JANESVILLE – Janesville Jets goaltender Matt Jurusik was recognized in the Preliminary 2015 Players to Watch list composed by the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Central Scouting.
The list includes seven other current North American Hockey League (NAHL) skaters and two other current goalies. It was finalized following the completion of the NAHL Showcase tournament last week in Blaine, Minnesota, an event that drew 46 NHL scouts, including those from Central Scouting. The list is given to NHL team scouts, and, as its title suggests, operates as a preliminary watch list before the first rankings are released in November.
Also tabbed on the list was Logan Halladay, now a former Janesville Jets goaltender. Halladay, currently with the Bloomington Thunder of the United States Hockey League (USHL), appeared in 31 games for the Jets last season with a .932 save percentage.
To fill in for the departing Halladay, the Jets selected Jurusik in the 4th round of the 2014 NAHL Entry Draft.
Jurusik, a native of La Grange, Illinois, posted a .933 save percentage last season with the Cleveland Barons U-18 team of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. He was one of two goaltenders appearing for team USA at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup tournament. The August tournament took place in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and saw Jurusik and the United States take home the bronze medal.