Jason Polin (born June 17, 1999) is an American professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player for the
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) while under contract to the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). Polin played
college ice hockey
College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America.
In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the go ...
at
Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for a region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Generally, it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Peninsula's Lake ...
.
Playing career
Junior
Polin played three seasons for the
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1999, the team was based in Mason City, where they were known as the North Iowa Huski ...
of the
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...
(USHL). During this time he attended
Washington High School. During the
2018–19 season, he ranked second on the team in scoring with 50 points on 30 goals and 20 assists. During his career with the RoughRiders, he recorded 55 goals and 38 assists in 163 games.
College
Polin began his
collegiate career for the
Western Michigan Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...
during the
2019–20 season, where he recorded seven goals and two assists in 31 games. During the
2020–21 season in his sophomore year, he recorded seven goals and seven assists in 23 games, in a season that was shortened due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. During the
2021–22 season in his junior year, he recorded 16 goals and ten assists in 39 games.
[
On September 15, 2022, he was named captain for the 2022–23 season. On December 29, 2022, during the championship game at the ]Great Lakes Invitational
The Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) is a four-team National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's ice hockey tournament held annually at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, around the New Year's holiday. It was previously held in D ...
(GLI), Polin recorded his fifth hat trick
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mechan ...
of the season to help the Broncos win the GLI, and was subsequently named the tournament MVP. He became the first player in GLI history to score six goals in a single tournament, surpassing the previous record of five held by six different players. His five hat tricks ranked second all-time in Western Michigan program history, one short of the record of six set by Ross Fitzpatrick in 1982
Events
January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
. During his senior year he had career highs in points (47), goals (30), assists (17), shots (152), power-play goals (6), game-winning goals (4), shorthanded goals (2) and plus-minus (+26). His 30 goals tied for the NCAA lead, with Adam Fantilli, and set a National Collegiate Hockey Conference
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is an NCAA men's Division I hockey conference. The league was formed on July 9, 2011 and began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a ...
(NCHC) single-season record, surpassing the previous record of 29 goals set by Josh Archibald in 2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
. He also led the NCAA in hat tricks and set an NCHC record with five. Following an outstanding season, he was named NCHC Player of the Year and NCHC Forward of the Year and an AHCA West Second Team All-American. He became the first Broncos player to win the award. He was also named a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Award
The Hobey Baker Award is an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. It has been awarded 44 times. It is named for Hall of Famer Hobey Baker, who played college hockey at Princeton Universit ...
. He finished his collegiate career with 60 goals and 36 assists in 132 games.
Professional
On March 29, 2023, Polin signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
for the 2023–24 season. He was subsequently assigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...
on a professional tryout.
After overcoming an early season injury, Polin earned a recall to the Avalanche at the mid-point the season and made his NHL debut in a fourth-line role against the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
on January 8, 2024. He later registered his first NHL goal and point, scoring to level the game at 2–2 in an eventual 7–4 victory over the Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...
on January 16, 2024. Returning to the Eagles following 7 appearances, Polin played out the remainder of the season in the AHL, posting 4 goals and 10 points through 42 regular season games.
As a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the season, Polin was re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Avalanche for the 2024–25 season on July 6, 2024.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polin, Jason
1999 births
Living people
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
American men's ice hockey right wingers
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders players
Colorado Avalanche players
Colorado Eagles players
Ice hockey players from Michigan
Sportspeople from Ingham County, Michigan
Undrafted National Hockey League players
Western Michigan Broncos men's ice hockey players
21st-century American sportsmen