Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves climbing steeply toward NHL career
Cleveland Monsters coach Trent Vogelhuber makes an important distinction when he's asked about his assessment of goalie Jet Greaves.
Greaves, 23, wasn’t drafted and signed with the Monsters in 2020 as an “undersized” net-minder from the junior-level Ontario Hockey League. Over the past three seasons, he’s earned an NHL contract, become a No. 1 goalie in the American Hockey League, logged his first 10 NHL games with the Blue Jackets, notched three NHL victories and is now backstopping Cleveland in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs.
“I’m impressed,” Vogelhuber said, “but I’m not surprised."
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There's the distinction.
"When you’re around him every day, he does everything the right way," Vogelhuber said. "And when you do that and have talent like him, it’s only going to lead to success. There’s no secret formula. That’s the way to do it, and he does it. So, I’m very impressed and not surprised.”
Those outside of the Blue Jackets’ organization might be.
Greaves’ listed size at 6-foot, 179 pounds puts him on the small side of the NHL goaltending spectrum, and his statistical output in two junior seasons didn't stand out as exemplary. What has since made Greaves a legitimate NHL prospect is his fierce competitiveness, quiet confidence, high-end athleticism and relentless drive to become a full-time goalie in the world’s best league.
“I’ve always believed in myself,” Greaves said. “Nothing that’s ever happened to me has ever changed my belief that I can be a really good NHL goaltender. I’ve never wavered from that. I think everything happens how it’s supposed to happen, and I’m very comfortable with the path that I’ve had.”
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves is a 'gamer' for Cleveland Monsters
Greaves had another year of eligibility left with the OHL’s Barrie Colts when he opted to sign an AHL deal in 2020 to start his professional career.
After missing an entire OHL season (2020-21) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Greaves and his family felt that entering pro hockey was his best option to pursue the NHL. Despite starting in the ECHL, he used the opportunity to earn a three-year NHL entry-level deal with the Blue Jackets in 2022 and has become a stalwart in Cleveland.
This season, Greaves set a single-season franchise record with 30 wins and his 61 career AHL victories set another new mark for the Monsters. He's not some bounce-around journeyman goalie, either. He's still considered a prospect, especially for a goalie.
"A lot of times, goalies are like defensemen in that it takes games and reps for them to fully make it into the NHL," said Chris Clark, the Blue Jackets’ director of player personnel and Monsters’ general manager. “Sometimes, it takes into their mid-20s until they show they're true NHL players. That's not to say (Greaves) can't come in next year and be an NHL goalie, but I still think there's a lot that he can show and get better at, just with more reps and games."
Greaves won't shy away from extended work, which he showed with his final three wins in the AHL regular season. After logging nine NHL games to conclude the Jackets’ season, Greaves returned to the Monsters to conclude their regular season by starting ― and winning ― all three legs of a three-game road set played in three days.
Winning all three games gave the Monsters their first North Division championship and a bye through the first round of the AHL postseason. It’s becoming rare in the NHL for goalies to start both ends of a back-to-back, but starting all three games of a weekend triple set is almost unheard of.
“He’s a gamer,” Clark said. “He always wants to be in the net. The ‘three-in-three' to finish the season, he was just like, ‘Yeah, I can play. Skaters play three-in-three, why can’t I?’ He just wants to be in there, and the bigger the game ... the bigger he plays.”
That much was evident in the Monsters’ first playoff series.
Greaves started all four games for Cleveland, winning three straight games to take the series after dropping the first game in Belleville, Ontario by a 2-1 score. Going into Game 1 of the North Division Final on Thursday against the Syracuse Crunch, he ranked second during the Calder Cup Playoffs with a .942 save percentage and third with a 1.80 goals-against average.
“The first year he was with us, he was up-and-down with Kalamazoo (in the ECHL), and now he’s a Bonafide No. 1 in this league,” Vogelhuber said. “He’s been a pro, even at a young age. He’s mature beyond his years and prepares as well as anybody I’ve been around in the game. So, when you see that foundation off the ice, there’s no secret that it’s going to lead to success on the ice.”
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Jet Greaves uses 'mental' skill to overcome size limitations
Most NHL goalies are 6-foot-2 or taller with long limbs.
Some, like the Blue Jackets’ Daniil Tarasov, stretch out to 6-5 or taller. There are exceptions, though, and Greaves already has them filed away. Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) is listed at 5-11, 180. Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers) stands 6-1, 197. Alexandar Georgiev (Colorado Avalanche) is 6-1, 178.
All three are top NHL goalies, including the first two ranking among the league’s best between the pipes. It wasn’t too long ago when GMs would simply pass over goalies who didn’t measure up in height, but that trend is changing. Greaves hasn’t spent much time thinking about it, either way.
He’s focused more on sharpening his mind, reaction time and hand-eye coordination.
“I’ve never really seen (size) as the disadvantage that it gets portrayed as,” he said. “I don’t think that’s true. When you look at guys like Saros and Shesterkin, those are two of the best goalies in the world, so I think it’s more about your skill and understanding what works for you ... and then it’s the mental component, the brain. That’s the same size, and I think that’s the biggest part of goaltending.”
Greaves has used his “mental component” to fully capitalize on the professional opportunities he’s gotten in a developing professional career. His anticipation skill and quick glove make up for whatever he lacks in length, and a high level of athleticism allows Greaves to scramble when needed too.
“He hasn’t been a one-hit wonder,” Clark said. “He’s done it each year, and he’s just gotten better and better.”
Will it ultimately pay off with Greaves becoming an NHL full-time goalie at some point?
That’s the plan, even if it doesn’t happen as quickly as Greaves would like it to pan out. He’s viewed within the Jackets’ organization as an NHL goalie in the making, which is already an accomplishment for an “undersized” guy from Cambridge, Ontario.
“I’ve been fortunate that it’s worked out pretty well the last few years, but it’s been a cool journey the way everything has come together,” Greaves said. “I’ve been focused on my work, but also enjoying every step of the way. It’s been a lot of fun.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets' Jet Greaves leads AHL Cleveland Monsters
