If hockey fans didn’t somehow know the name Jaxon Cover entering the weekend, they certainly do now.
The 18-year-old first-round pick was all over the scoresheet again on Sunday night in the finale of the NHL Prospect Challenge, racking up two goals and two assists to finish the weekend with seven points in two games.
“Yeah, switched to centre today which is not my normal position, but I feel like I adapted pretty well, and just capitalized on my chances a lot,” said Cover after the game, which the Senators dropped in a shootout.
“Going into this, I wasn’t really thinking about points, just trying to play my game and keep it simple, but the puck just kept finding my stick, and [was] just trying to capitalize on my chances and show I could score goals.”
Cover showed the crowd of roughly 4,000 just that, ripping a wrist shot past the glove of Arseny Radkov on a 3-on-2 late in the first period, and then dancing towards goal and slipping it over Radkov’s blocker in the dying seconds of the frame.
“How many points did he have?” asked former London Knights teammate Kasper Halttunen after the game, who finished the tournament with four points of his own.
“Yeah, like, just a special kid. I’ve been obviously following the London Knights a lot, and he’s going to be a really good player one day.”
Cover played briefly with Halttunen in London during the 2024–25 season. Whether it be chemistry or just complementary styles, they were a force all weekend at even strength and on the power play. Halttunen said that Cover has come a long way in a short period of time since the two met.
“I think there was a lot of good guys to learn from when he first came in, and I think he has for sure taken some really big steps, and you know, looking really good,” said Halttunen.
Belleville Senators head coach Andrew Campbell praised the 18-year-old for his poise against players much older and stronger.
“Well, he’s so smart, right? So he doesn’t put himself in compromising positions. He knows where he is on the ice, and yeah, he makes his way around, he’s elusive, he’s fast, so he doesn’t get hit all that often. So again, a really good couple games for [Cover],” said Campbell.
“He played wing yesterday, and we wanted to try him at centre today, just to, you know, see how that [would go]. And it’s great for a young kid, he’s in his first event like this, first couple NHL rookie exhibition games like that, and for him to be able to be versatile and play either, just shows the [hockey] sense that he has, and the player he is, and it’s going to be an exciting future for him.”
The Senators have yet to announce a roster for their main training camp, but if Cover was to be invited, what would his goals be there?
“Just to show everything I have, my playmaking, my vision, just everything that I can offer and bring to the team. Just be hardworking, just to learn and grow under this organization, and just learn from the NHLers, and just see how hard they work."
