| STORIES |
- Saturday, June 25, 2011: First glance: 2011 draft
- Sunday, June 26, 2011: Slick Slovak slips to Wings
- Tuesday, October 25, 2011: Jurco lined up for success with Sea Dogs
- Wednesday, December 21, 2011: Emerging Jensen explodes for rare hat trick
- Tuesday, January 3, 2012: Red Wings prospects grab WJC spotlight
- Wednesday, January 11, 2012: Quine’s quickness shines in Peterborough
- Tuesday, January 31, 2012: Defense plus, opportunity minus for Almqvist
- Wednesday, April 11, 2012: Jurco, Sea Dogs ripping up QMJHL playoffs
- Wednesday, March 6, 2013: ‘Other people just can’t do’ what Jurco can
- Tuesday, April 23, 2013: Griffins poised for playoff push
|
| HISTORY |
2008-09
- Finished 29th in scoring in Slovakia’s U-20 league as a 16-year-old with HC Kosice (48-19-30-49).
- Taken fourth overall by the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in the CHL import draft.
|
2009-10
- Put up solid numbers as a 17-year-old QMJHL rookie with Saint John (64-26-25-51).
- Finished fifth in team scoring and also had plus-34 rating and 140 shots.
- Enjoyed productive playoff run to QMJHL final (21-7-10-17, plus-8, 50 shots).
|
2010-11
- Enjoyed slight offensive improvement as QMJHL sophomore with Saint John (60-31-25-56).
- Also posted plus-46 rating and 176 shots in mostly a second-line role.
- Represented Slovakia at IIHF world junior championship (6-1-0-1).
- Helped Sea Dogs win a QMJHL championship with a great playoff run (19-6-12-18).
- Saved his best for the Memorial Cup by leading Saint John to CHL championship (4-4-1-5).
- Ranked as a consensus first-rounder for 2011 NHL draft and went 35th overall to the Red Wings.
|
2011-12
- Appeared in one NHL pre-season game with Red Wings (no points, no shots, even plus-minus).
- Returned to Saint John and finished fourth in team scoring (48-30-38-68, plus-46, 186 shots).
- Pro-rated point production (96 points in 68 games) would placed third in QMJHL.
- Helped carry Saint John’s offensive load with star Jonathan Huberdeau missing 31 games.
- Plus-minus rating tied him for fourth in QMJHL behind three of his Sea Dogs teammates.
- Led sixth-place Slovakia in scoring at WJC (5-1-7-8, plus-4, 16 shots).
- Finished fourth in QMJHL playoff scoring behind three Sea Dogs teammates (16-13-16-29).
- Helped Sea Dogs go 16-1 in post-season en route to second straight QMJHL President’s Cup.
- Produced five points (two goals, three assists) in 8-0 championship-clinching win over Rimouski.
- Produced two goals, one assist in four games as Sea Dogs lost in Memorial Cup semifinals.
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| SCOUT COMMENTS |
| “We find he has a very quick stick in tight, in situations, in traffic. His poise under pressure, his ability to do things in tight areas and willingness to go into tight areas, and it really helps him do things at high speeds. He’s just got good upside. He’s got a good chance to be a top-six forward.” — Red Wings scout Mark Leach (June 2011) … “He’s a leader on a very good team, a top-six forward. He’s got high-end skill.” — Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill (May 2012, MLive.com). |
| STRENGTHS |
| Described by assistant GM Jim Nill as a “Marian Hossa-type player” in an MLive.com article in May 2012 … All the tools are here for a scoring-line winger to emerge … Boasts elite puckhandling ability that is made for highlight reels and has made him a popular search on YouTube … Amazing hand-eye coordination … Fast skater with good acceleration and carrying the puck doesn’t slow him down … Above-average size … Smart offensive player with good hockey sense … Knows how to score and can scream in off the wing and beat a goalie with his hard, quick shot … An adept playmaker. |
| WEAKNESSES |
| Inconsistency and game-in, game-out intensity has been a concern for some scouts … A treat to watch within 10 feet of the net with time and space, but much less effective in traffic … Played on the No. 1 team in the Canadian Hockey League from 2010 to 2012 and was not always challenged, benefiting at times from inflated statistics via blowout wins over weak opponents. |
| PROJECTION |
| The Red Wings didn’t feel good enough about Jurco to take him 24th overall in the 2011 draft, but they traded down for an extra pick and got him 35th. It looks like they landed quite a prospect, as he exploded offensively with a star-studded team in the QMJHL in 2011-12. Jurco’s NHL upside is extremely high as a dynamic, high-scoring, top-six winger. A more telling test of Jurco’s impressive skill level will come in 2012-13, when he joins Grand Rapids for his AHL rookie season. |
Player statistics powered by www.eliteprospects.com
| Season |
Team |
League |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
|
Playoffs |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
| 2007-2008 |
HC Kosice U18 |
Slovakia U18 |
57 |
28 |
24 |
52 |
30 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2008-2009 |
HC Kosice U18 |
Slovakia U18 |
5 |
8 |
5 |
13 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
HC Kosice U20 |
Slovakia U20 |
48 |
19 |
30 |
49 |
20 |
| |
Playoffs |
3 |
5 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
| |
Slovakia U18 |
WJC-18 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2009-2010 |
Saint John Sea Dogs |
QMJHL |
64 |
26 |
25 |
51 |
24 |
| |
Playoffs |
21 |
7 |
10 |
17 |
8 |
| 2010-2011 |
Saint John Sea Dogs |
QMJHL |
60 |
31 |
25 |
56 |
17 |
| |
Playoffs |
19 |
6 |
12 |
18 |
8 |
| |
Saint John Sea Dogs |
M-Cup |
4 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Slovakia U20 |
WJC-20 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2011-2012 |
Saint John Sea Dogs |
QMJHL |
48 |
30 |
38 |
68 |
37 |
| |
Playoffs |
16 |
13 |
16 |
29 |
12 |
| |
Saint John Sea Dogs |
M-Cup |
4 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Slovakia U20 |
WJC-20 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2012-2013 |
Grand Rapids Griffins |
AHL |
74 |
14 |
14 |
28 |
22 |
| |
Playoffs |
8 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
Player statistics © www.eliteprospects.com
