Stellar rookie season for Kindersley Klippers defenceman Jaxon Herchak

He might’ve only turned 17 three months ago, but Kindersley Klippers defenceman Jaxon Herchak is already garnering attention from across the hockey world.

The 5’10” 180-pound defenceman from Waldheim, Saskatchewan is off to an outstanding start in his rookie season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).

Herchak has tallied 18 points in 23 games this year with the Klippers, placing him in second in scoring among SJHL defencemen.

He’s only behind Maxwell Chakrabarti of the Weyburn Red Wings — a rookie with 20 points in 20 games — but is also two years older than Herchak.

Averaging almost a point per game in the SJHL is no easy feat and it might come as a surprise for Herchak. Up until this season, Herchak had never averaged even close to a point per game while playing at the U18 AAA level the last two seasons with the Warman Wildcats.

So, what’s changed?

“I’m moving the puck to the right spots,” Herchak said. “My teammates are definitely helping me out.”

Aside from finding his teammates in the right places, Herchak credits his work off the ice for making him a better player this season.

“I’m definitely working harder this year, but this past summer I had a hard-working summer focusing on my training and my offensive game,” Herchak explained.

He also credits his teammates in Kindersley for helping him get to that next level.

“Before the regular season started, we were doing these hard workouts together early in the morning. I feel like just because of how hard those were, it brought us right together,” he added.

Hockey scouts have been intrigued to get their hands on Herchak’s talents ever since he was 15 years old.

At that age, Herchak was named captain of Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games.

He was impressive at that tournament and later committed to Colorado College of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) — a Division 1 hockey program in the United States. It is a rare move for a player in the SJHL to make at such a young age.

Herchak said it was his agent who suggested that he should pursue the college route.

“When the colleges were allowed to talk to us in about January of last year, I made a pretty good relationship with them,” he said. “My agent and I definitely had a brief discussion about it and I think he helped me out with choosing the Colorado route.”

He doesn’t know when he’ll go down south, but Herchak is excited about the path he’s on.

“I’d say the best part of it is just working towards that like the process is what I’m enjoying. I can’t wait for the next few years to lead up to Colorado,” he said.

Clayton Jardine is the head coach of the Klippers and can’t wait to see what comes next for his star defenceman.

“The ceiling is pretty high. Colorado College is an up-and-coming program and they’re doing a really good job there of finding the right players. But also developing them as well for the next level. It’s going to be a great place for Jackson to attend,” Jardine said.

According to Jardine, what’s made Herchak so successful this year is the ability to stick to his game and not try to be a player he isn’t.

“He just stays true to himself. It doesn’t matter the game or the level that he’s playing at, he plays the exact same way and he’s consistent. He’s very good at finding the players at the right time to put the puck on their stick,” he explained.

“Away from the puck, he’s very physical and takes great angles on guys and closes on them quickly. It’s a lot of hockey IQ, but just making the play at the right time.”

His excitement might be in Colorado, but the Klippers are his focus right now.

The Klippers are 12-11-1-0 to start the season in the Nutrien Division and are in a battle with the Battlefords North Stars and Humboldt Broncos for the top spot.

He’s loved playing with the Kindersley-based team this season.

“The team environment is awesome. The boys have just bonded and we have Jardine and Tyler Traptow on the bench and they’re amazing,” he added.