Zac Jones opened up about his upbringing in Richmond, winning a National Championship at UMass Amherst and his career with the Rangers.
Zac Jones opened up about his upbringing in Richmond, winning a National Championship at UMass Amherst and his career with the Rangers.
The game of hockey means everything to Zac Jones.
“I’ve loved it right from the start,” Jones said. “Just skating around, scoring goals was my favorite thing when I was younger. I loved putting the puck in the net whether it was flipping it in there or just putting it on the ice. When I was a young kid that was something that I loved.”
Where did Jones’ love for hockey spark from?
Jones’ father grew up with a hockey background from Binghamton, New York as he was actually an equipment manager for many years, so that’s why he was always destined to play hockey.
The path for Jones to become an NHL defenseman was unique compared to many though.
He spent the first 14 years of his life in Richmond, Virginia, a place not necessarily known for its hockey.
“It’s so small,” Jones said about the hockey community in Richmond. “Obviously with the Capitals winning a few years ago, that helped grow the game a little bit in Virginia. There were two Triple A teams when I was younger. My team growing up was a mixture from all players from the state. We had a good mix of almost everyone from that area.”
It was at 14-years-old when Jones made a big decision to leave Richmond as he went to prep school in Connecticut, continuing on his path to the bright lights of New York.
The Richmond native truly broke out during the 2018-19 season, playing in the USHL for the Tri-City Storm. He recorded seven goals, 45 assists and 52 points in 56 games.
Jones’ performance in the USHL caught the eye of the Rangers.
The young defenseman confessed that the Rangers were actually the first team he talked to during the draft process and New York ultimately selected him with the 68th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
“The Rangers were the first team I talked to,” Jones said. “I talked to them once and that was it. They were not even on my radar, I had no idea. I had an idea of maybe later rounds, but I had no idea where I would go, but luckily the Rangers drafted me in the third round.”
After accomplishing his dream of being drafted into the NHL, Jones made another decision that would change his life forever.
Going into collegiate hockey, Jones had one thing on his mind and that was to win a championship, which is why he committed to UMass Amherst.
“I was never at UMass for personal goals,” Jones said. “I wanted to win a National Championship, I wanted to win a Hockey East Championship.”
Jones ultimately spent two seasons at UMass and he accomplished what he set out to do, helping lead his team to a National Championship in 2021.
Winning the National Championship is a memory that he will always cherish.
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“Learning how to be a pro at the college level was huge for me,” Jones said about his time at UMass. “Winning the National Championship is an experience I’ll never forget. Those guys are still some of my best friends to this day.”
“That’s probably my number one hockey memory at the moment.”
Finally after years of hard work, Jones signed his entry-level contract following his second season at UMass and began to play professional hockey.
It hasn’t necessarily been an easy road for Jones since officially joining the Rangers organization.
He’s been up and down between the AHL and the NHL for a couple of seasons before last year when he served as a healthy scratch for a large portion of time while with the Rangers.
It’s these difficult moments that build someone's character though and it helped Jones grow stronger mentally.
“Nobody ever wants to get scratched, everyone wants to play every night,” Jones confessed. “It was tough for me to really handle at first. I had never been scratched in my life, so it was tough, but it was a good learning experience. Obviously it’s a business up here and decisions have to be made.
“I think being in the role I’ve been in over the last four years, kind of being an up and down guy for my first couple of years and than last year being up the whole year, but being scratched, just different experiences that I haven't really been in the past will make me a better player going forward.”
Jones has finally found that solidified role with the Rangers this season and is currently playing some impressive hockey.
He uses his speed to impact the game both offensively and defensively while he also serves a critical role on the second unit of the power play.
Through 18 games, the 24-year-old has recorded one goal, seven assists and eight points.
Jones is a young promising defenseman, but he is an even better person.
Being around the locker room, it’s easy to tell how kind Jones truly is by the way he interacts with his teammates and the respect he shows towards members of the media.
“Just a good kid,” Jones said on how his family would describe him. “Just someone who is happy, easy going, go with the flow type of person. I’m not too loud, I’m not too quiet, I just go about my business. I’m generally a happy guy. I always try to have a smile on my face even when times aren’t going great.”
The future is bright for Jones.