big genetic mutants,” he laughed.
You must be registered for see images attach
As much as his physical attributes are out of his hands, though, Jarvis has taken pains to grow elsewhere. Take his defensive game.
When he arrived in the NHL, Jarvis saw a symbiosis between his personal style of play and the way Carolina wanted to attack the game. It’s a cohesiveness that has made him a perfect fit for the organization.
Like the club’s style of play, Jarvis’ game is fast, energetic and physical; Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov are the only Hurricanes who have thrown more hits than Jarvis since his NHL debut. But he readily admits his mindset as a youngster was one of pure offensive production. That was never going to fly under coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Indeed, anyone who has watched a minute of Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes knows their tight structure and defensive solidity. And not long into his NHL tenure, Jarvis was schooled by the Carolina bench boss.
“He made it pretty clear to me early on,” Jarvis said, “that I was going to need to play defense if I want to get out there.”
Jarvis’ metamorphosis has been spectacular. He was second among Carolina forwards in shorthanded ice time and tied for second in the NHL with five shorthanded goals. Further, no Canes forward has blocked more shots since Jarvis’ debut.
He has turned what he himself once perceived as a weakness into a strength so great it’s being acknowledged the league over. Last season, he finished eighth in Selke Trophy voting and garnered 10 second-place votes.
It continues to be Jarvis’ desire to put in the hours and do the small things – and, as he often repeats, the opportunity and trust from Brind’Amour and Co. – that have paved his way into the league’s upper echelon. It is perhaps because of Jarvis’ work ethic and style of play, then, that there is no air of braggadocio when he says he makes “the plays that result in winning hockey games.” He speaks it as if it’s a statement of fact.
And if his is a confidence well-earned, it is also one Jarvis intends to maintain.
“Whenever you get a chance to get better, you don’t want to pass it up and think back on your career when you’re done and wonder what could have happened if you worked a little harder or did the extra stuff,” he said. “I’m just trying to make sure that when I’m all said and done and hang up my skates that I’m happy with how it went and I don’t have any regrets.”
This article appeared in our 2025 Top 100 NHLers issue. This issue focuses on the 100 best players currently in the NHL, with the Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon sitting atop the list. We also include features on Alex Ovechkin finally beating Wayne Gretzky's goal-scoring record, and former CFL running back Andrew Harris' switch to semi-professional hockey. In addition, we provide a PWHL playoff preview as the regular season nears its end.
You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.
Continue reading...
