Jānis Jaks (born 22 August 1995) is a Latvian professional ice hockey defenceman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
| Jānis Jaks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Jānis Jaks, 2023 | |||
| Born | 22 August 1995 Riga, Latvia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| team Former teams | Free Agent Dinamo Riga Bakersfield Condors HC Sochi | ||
| National team |  Latvia | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Playing career
editCollegiate
editJaks joined the Yellow Jackets for the 2016–17 campaign and quickly became a mainstay of their blue line, scoring five goals and six assists for 11 points as a freshman, including two game-winning goals.[1]
Professional
editOn 30 March 2020, Jaks was signed to a one-year contract with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL for the 2020–21 season.[2] With the commencement of the 2020–21 North American season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaks was signed to a try-out contract with Latvian-based KHL club, Dinamo Riga, on 23 August 2020.[3] Jaks appeared in 17 contests with Dinamo, collecting 1 goal and 4 points before returning to the AHL and the Condors. In completing his first professional season, Jaks contributed with two goals and 6 points from the blueline with the Condors.
Jaks left North America as a free agent and signed a one-year contract to return to the KHL with Russian-based club HC Sochi on 19 July 2021.[4]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Latvia | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2023 Finland/Latvia | |
Jaks played for Latvia's junior team at the 2013 and 2014 World Junior Championships. He played his first game at the senior international level in the 2014 World Championships for Latvia's national team against Russia's national team.[5][6]
He represented Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded two goals and five assists and won a bronze medal, Latvia's first ever IIHF World Championship medal.[7]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2012–13 | HK Riga | MHL | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | HK Riga | MHL | 38 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees | NAHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Minnesota Wilderness | NAHL | 41 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 63 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Minnesota Wilderness | NAHL | 56 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 80 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | ||
| 2016–17 | American International | AHC | 27 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | American International | AHC | 37 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | American International | AHC | 38 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | American International | AHC | 33 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Dinamo Riga | KHL | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HK Zemgale | LHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Bakersfield Condors | AHL | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | HC Sochi | KHL | 41 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| KHL totals | 58 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Latvia | U18 | 10th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Latvia | WJC-D1 | 12th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Latvia | WC | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Latvia | WJC-D1 | 13th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | |
| 2017 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | WC | 11th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | OGQ | Q | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | OG | 11th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Latvia | WC |  | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | |
| Junior totals | 15 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 20 | ||||
| Senior totals | 40 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 16 | ||||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team | 2017–18 | [8] |
| Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament Team | 2019 | [9] |
References
editExternal links
edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Jānis Jaks at Olympedia
- Jānis Jaks at Olympics.com
- Jānis Jaks at the Latvijas Olimpiskā komiteja (in Latvian) (English translation)
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