Jason Jaffray

Infobox Ice Hockey Player
position = Left Wing
shoots = Left
height_ft = 6
height_in = 1
weight_lb = 204
league = NHL
team = Vancouver Canucks
prospect_team = Manitoba Moose
prospect_league = AHL
nationality = CAN
birth_date = birth date and age|1981|6|30
birth_place = Olds, AB, CAN
career_start = 2002

Jason Jaffray (born June 30, 1981, in Olds, Alberta) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and is a prospect of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks.

Playing career

Jaffray appeared in five seasons of major junior in the Western Hockey League. He played six games for the Edmonton Ice in 1997-98 before they relocated to Cranbrook, B.C. the following season, becoming the Kootenay Ice. In 1999-00, Jaffray appeared in the 2000 Memorial Cup as Kootenay won the WHL Championship. He recorded 19 points in 21 WHL playoff games before Kootenay was eliminated in the round robin of the Memorial Cup tournament.

Midway through Jaffray's final WHL season, 2000-01, he was traded to the Swift Current Broncos and accumulated a junior career-high 83 points in 73 games.

Undrafted, Jaffray turned professional in the ECHL with the Roanoke Express. Named Rookie of the Month twice (November and December),citeweb|title=Jason Jaffray - AHL Profile|url=http://www.moosehockey.com/roster/jaffray_jason/|publisher=Manitoba Moose|accessdate=2007-07-18] he tallied 85 points in 64 games and earned the 2003 CCM Tacks Rookie of the Year Award. [citeweb|title=CCM Tacks Rookie of the Year|url=http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi?action=all_time_winners&award=5|publisher=East Coast Hockey League|accessdate=2008-07-18] He was also named to the ECHL First All-Star Team and All-Rookie Team.

The next season, Jaffray played for the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL and was named to the Second All-Star Team after finishing third in goal-scoring with 37. In his first two seasons in the ECHL, he appeared in several American Hockey League games as well with the Norfolk Admirals and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Jaffray began in the ECHL for a third season in 2004-05 before signing a tryout contract with the Cleveland Barons on December 14, 2004. After 30 games with the Barons, he signed another tryout contract with the Manitoba Moose on February 26, 2005.

In 2006-07, Jaffray recorded an AHL career-high 81 points in 77 games, leading the Moose in team scoring. On October 24, 2006, Jaffray tied a Moose franchise record for most goals in one game with four against the Chicago Wolves. As Manitoba advanced the the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, he added a team-high 13 points in 13 games. Jaffray's successful year culminated in an AHL Second Team All-Star selection and his first NHL contract, signed with the Moose's NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks. [citeweb|title=Jaffray deserves a two-way deal|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Wiebe/2007/04/08/pf-3953151.html|publisher=CANOE|accessdate=2008-07-18|date=2007-04-08] [citeweb|title=Tuesday's sports transactions|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/transactions/20070703.htm|publisher=USA Today|date=2007-07-04|accessdate=2008-07-18]

Jaffray was called up for his first NHL game on December 12, 2007, against the Anaheim Ducks, due to an injury to Brendan Morrison. Jaffray picked up his first NHL point on a 2-on-1 with Moose teammate Mason Raymond, who was also called up. Incidentally, the assist was on Raymond's first NHL goal. Later in the game, Jaffray scored his own first goal, the eventual game winner, against J. S. Giguere as the Canucks beat Anaheim 3–2. [citeweb|title=Raymond and Jaffray score 1st NHL goals|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/13/sports/HKN-Canucks-Ducks.php|publisher=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=2008-07-18|date=2007-12-13] Jaffray completed 2007-08 appearing in 19 games with the Canucks.

Awards and achievements

ECHL
*Rookie of the Month - November and December 2002
*CCM Tacks Rookie of the Year - 2003
*First All-Star Team - 2003
*All-Rookie Team - 2003
*Player of the Week - December 29 – January 4 (2003-04)
*Second All-Star Team - 2004

AHL
*CCM Vector Player of the Week - October 30, 2006citeweb|title=Jaffray named CCM/Vectory Player of the Week|url=http://www.theahl.com/news/allnews/index.html?article_id=7146|accessdate=2008-10-11|date=2006-10-30|publisher=American Hockey League]
*All-Star Classic - 2007 [citeweb|title=Moose emerging in Western Conference|url=http://www.theahl.com/news/allnews/index.html?article_id=7552|accessdate=2008-10-11|publisher=American Hockey League]
*Second All-Star Team - 2007

Records

*Manitoba Moose franchise record; most goals, single game - 4 on October 24, 2006 (tied with Brandon Reid and Greg Pankewicz)

Career statistics

External links

* [http://www.moosehockey.com/roster/jaffray_jason/ Official Manitoba Moose profile]
*hockeydb|31061

References