Summer Spotlight: Roslovic wants to keep getting better

Number: 96

Birth date: Jan. 29, 1997 (age 26) 

Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio

Height, Weight: 6-1, 200

2022-23 Stats: 77 GP, 11-33-44

Contract: Signed through 2023-24 season (One year remaining until RFA status) 

Going into his eighth NHL season, Jack Roslovic is at an interesting point in his NHL career.

A first-round draft pick of Winnipeg in 2015 from Columbus, Roslovic has always been viewed as a talented player capable of driving offense at a high level thanks to his skill and excellent skating ability.

But now age 26, Roslovic has reached the point where he’s gone from talented youngster to veteran pro. After four years in Winnipeg and then three years with Columbus, Roslovic has skated in 386 NHL games, totaling 71 goals and 190 points.

“I’m not young but I’m not old,” Roslovic said. “I’m in that middle and going into a prime part of my career, and I’d say I’m older if anything. It’s one of those things where year after year, you hear the same things about good, you hear the same things about bad. It’s your job to piece them together and make them work for not only yourself but the whole entire team and organization.”

With that in mind, Roslovic feels the pressure of continuing to perform. He has one year left on his current contract and the Blue Jackets are coming off one of the toughest seasons in team history, and the center wants to see both himself and his team succeed.

“You want to be part of the solution,” Roslovic said. “I want to be a guy that is known to pour it out, and I want to get there. I’m not there yet, but it’s a goal of mine and it’s important if we want to be good, I want to be part of it and I need to be better just in general for everything.”

Top Moment of 2022-23 

Roslovic put together a feat that no one in Blue Jackets history ever had accomplished in a 6-5 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 11 in Nationwide Arena. In that contest, Roslovic posted two goals and two assists for four points, helping push the Jackets to the win. More than that though, he had a shorthanded goal and a power-play goal in the second period just 1:31 apart, giving Columbus a 5-3 lead in the contest. In all, Roslovic became the first CBJ player ever to have four points including a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal in the same game.

Roslovic’s Top Highlights

Stat to Know 

Roslovic actually had two four-point games last year, also reaching the accomplishment Feb. 25 in a home win vs. Edmonton. That made him just the sixth CBJ player with multiple four-point games in a season, joining Espen Knutsen (2000-01), Mike Sillinger (2001-02), Rick Nash (2008-09), Artemi Panarin (both 2017-18 and 2018-19) and Oliver Bjorkstrand (2021-22). In all, Roslovic has three four-point games in his CBJ career, making him one of just five players in franchise history to reach that mark (Cam Atkinson, Knutsen, Nash and Panarin).

2023-24 Expectations  

It’s fair to say it could be an interesting year for Roslovic, as the Blue Jackets have bolstered the center position with such young talent as Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov, while Alexandre Texier also can play the spot and Patrik Laine has shown interest there too. There’s about to be some competition, but Roslovic has shown high-end offensive skill in his past three seasons with the Blue Jackets. Consistent production has been the thing that’s been hardest to find so far, with some very hot streaks interspersed with runs where the points just aren’t there. If he can find more consistency, Roslovic will cement himself as a top-six player, and he’ll be counted upon to be a big part of the Jackets.