For this edition of the Your Favorite Number series, presented by Jewel-Osco, we shine the spotlight on four fine players who scored big-time goals while wearing our No. 22.
Over the course of the organization’s first 26 years, most Wolves jersey numbers have been shared by several great players. To celebrate their brilliance, we are creating highlight reels of Wolves who wore the same jersey number and asking you to vote for your favorite.
This week’s clips feature four Wolves who made a difference while wearing No. 22: Scott Pearson, Nathan Oystrick, Darren Archibald and Dmitrij Jaskin.
Pearson was drafted sixth overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. By the time the Wolves signed him for the 1997-98 season, the powerful forward already owned 56 goals and 41 assists in 290 NHL appearances. Pearson promptly became a dominant force on the Wolves’ first championship team. He stacked up 34 goals in 1997-98 — second on the team to Steve Maltais — and he stepped up during the postseason with a team-high 12 goals in 22 games as the Wolves knocked off Manitoba, Milwaukee, Long Beach and Detroit to capture the 1998 Turner Cup. Pearson also helped the Wolves take the 2000 Turner Cup during his three seasons in Chicago. He finished his tenure with 76 goals and 44 assists in 217 regular-season games.
The Atlanta Thrashers selected Oystrick in the seventh round of the 2002 NHL Draft, but the Regina, Saskatchewan, native opted to attend Northern Michigan for four years before turning pro. He joined the Wolves for the final two games of the 2005-06 season, then became a force on the blue line for three seasons. Oystrick delivered 15 goals in each of his first two years — and added three postseason goals during 2007-08 as he played in all 24 games on the way to the 2008 Calder Cup crown. After spending all of 2008-09 with the Thrashers, Oystrick split his 2009-10 season between the Wolves and the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks. He wrapped his Wolves career with 47 goals and 76 assists in 205 regular-season appearances.
Archibald, an undrafted free agent, hadn’t proven himself above the ECHL level before he joined the Wolves. The powerfully built forward came through with 12 goals and 10 assists in 55 games during the 2012-13 season, which started his climb toward the NHL. The Newmarket, Ontario, native wound up spending parts of four seasons in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators and contributed six goals and eight assists in 55 games. He’s playing this season for Vienna in Austria’s top league.
Jaskin, the St. Louis Blues’ second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, spent his first full year as a pro with the Wolves in 2013-14. The skilled scorer stacked up 15 goals and 14 assists in 42 games while also appearing in 18 games for the Blues. On the day the Wolves started the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs in Rochester, Jaskin was loaned by the Blues to the Wolves and owner Don Levin flew him on a private jet to Rochester so he could play in that night’s game. Just 1:06 into overtime (as shown on the video above), Jaskin swatted home the game-winning goal to set off a wild celebration. Jaskin finished his Wolves tenure with 20 goals and 26 assists in 63 games. He went on to play 303 NHL games for St. Louis and Washington before returning to his native Russia in 2019. This year, he’s the KHL’s runaway leader in goal-scoring with 31 in 46 games for the Moscow Dynamo.
To vote for your favorite Wolves player who wore No. 22, visit one or more of the team’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and make your opinion known!
If you missed any of the previous episodes, here they are:
Your Favorite Number 2
Your Favorite Number 3
Your Favorite Number 4
Your Favorite Number 5
Your Favorite Number 6
Your Favorite Number 7
Your Favorite Number 8
Your Favorite Number 9
Your Favorite Number 10
Your Favorite Number 12
Your Favorite Number 13
Your Favorite Number 14
Your Favorite Number 15
Your Favorite Number 16
Your Favorite Number 17
Your Favorite Number 18
Your Favorite Number 19
Your Favorite Number 20
Your Favorite Number 21
