No one is counting out Roby Jarventie as an NHL prospect. In fact, when the Edmonton Oilers traded for Jarventie in mid-July, most Oilers pundits and fans thought well of the deal.
For one thing, Jarventie was acquired for Xavier Bourgault, Edmonton’s 2021 first round draft pick who had done well in major junior hockey, but had followed up a just OK first season in the American Hockey League with a not OK second season, one where the young winger had just 20 points in 55 games. Meanwhile Jarventie had been almost a point per game player in the AHL for Ottawa’s Belleville affiliate, with 20 points in 22 games. Jarventie is also bigger than Bourgault and he’s almost exactly the same age.
What’s not to like about the deal?
But before we can count Jarventie in as a serious contender to make the Oilers, a few questions have to be answered in a relatively short amount of time, with just one year left on Jarventie’s Entry Level Contract.
First, Jarventie has got to show he’s enough off an all-around, two-way player that even if he’s not destined to be a Top 6 winger on the Oilers, he can still do enough on forecheck and backcheck to be a useful role player. But most crucially Jarventie has got to show he can come back from knee surgery, get back all his speed and strength, and demonstrate his game has grown enough that he can help out a top NHL team. It will be no small accomplishment if he does so.
His career has had plenty of up arrow so far, so perhaps he can take one more huge step.
A big, fast kid with a wicked shot, he was taken 33rd overall in the 2020 draft, the same year the Oilers drafted Dylan Holloway in the first round.
Scouts have had both good things to say about him but have also offered up criticisms.
Before the 2020 draft, Smaht Hockey said, “Järventie has a great combo of size and speed, meaning he can be a juggernaut on the puck up the wing… He also has a brilliant shot and loves to let it fly… Järventie has some fire to him… His hockey IQ is a question-mark, and his despite his physicality and tenacity in the offensive zone he can look like a different player inside his own blueline. The defensive aspects of his game have to improve going forward.”
Added Steve Kournianos of the Draft Analyst said, “His most impressive skill is the way he slings rockets off his blade within nanoseconds… Jarventie plays a relatively clean game and will only engage in battles when necessary. He spends a lot of time on the periphery but stays in motion and reacts properly to puck travel rather than gaze from a static position.”
And Jokke Nevalainen of Dobber Prospects: “A goal-scoring winger with great size and very good speed… Not a well-rounded player, so there is some risk involved as well.”
And Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “His best asset is his ability to push past checks, protect the puck and get to his spots for a shot on net. I wouldn’t say he’s a particularly aware player in terms of his ability to facilitate for his linemates or to identify everything that’s going on in his periphery, but his instincts and strength on the puck help him create for himself.”
In August 2022, Corey Pronman of The Athletic rated his skating as below NHL average, but his puck skills, hockey sense and compete level as NHL average, with his shot rated above NHL average. “He’s a very intelligent forward who can make a lot of plays and has strong puck skills… I don’t hate his effort but I wouldn’t call Järventie a high-energy type and his skating is just OK. With his skill, size and history of producing versus men I could see him as a bottom-six winger with a chance at more.”
A year later, after Jarventie had put up 30 points in 40 AHL games in his second season in North America, Pronman added. “Jarventie is a difficult evaluation. You love what he can do with the puck on his stick. He’s got a ton of natural skill and creativity. He also has a great shot and can pick corners from distance… Jarventie’s compete can be quite inconsistent though and he plays way too much on the perimeter. His skating is also just okay.”
Jarventie had banged up his knee ten games into that 2022-23 AHL season and was out three months. He struggled upon return but closed out with 23 points in 26 games.
In 2023-24, he got into seven games for the Senators, and had almost a point per game in the AHL, but his knee was still an issue, requiring surgery in late February, which shut down his season.
This past July after Jarventie was traded to Edmonton, Graeme Nichols of the Hockey News said of him, “A persistent knee injury that required offseason surgery has hampered his development…Perhaps that development can occur with fresh starts elsewhere, but the risk that Ottawa gave up on (Jarventie) feels small. Järventie’s a shooter whose two-way game needs refining.”
Steven Ellis of The Daily Faceoff added, “From a skill perspective, Bourgault is a better prospect than Järventie. But from an NHL viewpoint, I think Järventie is going to have a better shot at making it work out. From my viewings, I love how hard Järventie works for the puck, how well he anticipates plays, and how he uses his 6-foot-2, 214-pound frame to win battles.”
Expectations for 2024-25: Get that knee back to game speed and establish himself as a top line winger in Bako by Christmas. After that, show he’s got enough defensive focus and physical grit to make a mark on an NHL grind line, then maybe get a call-up to Edmonton for a few games. His AHL competition includes big shooter Raphael Lavoie and hot shot prospect Matt Savoie. One of those three could well be in Edmonton’s Top 9 if injury hits this year. But will that player stick the landing if he makes that big jump? For Jarventie, that depends in large part on how solid that wounded knee is.
