The Chicago Wolves announced Tuesday that rookie center Seth Jarvis has been reassigned to the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) by the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL).
Jarvis, who turned 19 on Feb. 1, leaves Chicago as the American Hockey League’s leading scorer with 11 points (7G, 4A) in nine games. The Hurricanes’ first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft also ranks second among AHL players in goals — trailing teammate Rem Pitlick by 1.
Despite the excellent start to his professional career, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native returns to Portland in accordance with the longtime agreement between the National Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League (comprised of the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).
The agreement states no CHL player can join an AHL team unless he’s 20 years old or has played four years of junior hockey. Jarvis (along with Wolves teammates Jamieson Rees, Ryan Suzuki and Phil Tomasino and other CHL players) was given special dispensation to start this season in the AHL while Canada’s junior leagues sorted out their COVID-related issues and set a schedule to return to play.
With Portland’s WHL opener slated for Thursday, March 18, the Winterhawks plan to start preseason camp Friday. Jarvis is eager to return to the team he led with 42 goals and 56 assists in 58 games last year.
“It’s been nice to have fun with these guys here and enjoy my time,” Jarvis said. “It’d be nice to keep playing here with these guys, but going back, I think I’m going to enjoy every moment of it. I think juniors is kind of the best years of your life. That’s when you make the most friends and have the most fun. I’ll have fun going back and I don’t want it to affect my development at all, so a lot of the onus will be on me to keep pushing myself every day and keep competing.”
The Wolves are slated to host the Cleveland Monsters at 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at the Wolves Training Facility in Hoffman Estates.
Fans are not permitted to attend in accordance with Illinois Department of Public Health safety guidelines, but fans can place their smiling faces inside the building with a limited-edition St. Patrick’s Day-inspired cutout placed in the Wolves Fan Gallery, presented by Hefty. To learn how to purchase a cutout, click here or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
