It may not be an accident. His father loved defense as well. A 1992 second-round pick, Popeye averaged 7.0 points and 4.4 defensive rebounds per game, and was often on the floor as a defensive substitution late in games. The son may not have followed his father’s sport, but he certainly adopted an element of his style.
"He definitely knows the value of defense in all sports," Popeye said. "But that didn’t always translate to playing basketball for him. Basketball was fun for him, just something he loved to do, but nothing organized. But we played a lot — it’s a part of our family — and he liked to shoot the basketball. Still does."
Seth loves to shoot the puck, as well. He knows that no player has more room and more opportunity to blast pucks at the net — and display a slapshot — than a mobile defenseman.
Still, despite all his skills, making it in the NHL can be a long and agonizing journey, especially for a player like Jones who is used to logging big minutes. Many teams avoid rookie defensemen altogether and look toward free agency for help. Those that don’t often put their young defensemen through an slow, protective grind — cutting playing time in the third period and leaving them off special teams, strategies that can delay progress.
"The biggest reason teams stray from defenseman, is just how difficult it is to score," said Brian Leetch, perhaps the best American defenseman to play the game. A 1986 first-round selection, Leetch led the New York Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup and is now a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. "Teams at the top of the draft didn’t make the playoffs, and most likely finished near the bottom in goal scoring, as well. You need someone to score, bottom line. And even though some defensemen are very skilled offensively — and Seth is one of those, obviously — you’ll be lucky to get 20 goals from them. So, it’s tough for teams to pass up that proven goal-scoring forward."
The Avalanche, with Sakic, of all people, serving in his first year as Colorado’s executive vice president of hockey operations, did just that when they drafted MacKinnon. Despite the fact that Colorado allowed 152 goals last season, the second-highest total in the Western Conference, the opportunity for more immediate production caused them to pass over Jones, the hometown kid.
"The funny thing about that, is that it switches, too," Leetch said. "Because once your team is able to score some goals, then you need that mobile defenseman who can anchor the blue line and break the puck out, kill penalties and really get into the flow. So, that’s a big decision. That defensive standout guy is usually available — and again, it looks like Seth will be one of those — but a lot of teams are so set on scoring, they get overlooked."
Jones, who hit the ice last week in Nashville at the Predators’ developmental camp sporting No. 3, isn’t worried. Playing for the Avalanche would have been a heartwarming story, and it would have been neat to play in Florida, with the Panthers or Lightning, but none of that matters now. Not only is his father a Tennessee native, but Nashville has a tradition of producing defensemen, and plays a style that allows some freedom to blueliners. Eventually, the rest of the league may see it’s a perfect mix. For now, Jones and the Predators already know it.
"It definitely sounded too good to be true." Jones said, thinking about playing for the Avalanche and wearing the same jersey he wore as a Colorado kid. "But I’m not really disappointed. I mean, I’m not unhappy that they didn’t choose me. It was their decision, and that’s what they thought would be best for their organization. You’ve got to respect that."
The Predators couldn’t be happier. A team that advanced to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs just two years ago, Nashville appears much closer to winning than the Avalanche, Panthers or Lightning. And while they lost standout defenseman Ryan Suter to the Minnesota Wild via free agency in 2012, the Predators still have veteran Shea Weber, a 6'4, 234-pound anchor, on the backline — someone who can mentor Jones.
"I talked to him on the phone right after I got drafted," Jones said of Weber. "He’s pretty excited that I’m here, and so am I. To learn from a guy like Shea Weber, who has been so great over the years, and has developed into such a good defenseman — to play under a guy like him is going to be awesome."
Phil Housley, the all-time scoring leader among American defensemen with 1,232 points, is also with Nashville as an assistant. Housley, who coached Jones in international play for Team USA, made a career out of knowing just when to switch to an offensive mindset because he had the skating skill to get back on defense swiftly, something Jones is already noted for.
Assistants also tend to take on the psychologist role with younger players. In the NHL, it’s common lingo to refer to your head coach as your parent — in this case, Barry Trotz — and your assistant coach as your friend, the shoulder to lean on for questions, on or off the ice. Housley and Jones already have that rapport.
"Phil was my coach at World Juniors, and I loved the way he coached. He was just great all around," Seth said. "When he needed to be rowdy, he was. When he needed to calm down a little bit, he did that. He was perfect for me."
Whether Housley and Jones get the opportunity to be together this season is the next big question. The NHL is not like the NBA and the NFL; first-round draft picks don’t automatically make the team. Many go back to junior teams or to the American Hockey League to continue development. Few get a chance to stick with the big club, and fewer make it through the whole season.
Even at age 18, Jones wants to be one of those rare few. His audition will truly kick into gear at September’s training camp.
"I'm going to have to perform the best that I can. Hopefully, I'm given the opportunity to do that here in Nashville. But I'm going to have to earn it first. Get to training camp, and earn my spot," he said. "Nothing is given at this level, and if someone is playing better than you at the time, then they are going to get the spot over you, so you always have to be focused, you have to be straight-ahead on what your goals are."
Twenty-five years ago, at age 19, Leetch faced a similar situation. Like Jones, he was joining a good-but-not-great team in New York, and needed to prove himself early just to avoid the minors. And he did, playing in 17 games for the Rangers in 1987-88, then 68 the following season. By 1990, he was an All-Star.
For the expectations that he will face, he has to be equally strong mentally and emotionally.
"That’s all you can ask for as a young defenseman, the opportunity to get in there, produce in training camp, and show them what you can do. Have the opportunity to make the big team in your first year. He’ll have that," Leetch said. "And all these guys coming in now — and Seth is no different — they are so prepared physically for this. With the right training, the right nutrition, the right mindset, it’s really great to see. That’s just what professional athletes do now, and he’s no different. He’s a big kid and could use a little bit more strength and quickness. But it won’t take him long to adjust."
There’s plenty of work to do, of course, before his debut. Just ask Mom.
"Oh, he’ll be working in the weight room, obviously, and he needs to do that this summer. He knows that," Amy said. "He needs to get stronger, but the looks of him, right now, can be deceiving. He is extremely strong, next to anybody, particularly in his lower body strength. But he’s headed to the NHL now, we all know that, and the level will pick up. His strength needs to be in tune with that."
But Jones knows that in order to succeed, physical strength will not be enough. For the expectations that he will face, he has to be equally strong mentally and emotionally. He can’t just be another player.
Ready to be a role model
Anson Carter can rattle off his draft-day story without a second of hesitation. After a standout career at forward at Michigan State, where he scored 106 goals, Carter traveled to Montreal in June of 1992. All that separated him from a great NHL career, he thought, was hearing his name called to the podium.
It never happened.
So Carter, who is black, went back to Toronto to ponder his future. The very next day, he received a call from the Quebec Nordiques. Drafted in the 10th round, the 220th player overall, Carter, still managed to make it, playing for eight NHL teams across a career that spanned 1996-2007, finishing with 202 goals and 421 points.
Was Carter’s race an issue in where he was selected? Perhaps, but he may have just been one of those rare standouts who slipped through the cracks. Still, minority players were rare in Carter’s era. That’s no longer quite the case, and Jones has the potential to be hockey’s first big, African-American superstar.
Jones has the potential to be hockey’s first African-American superstar.
"Seth’s a born-and-bred first-round defenseman, and he’s ready for the big stage," Carter said. "For him, it’s nervousness, sure. But nervous anticipation. Get to your team, get going, and begin the life of an NHL player. It’s a different road for him. He’s ready. He’ll do fine."
Jones wasn’t even the only minority selected in the first round. At No. 7, the Edmonton Oilers drafted African-Canadian defenseman Darnell Nurse, a nephew of former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb. And in Round Three, the Predators selected African-Canadian defenseman Jonathan-Ismael Diaby.
"It’s changing, and that’s a great thing for minorities ... and the game," said Carter, an analyst who covered the recent Stanley Cup Finals for NBC Sports. "Before, there was a rush on Europeans, they were all joining and it was new. Now? You see them all the time.
"Same thing is now happening with minority players. Look at the Finals this year," he said, referencing Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya and goaltender Ray Emery, who recently signed as a free agent with Philadelphia. "I mean when I came in the league, there were only a few of us, myself and [former NHL forward] Mike Grier, and we took pride in that, fed off that. But now, you're seeing so many more guys, at so many more positions. Seth is a great step forward for that. An American, who plays defense, a first rounder, the son of a former NBA player? What a story! Not that there's any pressure for you Seth, or anything like that, right?
"You're looking at perhaps one of the most unique, most dynamic stories to ever come into the NHL."
Jones, who graduated from high school in just three years, is ready to be the one, and both Nashville and the NHL need him to be just that. An expansion team in 1998, since then the Predators have made inroads in Tennessee, but there is still work to be done. Nashville averaged 16,974 fans per game last season, 23rd in the 30-team league. If Jones succeeds, he may prove to be a draw and help expand the fan base, not just in Nashville, but also on the road. There are few black faces in NHL arenas, and in order to grow, the league cannot afford to pretend otherwise.
"Seth knows this. He has a responsibility to continue that movement forward, and honestly, he wants to," Popeye said. "Minorities have taken great strides, and now, it’s his turn to push it on, and help grow the game. Hopefully, with the work he puts in, he can get more minorities to play.
"USA Hockey has done a great job of growing the game in non-traditional hockey markets already. Kids from markets that don’t usually produce players, are now producing players, and it’s great. We know that there will always be a burden, the economics of playing travel hockey will always be there. A lot of inner-city kids, their parents can’t afford for them to play. I think the next step for USA Hockey is trying to find economical ways where they can get more minorities involved."
Still, that’s a lot to take on for an 18-year-old. Making an NHL team and adapting to that life, is hard enough. To be an ambassador on top of that, quite frankly, is something most first rounders don’t have to do. But Jones’ eagerness to tackle that role is not only obvious, but a given. It’s been ingrained within him for a long time — the thought that he’s not just another player.
"My parents, I give a lot of credit to them," he said. "My mom did a lot. My dad was on the road when I was younger, playing basketball, and she took me to all the early-morning practices, dropped me off at school," Jones said. "I mean, there was me and my two other brothers were also starting to play, so she had a lot on her plate, and I'm glad that she did that for us, and also my dad."
The Joneses, who divorced two years ago, helped with more than just the logistics of getting to the rink. Perhaps it was because he saw his father interviewed countless times, but Seth is already polished in front of a microphone, and should be more than adequate as a spokesman.
"Since about age three, [he] has been kind of a little man," Amy said. "From kindergarten on, he’s always in control of what he wanted to do and what he had to do. That translated to hockey as he got older — practice, game, whatever, he was prepared to go. He’s been that way, and we just kind of pitched in along the way with the manners, and the good habits, and the basic parenting issues. But he’s really always been mature for his age, more in tune with everything.
"This has been something he’s looked toward for a long time. And now, it’s here."
A quiet yet confident champion
Jones’ style of leadership stems from his quiet confidence and belief in himself, something he displayed when he had to make the first big decision of his career. After a decorated run playing major bantam hockey and competing at the international level with the United States National Team Development Program, Jones had to choose between college and major junior hockey.
Once again, the Joneses had enough faith in their son to leave the decision to him.
"Yep, that’s just what we do," Popeye said with a laugh. "Amy and I, we have always weighed the pros and cons with him, and have always helped him where he wanted. But it was up to him. You want him to make that decision."
Seth visited the University of North Dakota, a national powerhouse that has produced NHL stars Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild and the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews. But it wasn’t for him. He chose to play in the Western Hockey League, making his sport the priority.
"That was something we supported and he just took off from there," Popeye said. "We always looked at it this way, leave it up to him, guide him along the way, and then support his decision. Because no matter which way he would have went, if you pushed him toward a direction that he didn’t want to be, then it’s not going to turn out well."
Jones, selected by the Portland (Ore.) Winterhawks, orchestrated a season to remember. He led the team to a 57-12-1 record, scoring 14 goals and 56 points. In an impressive 21-game postseason, he added five goals and 15 points, a performance that landed him at the top of the pre-draft rankings by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau. In 82 games, Jones, the WHL Rookie of the Year, had a plus-61 rating.
"In training camp, the first thing that stood out about him, is how smooth he is out there for a guy his size," Portland coach Mike Johnston said. "Often times you see players at that age, at that size, that just don’t move that well. But he just glides out there, in and out or corners, up and down the ice, just very smooth. As a defenseman, he has the ability to be very deceptive carrying the puck. He’s a hard guy to hit, he’s a hard guy to get an angle on — and that’s why he’s so successful coming out of his own zone.
"I just noticed right away, that when players came in to forecheck on him, it was just so hard to get a hit on him, and it was even harder for them to get the puck from him. He can fake one way, then accelerate on a turn the other way, and then he’s gone ... with the puck!"
Two months ago, Jones led the Winterhawks to the WHL championship, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games. The victory qualified Portland to compete for the Memorial Cup, a tournament featuring other junior champions, giving Jones one last showcase for the NHL.
He delivered.
In Portland’s first game, a May 18 loss to the Halifax (Nova Scotia) Mooseheads, the team that eventually beat Portland in the tournament finale to win the Cup, Jones authored a signature take-charge move, end to end, that showed the full dimension of his talent. With the Winterhawks trailing 1-0 in the first period, Halifax focused on a Portland breakout on the left side of the neutral zone.
Big mistake.
Jones took advantage of the open ice, and barreled toward the attack zone on the right side. As he hit the blue line, the puck was to his left, on the stick of teammate Brendan Leipsic. Jones, sensing the lack of attention, shirked his defensive responsibilities and broke to the net. Leipsic, who surely had seen the move hundreds of times in practice, hit a surging Jones with an angled pass, and Jones calmly and patiently deposited the puck, via wristshot, past Halifax goaltender Zachary Fucale on his glove side.
It was the kind of decision that stands out on NHL scouting reels — a defenseman with the hockey sense to think offense in a tight game, knowing he has the skills to reverse course and get back into defensive mode just in case it doesn’t work out. That’s the skill that sets Jones apart, just as it did Housley.
"When it all comes together for a team, with a leader like Seth, it’s great to see that culmination," said Travis Green, a Portland assistant. "It revolved around him."
As Portland made its run, though, Jones wasn’t outspoken. He knew the Winterhawks were loaded with potential, that there was skill all over the ice, and a quality coaching staff behind the bench. He was smart enough to pick his spots and not speak out of turn. He wasn’t about to "big time" anyone.
"I think that sums it up, yeah," Seth said with a chuckle. "I think I'm vocal when I need to be, but I think you can lead by example most of the time, not just the way you play hockey, but your demeanor and your character."
Green, who played in the NHL for 15 seasons, concurs.
"He’s just not a rah-rah guy. He tends to focus on what needs to be done."
"When he speaks, people are going to listen," he said. "It’s not nonstop chatter out of him. That’s never going to happen. He’ll lead by being driven by his passion to win. He won't be afraid to speak up. But he'll also dig deep and try to figure it out on his own, as well."
"He has a great presence. His teammates feel that and are influenced by that. When he does speak, it’s natural, and it’s important, and he usually gets his point across," Johnston said. "He’s just not a rah-rah guy. He tends to focus on what needs to be done, what’s happening out there in all sides of the game. Headed into games, nothing fazes him. You’ll see."
That’s because he’s the one.
The next level
An exhausted and exhilarated Johnny Oduya leaned up against the boards at Boston’s TD Garden, happy to be talking hockey. Just a few minutes earlier, Oduya notched an assist on the game-winning goal for the Blackhawks as they defeated the Bruins, 3-2, in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup. After wiping away tears on a sweat-soaked Gatorade towel that covered his neck, Oduya, who is black, raised the Cup for the first time. After nine long years in the NHL, he couldn’t believe his good fortune.
Perhaps more than anyone else right now, Oduya, a defenseman, knows what Jones is up against as he prepares for life in the NHL. As a minority playing a grueling position that can often go unnoticed, moments like what Oduya just experienced are rare.
"It can be a long ride," he said, thinking of his own journey. "You have to stick with it. In this league, you learn a lot as you go. I know I did, I know he will, and when you fit in, and you get the right people around you, the right mix, there’s no telling what you can do."
