NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Tyson Jost

Get to Know Tyson Jost

Date of Birth: March 14, 1998 (18)
Place of Birth: St. Albert, AB
Ht: 5’11” Wt: 192 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center/Left Wing
Team: Penticton Vees
Committed to University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Statistics

What Scouts See
Curtis Joe, Elite Prospects
Tyson Jost is a crafty goal-scorer that carries out plays as quickly as he envisions them. As someone who thinks and plays at a fast tempo, it comes as no surprise that he creates a lot of energy as an offensive catalyst. He sees the ice very well and has the willingness and determination to win battles in the tough areas. All-in-all, a dynamic offensive forward with top-6 potential at the next level.

Steve Kournianos, The Draft Analyst
Jost is a shark, appearing out of nowhere with speed and tenacity to ruin the breakout play a coach worked on for weeks. Once the puck is on his stick is where his artistry comes to the forefront, as he protects it with his head up while travelling at a high rate of speed before shifting down a gear, curling and weaving in and around the offensive zone for as long as he has to.
Jost has an excellent shot to compliment his extraordinary passing acumen, using soft hands and a quick release to turn a bad pass in his skates into a well-placed attempt at the net. Jost’s shot accuracy is top notch, and he will beat you from the inside of the ice or outside from his arsenal of moves. He is a three-zone center with decent size who will not necessarily avoid physical play, and he’s shown to control the puck while taking a beating.

What BSN Avalanche sees
Tyson Jost doesn’t have the raw offensive talent in the form of skating or shooting that some of the other top picks in this draft have, but he’ll find his way towards the top of the draft next week thanks to an outstanding Hockey IQ. Jost reads all three zones with maturity beyond his years and his greatest talent is his ability to find soft spots in defensive coverage to attack the net. Jost plays all 200 feet well, and doesn’t feel confined to any specific part of the ice on offense. Jost plays hard down low and drives the net, he plays the half-wall, and he also likes to circle up high to unload a hard wrist shot or one timer from near the blue line. His willingness to use the whole ice makes him an elusive player who is hard for defense groups to track and cover.
Defensively Jost is capable and relentless. He’s an extremely hard worker, particularly on the forecheck, and doesn’t have trouble sticking with his man. He makes strong reads in the defensive zone to shut down the opposition and quickly pounces on mistakes to create rushes for his own team.
The biggest drawback to Jost is that he’s something of a “jack of all trades and master of none.” Jost is capable everywhere and has the talent to justify a high selection, but he doesn’t have any flashy, gamebreaking traits like similarly ranked forwards Alex Nylander, Logan Brown, and Clayton Keller.

NHL Potential
Despite Jost’s enormous offensive numbers in the BCHL he’s not expected to be an offensive dynamo at the next level like some of the other top picks. Jost’s two way game is strong, however, and he has the potential to be a steady two-way top six center.

Expected Draft Position
Tyson Jost is certainly one of the top prospects in this year’s draft and is expected to go in the first half of the first round, with some scouts even projecting him as a Top 10 selection.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization
While the Avalanche are finally finding some quality forwards in their prospect pool in A.J. Greer and J.C. Beaudin, it’s still an extremely shallow system at forward and especially at center. There’s no one in the Avalanche’s system with the two way potential that Tyson Jost has, and while he’d replace the hole in the Avs’ system left by Conner Bleackley’s blown development, he may not be worth the high pick over some of the offensive dynamos likely to be available.