Zac Jones

Zachary Jones (born October 18, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jones was drafted by the Rangers in the third round (68th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Zac Jones
Jones with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2023
Born (2000-10-18) October 18, 2000
Glen Allen, Virginia, U.S.
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position Defense
Shoots Left
NHL team New York Rangers
National team  United States
NHL Draft 68th overall, 2019
New York Rangers
Playing career 2021–present

Playing career

Jones was drafted 68th overall by the New York Rangers at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[2][3] He won an NCAA championship with the UMass Minutemen in 2020–21 prior to signing a professional contract with the Rangers on April 13, 2021.[4][5] Jones made his NHL debut for the Rangers on April 22, in a 3–2 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.[5][6] With his NHL debut Jones became the sixth Virginian to play in the NHL, and the first player from Richmond, Virginia to be drafted by the NHL and to play in the NHL.[7]

Jones recorded his first NHL point with an assist on a goal by Kaapo Kakko in his third NHL game on April 25, 2021, against the Buffalo Sabres.[8]

Jones spent most of the 2021–22 season with the Hartford Wolf Pack, although he played 12 games for the Rangers. According to Hartford assistant coach Casey Torres, "He was awesome, I thought he was our best player for the entirety of the season. He was so dynamic. He created offense from high and low probability situations. He competed hard. Such great vision on the ice and just a real dynamic presence for us offensively on the back end.”[9] On June 16, 2023, Jones signed a two-year contract extension with the Rangers.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Selects Academy USPHL 7 2 7 9 2 4 1 1 2 2
2018–19 Tri-City Storm USHL 56 7 45 52 38 6 0 5 5 2
2019–20 UMass-Amherst HE 32 3 20 23 24 — — — — —
2020–21 UMass-Amherst HE 29 9 15 24 8 — — — — —
2020–21 New York Rangers NHL 10 0 4 4 2 — — — — —
2021–22 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 52 9 26 35 25 — — — — —
2021–22 New York Rangers NHL 12 0 2 2 0 — — — — —
2022–23 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 54 8 23 31 34 9 2 4 6 8
2022–23 New York Rangers NHL 16 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 38 1 7 8 6 — — — — —
Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2021 Latvia

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2018 United States WJAC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 1 3 4 2
2020 United States WJC 6th 5 1 1 2 0
2021 United States WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 10 0 3 3 4
Junior totals 11 2 4 6 2
Senior totals 10 0 3 3 4

Awards and honours
Award Year
USHL
All-Rookie Team 2019
Rookie of the Year 2019
Second All-Star Team 2019
College
HE All-Rookie Team 2019–20 [11]
All-HE Second Team 2020–21 [12]
AHCA East Second Team All-American 2020–21 [13]
HE All-Tournament Team 2021 [14]
NCAA All-Tournament Team 2021 [15]

References
  1. "Zac Jones at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  2. "Three Minutemen Selected In 2019 NHL Entry Draft". University of Massachusetts Athletics. June 22, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  3. "Zac Jones selected by New York Rangers in NHL Draft". KHGI. June 22, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  4. "Rangers Agree to Terms with Defenseman Zac Jones". NHL.com. April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  5. Brooks, Larry (April 23, 2021). "Zac Jones showed poise in Rangers debut: 'Not an easy situation'". New York Post. p. 44. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  6. "Voracek, van Riemsdyk lead Flyers past Rangers, 3-2". ESPN. April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021. Zac Jones picked up 9:45 of ice time in his NHL debut Thursday.
  7. Phillips, Michael (April 22, 2021). "Glen Allen's Zac Jones makes Rangers debut, becoming the first Richmonder to play in the NHL". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  8. Brooks, Larry (April 25, 2021). "David Quinn explains why Rangers continue to sit Julien Gauthier". New York Post. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  9. Walker, Mollie (September 13, 2022). "The questions facing Zac Jones and other prospects at Rangers rookie camp". New York Post. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  10. "Rangers Agree to Terms with Zac Jones". NHL.com. June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  11. "Hockey East Names 2019-20 Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". hockeyeastonline.com. March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  13. "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  14. "Bobby Trivigno's evolution pushed UMass hockey to championship caliber". Daily Hampshire Gazette. March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. "UMass Hockey Wins National Championship". UMass. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.