"Jake probably learned a lot from us, as a hockey player and developed into a bigger kid and got tougher, stronger and faster," said older brother Zach. "He was a lot quicker than most. As a family we were close, even though we were so far in age group, Jake always wanted to hang out with us."
When it comes to the style of play, Zach sees similarities in Jake.
"I was more of a grinder/put everything out there player and the way that Jake plays is he is willing to be on the ice, no matter where the coach puts him. Whether he has to play left-wing, center or the power-play and short-handed, he is just an all-around good player," said Zach. "Jake is similar to me by willing to put our body out there and lay everything out on the line for the team.
"It's not an individual game. There are 20 players out there giving their heart and that's what Jake does in his style of play, which is similar to myself."
After being around the Atlanta Knights and his older brothers, Jake's love for the game took off. He was drafted in the 2013 United States Hockey League Entry Draft by the Fargo Force. He appeared in two games with the Force before being acquired by the Bloomington Thunder for the 2014-15 season.
He had a break-out rookie season in 2014-15 as he ranked third in goals with 13 and was first among Thunder rookies in points at 25.
After his rookie season, Slaker was named captain of the Thunder for the 2015-16 season. He tallied 42 points (21 G, 21 A) through 57 games and an additional 12 points (5 G, 7 A) through 10 games in the USHL Playoffs.
In 2016, Slaker announced his commitment to play hockey at the University of Michigan. He scored 21 points (7 G, 14 A) through 35 games during the 2016-17 season as a freshman and was awarded the Doc Los Trophy as the team's scoring leader.
Following Slaker's freshman season with the Wolverines, he was invited to attend the inaugural development camp of the Vegas Golden Knights. He returned to Michigan for his sophomore season with the Wolverines, as a captain.
During his sophomore season, he collected 27 points (15 G, 12 A) through 40 games in the 2017-18 season and helped the Wolverines reach the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four. But the Wolverines fell to Notre Dame, 4-3, in the semifinals.
"Michigan is awesome," Slaker said. "We had a good run and made it to the Frozen Four. We fell a little short in the semifinals, but overall, I love my time there. It's been a whole new experience."
During the 2018 summer, Slaker was back in Las Vegas for the Golden Knights second development camp and showed his growth on the ice.
"It's been an awesome experience. It's really cool to have City National Arena to work out in, perform tests and skate here," he said. "It's awesome. We have a full crowd every time we are playing, even the first dev camp it was packed and it's been a lot of fun."
