The college experience is typically remembered fondly for expanding horizons and shared teachings. In collegiate athletics, they become apparent in the camaraderie with their teammates and the unique opportunities presented. As a freshman for the North Dakota hockey team, center Tyson Jost is beginning to understand that connection and utilizes it in preparation for his NHL future.
Raised in Edmonton, Jost was brought up by his mother and grandparents, who toiled and sacrificed for his benefit in the absence of his father. Perhaps the toughest of those sacrifices was permitting Jost to leave home as a 13-year-old and play at the Pursuit of Excellence school in Kelowna, British Columbia. Jost began to dominate the competition and collected points at a blistering pace, netting 109 points and 56 goals in just 33 games during the 2012-13.
Pursing excellence became the objective of Jost’s as he entered his formative years in high school for the Pentiction Vees of the BCHL. In time, it became apparent that Jost would have a viable future as a hockey player and began garnering attention from prospective NHL scouts.
By his senior season, Jost averaged more than two points per game to lead the league and provided shades of his Kelowna promise with 42 goals in 48 regular season games, earning BCHL MVP honors. Jost also served as team captain in the IIHR U-18 tournament for Team Canada and broke Connor McDavid’s points record
Heading into the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, there was little doubt whether Jost was a first round selection. The Colorado Avalanche made things official, taking Jost with the tenth overall pick in a class headlined by world-class talents, such as Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine, and Boston University center Clayton Keller. Like Keller, Jost opted to further develop his skills at college and postpone his NHL career for at least a year. The collegiate experience would come at the University of North Dakota, where future Stanley Cup champion Jonathan Towes honed his skills prior to joining the Chicago Blackhawks.
The University of North Dakota’s hockey program is one of the NCAA’s finest with eight national championships to its name. In addition, the school has made an appearance in seven of last ten Frozen Fours and its alumni list contains 250 players who later played professionally. Thanks to its proud tradition, the school contains arguably the most loyal fanbase in college hockey, where the colors of Kelly Green and White are worn proudly in every opposing venue.
“It is unbelievable,” junior goaltender Cam Johnson said. “We always talk amongst our group that every game is a home game for us. Our fans are unbelievable. They travel wherever we are and even last year when we were in Tampa, we saw UND fans at the Frozen Four. We are lucky to have them and we have to perform for them.”
Although he joined the defending national champions, Jost felt little pressure as a freshman and quickly lived up to expectations with 7 goals in his first 16 games for the ninth-ranked team in college hockey. Jost would save his most dominant performance for the inaugural College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden on December 3, 2016 against the Boston College Eagles. Jost scored the first two goals of the game in the second period, en route to a 4-3 victory.
“I played in many different places, but nothing like Madison Square Garden. That was a surreal experience,” Jost said. “It was pretty special and to play BC and be supported by such a great community. The atmosphere we also have at home at Ralph Englestad Arena is also tremendous. I definitely got a taste of what New York City is like the last few days and that is also special it itself.”
The strong performance of Jost was no surprise to head coach Brad Berry, who already has glowing reviews for his freshman center and believes that his work ethic and demeanor empower him to achieve remarkable heights and belie his relative youth during his first foray into college hockey.
“The ultimate compliment you can give to a player is that he plays consistently well,” Berry said. “He does the little things on a daily basis in practice and it transfers over to the games. There is hardly any falloff in his practices or his games and that is attributed to the attention to detail he pays in each game.”
“He played in the junior hockey ranks where the average age was 19 or 20 years old and now he’s playing in college hockey against guys who are 24 or 25 years old and they are physically more mature. I think he has done a good job of managing the puck and making plays when plays are there and adapting to the speed of college hockey.”
Equipped with strong speed and ideal size, Jost reminds some of current Avalanche center Matt Duchene in the manner he utilizes those properties. Jost’s deft scoring touch and positive attitude are characteristics of a potential first-line center in the NHL someday.
Since the conclusion of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg’s playing careers, the Colorado Avalanche have struggled to recapture the magic of its Stanley Cup years, despite strong individual efforts from Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan Mackinnon. The Avalanche envision that Jost could help aid the future rebuilding efforts, but for now he is experiencing the complete college experience at North Dakota and solidifying his natural talents.