NHL Draft Picks

The Janesville Jets are an organization focused on development and advancement. Our players develop their skills and their character before taking the next step in their hockey careers, whether it’s to the USHL or straight to the NCAA.

Some of our alumni have already made their pro hockey debuts, and more are yet to come.

It takes an especially talented player to prove himself NHL caliber early in his career, to land himself on the NHL’s Central Scouting list, and to hear his name called at the Entry Draft of the world’s best hockey league.

Since the Jets were born in 2009, only three NAHL teams boast multiple NHL Draft picks straight from their rosters. The Jets have seen three players in four seasons selected. Who’s next?

2016 — G Jack LaFontaine (#75 to Carolina Hurricanes)


Jets Stats (2015-16)
24-8-3-4 | 2.16 GAA | .921 SV%

Goaltender Jack LaFontaine became the Jets’ first ever NHL Draft pick in 2016. Taken midway through the 3rd round, LaFontaine was the first NAHL player drafted that day, and also became the highest-selected NAHL player since 2012. LaFontaine joined the University of Michigan as a true freshman the following season. He is currently playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, where he finished the 2019-20 season with a .919 save percentage in 25 games.

2018 — F Jakov Novak (#188 to Ottawa Senators)


Jets Stats (2016-18)
108 GP | 43 G | 58 A | 101 PTS

In 2017-18, Jakov Novak’s second and final year with the Jets, he set single-season franchise records for goals (32), points (73), and penalty minutes (131), and tied the franchise record for assists (41). That campaign earned him league MVP honors, the first and only time a Jet has won the award.

In 2019-20, as a sophomore at Bentley University, he finished fifth in conference goal-scoring (16) and seventh in points (30).

2019 — G Cole Brady (#127 to New Jersey Devils)


Jets Stats (2018-19)
21-17-1-3 | 2.79 GAA | .912 SV%

Goaltender Cole Brady became the Jets’ third NHL Draft pick in team history in June of 2019. The Pickering native won the Jets’ team MVP award as a NAHL rookie, appearing in 43 games and posting a .912 save percentage. He played the 2019-20 season with the USHL’s Fargo Force, leading the league with 39 appearances and logged a .903 save percentage, a top-10 mark. He will play his NCAA hockey in Tempe, Arizona, with the Arizona State Sun Devils.