BUFFALO — When Jack Nesbitt takes the ice, he’s hard to miss.
The 6-foot-4 centreman has patrolled the middle of the rink for the Windsor Spitfires for the past two seasons, and in this - his first year of NHL Draft eligibility - he saw his numbers jump off the charts.
The Sarnia product lit the lamp 25 times in 2024-25, and his 64 points were more than a three-fold improvement on his rookie OHL campaign.
Nesbitt has his frame to thank, a size advantage that’s followed him through his hockey career to date.
"I’ve been this big as long as I can remember,” he said Monday morning, just ahead of his first meetings with NHL clubs at the Combine. “Being the biggest on my team growing up, it’s always been a help.
“All I had to work on was my skating, and everything (else) will come with that.”
It’s that mix of size and skill that’s sure to make Nesbitt - the 15th-ranked North-American skater - an attractive option for NHL teams at the Draft later this month.
But make no mistake, there’s a bit of sandpaper mixed in as well.
“I like to play in the dirty areas; I love playing net-front, getting into the corners, getting the puck to my teammates so they can score,” said Nesbitt. “But I also have that scoring touch as well.
“I love playing physical, that’s one of my biggest parts. I’ll do anything to help the team win. I’ll fight, I’ll score, I’ll do anything.”
He’s coming off a gold-medal win, too. Nesbitt had five points in six games for Canada’s triumphant squad at the U18 World Championship in Texas earlier this spring.
But for Nesbitt, the pursuit of scoring goals and winning golds might have been relegated to the bullpen, had he chosen another passion to pursue.
The 18-year-old is a talented baseball player, too. And while he could deal on the mound, his calling on the diamond came at first base, and at the plate.
“Batting in the power spot,” he chuckled. “I played almost every sport, but my second sport that I was tempted to go pro in was baseball.
“It was between hockey and baseball, and I chose hockey, I loved it a little bit more. But in the summers, I love baseball.”
The Blue Jays’ AAA affiliate plays a stone’s throw away from KeyBank Center here in Buffalo. Sadly, the Bisons are on the road this week, meaning Nesbitt and his fellow prospects won’t be able to catch nine innings during their week-long stay here.
But Nesbitt wouldn’t have this experience any other way.
“It’s been every kid’s dream growing up - to make it to the NHL - and this is just one part of it, one step to the journey,” he said.
“It feels great to be here, I’m pretty excited.”
