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#WCH2016: Jones hopes World Cup is springboard for new season
- Updated: September 18, 2016
TORONTO – Seth Jones averaged a career-high 22:05 of ice time during the 2015-16 season, the first time in the 21-year-old defenseman’s career he skated for over 20 minutes per-game for an entire season.
It’s the type of usage reserved for top-of-the-depth-chart defensemen, drawing the assignment of matching up against top forwards.
At the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, every line consists of top forwards, meaning no matter what Jones’ role is for Team North America, the competition won’t wilt.
“A lot of us have an advantage going into the season,” Jones said. “We’re already a step or two ahead of everybody else. We’re already playing top-notch games, extremely fast games against the best players in the world.”
It’s a tournament and tune-up and jumpstart that will serve Jones well for his first full season in Columbus. The 41 games he played for the Blue Jackets last season, in which he saw his playing time increase, was a dive into the deep end of the pool for Jones.
“That was part of the trade: more opportunity,” he said. “I’m playing in all situations right now.
“The [defensemen] in Nashville were obviously fantastic, and it was tough to get minutes there. Even the guys who should have been getting more minutes weren’t getting enough minutes because there were so many.”
By no means was Jones sheltered as a Nashville Predator, but on a blue line that boasted the likes of Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis, minutes were hard to come by.
He averaged 19:39 of ice time in Nashville, and then saw that number jump to over 24 …
