Trouba has many of the qualities NHL teams want in a defenseman: a big body, toughness, solid skating ability and a hard, heavy shot.
So it's not surprising the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Trouba was a first-round pick (No. 9) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in the Jets' 2013-14 season opener, on the road against the Edmonton Oilers. At 19 years old, the Rochester, Mich., native scored his first NHL points that night, getting a goal and an assist while playing a team-high 25:02 in a 5-4 victory.
Trouba has many of the qualities NHL teams want in a defenseman: a big body, toughness, solid skating ability and a hard, heavy shot.
So it's not surprising the 6-foot-3, 202-pound Trouba was a first-round pick (No. 9) by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2012 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut in the Jets' 2013-14 season opener, on the road against the Edmonton Oilers. At 19 years old, the Rochester, Mich., native scored his first NHL points that night, getting a goal and an assist while playing a team-high 25:02 in a 5-4 victory.
Despite being stretchered off the ice during his eighth NHL game and then missing 17 games because of a neck injury, Trouba finished second among rookie NHL defensemen with 10 goals and tied for third with 29 points. He also led all rookies in average time on ice per game (22:26) and ranked third in scoring among Jets defensemen. Trouba finished sixth in voting for the Calder Trophy, given to the League's top rookie.
On Dec. 3, 2014, Trouba had a hand in all three Winnipeg goals in a 3-2 win against Edmonton, scoring the first Jets goal and assisting on the other two. That performance highlighted an eight-game stretch during which Trouba had two goals and nine points. He finished 2014-15 second among Winnipeg defensemen with seven goals and third in that group with 22 points. His 120 blocked shots ranked second on the Jets.
Trouba also played in all four games of Winnipeg's first-round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup against the Anaheim Ducks that season and tied for the team lead with two assists in the series.
At 16, Trouba left home to play for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He left the team after two seasons and played at the University of Michigan during the 2012-13 season before turning pro. A two-time member of the United States team at the World Junior Championship, in 2013 he was named the tournament's top defenseman after scoring four goals and nine points in seven games to help the Americans win a gold medal.
