Caleb Jones Collecting Steam

<![CDATA[It’s been two years as of this summer since Caleb Jones was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and so far, the left-shooting defenceman is looking like a shrewd pick for the Edmonton Oilers.

If pedigree means anything to you when evaluating prospects, well, Caleb Jones has it in spades. Jones is the owner of some impressive athletic bloodlines, as his father, Popeye, is a former NBA player, and his brother, Seth, is currently playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL. While Caleb may not have the size of his 6’8 father or 6’4 brother, at 6’1 and hovering around 190 pounds, Caleb is still perfectly comfortable in physical battles.

. @Jones4Caleb making it look easy 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/yDbp7l6Yhb

— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) February 20, 2017

Jones brings a puck moving presence to the back end for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, with 107 points through 128 regular season games over the past two seasons. He’s operating at a clip of 0.93 points per game over the course of the 2016-17 campaign (52 in 56), which ranks eighth among all WHL defenders.

A good portion of his offence at the junior level has come from the power play, as 23 of his 52 points this season have come on the man advantage. Jones also has the eighth highest primary points per game according to whlstats.ca, averaging 0.54 primary points per outing. Primary points is a stat that holds some value in my opinion, as it removes the second assist, which is generally less telling of offensive involvement.

https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/797282150571765760

A product of the United States National Team Development Program, Jones was a member of the gold medal winning USA team at the most recent World Junior Championship, where he was a key cog on the blue line and chipped in with two assists in seven games.

Jones has shown consistent progression since being taken 117th overall, so much so that the Oilers felt it necessary to put pen to paper last April, when Jones signed a three-year entry level contract. He got a taste of professional hockey at the end of the 2015-16 season, spending three games with the Bakersfield Condors in the AHL. At this rate, it seems quite likely that Jones will be with the Condors full time next year.

Although he is a left shot, the smooth skating defenceman is capable of manning the right side as well, which is a valuable trait for an organization heavy on left handed defenders such as the Oilers.

Jones has blossomed into one of the Oilers’ top prospects, and at just 19 years old, if he can continue this trajectory, he could be a valuable asset in Edmonton for a very long time.

Thanks for reading!

You can find me on Twitter @SullivanJLarson ]]>