Jet Greaves (pronounced /ˈɡrivz/;[1] born March 30, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Jet Greaves
Greaves with the Cleveland Monsters in 2023
Born (2001-03-30) March 30, 2001 (age 23)
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Columbus Blue Jackets
Cleveland Monsters (AHL)
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2022–present

Greaves made his NHL debut on April 4, 2023, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the process, he set the record for most saves by a Columbus goaltender in their debut match.

Playing career

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Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, Greaves grew up playing for minor league teams in the Cambridge area. His play for the Cambridge Hawks led to Greaves being selected by the Barrie Colts in the third round, 56th overall in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft.[2] Greaves spent the season following his OHL draft selection with the Guelph Hurricanes of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League before joining the Colts for the 2018–19 OHL season.[3] In his rookie season, Greaves was named to the OHL's First All-Rookie Team.[4] Greaves would ultimately spend two seasons with Barrie, splitting the net in relatively equal appearances with Kai Edmonds in his rookie season, and Artūrs Šilovs in his sophomore campaign (despite being expected to be the team's starter in his second year).[5] The OHL cancelled its 2020–21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario; Greaves did not sign with an out-of-province or international team during this stoppage, and as a result, did not play hockey in what would have been his third OHL season.[6]

Greaves was never selected in a National Hockey League (NHL) draft, although he was first eligible to be drafted in 2019.[7] Despite not playing competitive hockey in what would have been the 2020–21 season, Greaves was signed to a professional contract by the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate club of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.[4] He would make his professional debut on October 23, 2021, making 40 saves in a 2–1 win over the Belleville Senators.[8] Greaves' first professional season would be split between the Monsters and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. Although he was not the primary goalie in the Blue Jackets' prospects system, Greaves impressed the team with his play, and was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the club on February 20, 2022.[9]

Entering his second professional season, Greaves was expected to serve as Cleveland's primary backup goaltender behind starter Daniil Tarasov.[10] However, he would ultimately play more games than Tarasov and cement himself as the team's main goalie throughout the season. On January 11, 2023, Greaves was called up by the Blue Jackets on an emergency basis after Tarasov (now with Columbus) suffered an injury, although he would not ultimately appear in any games with the team during this stint.[11] On April 2, as a reward for his play over the past two seasons, Greaves was told after serving backup for that evenings Monsters game that he would be called up, and was later told that he would make his NHL debut starting against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on April 4.[12] In his debut, Greaves would stop 46 of 49 shots faced in a 4–2 loss to Toronto. Greaves' play was praised by fans and media after the match, and his 46 save performance was the fifth most in an NHL debut since 1955–56; in the process, he also set a team record for most saves recorded in a debut.[12][13]

Personal life

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Jet Greaves is biracial. His mom is of European descent, while his father is of distant African origin. Greaves' younger brother, Kai, is also a hockey player, having played in the British Columbia Hockey League for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and currently playing for the Prince George Spruce Kings.[14] Growing up, Greaves was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.[12] He would often attend games, and as a teenager was particularly fond of Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen.[12]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2016–17 Cambridge Winter Hawks GOJHL 2 0 2 0 118 3 0 1.53 .950
2017–18 Guelph Hurricanes GOJHL 35 10 23 0 1,945 112 4 3.46 .899 3 0 2 88 12 0 8.14 .778
2018–19 Barrie Colts OHL 27 7 12 3 1,411 79 1 3.36 .911
2019–20 Barrie Colts OHL 33 23 15 2 1,773 118 2 3.99 .888
2021–22 Kalamazoo Wings ECHL 15 10 5 0 847 43 0 3.05 .907
2021–22 Cleveland Monsters AHL 29 12 12 3 1,586 75 1 2.84 .905
2022–23 Cleveland Monsters AHL 43 19 16 5 2,419 124 2 3.08 .899
2022–23 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 1 0 1 0 59 3 0 3.05 .939
2023–24 Cleveland Monsters AHL 46 30 12 4 2,684 131 1 2.93 .910 13 8 5 831 30 1 2.17 .926
2023–24 Columbus Blue Jackets NHL 9 3 6 0 516 30 0 3.49 .908
NHL totals 10 3 7 0 575 33 0 3.44 .912

Awards and honors

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Award Year
OHL
OHL First All-Rookie Team 2019

References

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  1. ^ "Colts graduate Jet Greaves signs with Blue Jackets". Ontario Hockey League. Ontario Hockey League. February 21, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Barrie Colts add 13 new players to the stable". Simcoe. Metroland Media Group. April 10, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Brown, Josh (November 21, 2017). "The OHL 21: Prospect watch". Waterloo Region Record. Metroland Media Group. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Monsters Sign Cassels, Greaves And Leblanc To AHL Contracts". Cleveland Monsters. American Hockey League. July 30, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Brown, Josh (September 17, 2019). "OHL: How about one year without drama in Peterborough?". The Peterborough Examiner. Metroland Media Group. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Phillips, Kim (April 21, 2021). "Barrie Colts benched as OHL cancels 2020-21 season". CTV News Barrie. Bell Media. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "Hockey Operations Guidelines – NHL.com – NHL Headquarters". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Cleveland Monsters edge Belleville Senators on Jet Greaves' 40 saves". Toronto Star. TorStar. October 23, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "CBJ sign G Jet Greaves to three-year entry level contract". Columbus Blue Jackets. National Hockey League. February 20, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  10. ^ Hedger, Brian (September 20, 2022). "Blue Jackets: Five things we learned at Traverse City Prospects Tournament". The Columbus Dispatch. Gannett. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Betts, Matt (January 11, 2023). "Cambridge goalie Jet Greaves called up by Columbus Blue Jackets". CityNews. Rogers Sports & Media. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d Svoboda, Jeff (April 5, 2023). "SvoNotes: Jet takes flight in his Blue Jackets debut". Columbus Blue Jackets. National Hockey League. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Portzline, Aaron (April 5, 2023). "Blue Jackets rookie goaltender Jet Greaves shines in 'really special' hometown NHL debut". The Athletic. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "Spruce Kings acquire Kai Greaves from Alberni Valley". Prince George Spruce Kings. British Columbia Hockey League. September 22, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
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