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Jake Evans
Montréal Canadiens Center #71
A seventh-round pick who made himself into a penalty-killing centre and has outlasted almost everyone drafted above him.
| Season | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 68 | 12 | 12 | 24 | -8 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 75 | 16.0 | 15:21 |
| Career | 418 | 52 | 100 | 152 | -15 | 141 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 484 | 10.7 | 14:54 |
Last Season
Twelve goals and 24 points in 68 games, minus-eight, on fifteen minutes a night. That is close to his normal output and the minus is more about deployment than performance.
The Finesse Game
Limited by design. Fifty-two goals in 418 games. He shoots from close range, finishes the occasional shorthanded chance, and does not create much at even strength.
What he has is anticipation. He reads passing lanes as well as anyone on the roster, which is why he is on the penalty kill every night and why he has scored a genuinely unusual number of shorthanded goals for a player with his profile.
He wins faceoffs and can play wing without complaint.
The Physical Game
Six feet and 190, and he plays a positional rather than physical game. He blocks shots, gets in lanes, and does not initiate contact. Durable enough, though he has had serious injuries.
The Intangibles
The 207th pick, ten years ago, on a roster that has since been rebuilt twice around him. Coaches keep him because the defensive detail is genuine and because he never needs to be told anything twice.
At thirty, he is exactly what he will be: a fourth-line centre who kills penalties well. On a team with several young centres arriving, that is a role with a clock on it.