Jarventie returns centred and focused

It is hardly a secret that the Senators organization has been more than pleased with the development of forward Roby Jarventie since they selected him in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Although his career hasn’t come without a fair share of adversity, earlier this season, the native of Tampere, Finland, suffered a significant knee injury which sidelined him for twelve weeks.

Now healthy, Jarventie quickly credited Athletic Therapists Craig Belfer and Kevin Kozai for successfully helping him return to action. More than that, Jarventie is scoring and has helped the team become more competitive since returning to the lineup. Perhaps more impressively, he is now playing centre and demonstrating his skills as a complete player.

“It took a while to get my legs back. It’s getting better, obviously, every day. I have to give a lot of credit to those guys. They helped me a lot every morning I came in and worked with them. The credit goes to them. It was a hard process and tough mentally, but glad to be back.”

While Jarventie has registered 16 points (ten goals and six assists) in 26 appearances in his most recent role, the 20-year-old has been praised for his ability to assert himself as a solid two-way contributor. He is also learning to take more care away from the puck.

“I’ve had a blast. I love to play, and I love it when [Interim Head Coach David Bell] trusts me and pushes me on the ice in different situations. It’s been fun. I hope to keep playing well and prove that I can play a responsible game.”

“When you have more responsibilities to play defence. You need to focus more on that, and it starts with the faceoff. I have a lot to learn at that position. So just try to do my best every game and every day to be better.

“I think I’m a different player now than when I came here. I can still score goals and produce offence, but I’m more responsible and have tried to be an overall better player both ways.”

Bell agrees that his sophomore forward has shown the type of development he envisioned, particularly his increased attention to defensive details and improvements in his transitional game.

“He’s paid more attention to his details in his defensive zone, and he’s been more responsible in the defensive zone. In turn, he spent less time in the defensive zone, which enables him to take the puck to the other end with a lot more energy and as a result, he’s getting goals. So there’s a big correlation between him paying attention and trying in those zones and the rewards he is getting in the offensive zone.”

While Jarventie certainly has a bright future ahead of him, he is currently focused on helping his club return to the Calder Cup playoffs in a tight North Division. Belleville currently has seven wins in their last ten games.

With a well-rounded game and increasingly more confidence, Jarventie is optimistic as he gets back to full strength.

“We’re in a good stretch right now, the team believes. When we play our best and play to our structure, we can beat everyone.”