Johnathan Kovacevic

Johnathan Kovacevic
Born	(1997-07-12) July 12, 1997 (age 26) Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight	223 lb (101 kg; 15 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Montreal Canadiens Winnipeg Jets
NHL Draft	74th overall, 2017 Winnipeg Jets
Playing career	2019–present

Johnathan Kovacevic (born July 12, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 74th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Personal life

Johnathan Kovacevic was born on July 12th, 1997. His father, Novica, is from Montenegro and his mother, Angie, is from Bosnia. He has a brother, Ryan, and a sister, Daniela. He holds a civil engineering degree from Merrimack College. ^{[1] [2]}

Playing career

At the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Kovacevic was drafted in the third round, 74th overall by the Winnipeg Jets. ^[3]

After three collegiate seasons with Merrimack, Kovacevic signed a two-year entry level contract with the Jets on March 17, 2019. ^[4] He made his professional debut with the Jets' American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on April 19, 2019, scoring one goal and one assist against the Chicago Wolves. ^[5]

On August 13, 2021, Kovacevic was re-signed by the Jets to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000 at the NHL level. ^{[6] [7]} In the following 2021–22 season, Kovacevic was recalled from the Moose and played in his first NHL game with the Jets on January 28, 2022 against the Vancouver Canucks, finishing the game with one shot on goal in 10:21 of ice time. ^[8]

As a restricted free agent, Kovacevic was re-signed to a three-year contract extension with the Jets on July 22, 2022. ^[9] After attending the Jets 2022 training camp in preparation for the 2022–23 season, Kovacevic was placed on waivers during the pre-season. He was claimed off waivers the following day by the Montreal Canadiens on October 8, 2022. ^[10] Acquired by the Canadiens to help with weakness on the right side of the defence corps, Kovacevic made his debut in the season opener on October 12 and immediately became a regular part of the lineup. He surpassed his prior NHL appearance total within eight days of his first game. ^{[11] [12]} Kovacevic was regularly paired with rookie defenceman Jordan Harris, and drew praise from the coaching staff. On November 14, Canadiens executive Jeff Gorton advised Kovacevic to find regular accommodations in Montreal, indicating that he had found a permanent roster berth for the foreseeable future. He remarked on the occasion that "it gives me a little bit of an idea that they like what they see from me, they want me for a bit of a longer haul. Because when you’re picked up on waivers, you never really know." ^[13]

On December 6, 2022, Kovacevic scored his first career NHL goal in a game against the Seattle Kraken. ^[14]

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014–15	Ottawa Jr. Senators	CCHL		52	5	14	19	20		10	0	3	3	6
2015–16	Ottawa Jr. Senators	CCHL		21	2	8	10	6		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Hawkesbury Hawks	CCHL		30	6	20	26	21		10	0	7	7	10
2016–17	Merrimack College	HE		36	3	16	19	30		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Merrimack College	HE		34	2	15	17	14		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Merrimack College	HE		31	4	14	18	14		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Manitoba Moose	AHL		1	1	1	2	2		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Manitoba Moose	AHL		45	4	8	12	33		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Manitoba Moose	AHL		29	2	12	14	23		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Manitoba Moose	AHL		62	11	19	30	45		5	0	0	0	2
2021–22	Winnipeg Jets	NHL		4	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		77	3	12	15	39		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		62	6	7	13	42		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				143	9	19	28	83		—	—	—	—	—

Awards and honours

Award	Year
CCHL
All-Rookie Team	2015
Third All-Star Team	2016

References

1. Ates, Murat. "How Johnathan Kovacevic's family story helps him put his hockey pursuit in perspective". The Athletic. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
2. "Johnathan Kovacevic - Men's Ice Hockey". Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
3. Clinton, Mitchell (June 24, 2017). "Kovacevic proud to wear Jets colours". NHL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
4. "Jets sign Johnathan Kovacevic". NHL.com. March 16, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
5. Fink, Daniel (March 17, 2019). "Recap: Moose 6 at Chicago 2". Manitoba Moose. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
6. "Jets sign defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic to a one-year, two-way contract". NHL.com. August 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
7. Hobson, Russ (August 13, 2021). "Winnipeg Jets sign defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic". Global News. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
8. Clinton, Mitchell (January 27, 2022). "Jets close home stand with loss to Vancouver". NHL.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
9. "Jets sign defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic to a three-year contract". Winnipeg Jets. July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
10. "Canadiens claim Jonathan Kovacevic off waivers". Montreal Canadiens. October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
11. Cowan, Stu (October 19, 2022). "Rearguard Kovacevic realizing lifelong dream with Canadiens". Montreal Gazette . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
12. Cowan, Stu (November 3, 2022). "Johnathan Kovacevic making the most of his chance with Canadiens". Montreal Gazette . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
13. Basu, Arpon (November 16, 2022). "Canadiens' Johnathan Kovacevic has found some permanence after long road to NHL". The Athletic . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
14. Cowan, Stu (December 7, 2022). "First NHL goal 'feels great' for Johnathan Kovacevic". Montreal Gazette . Retrieved December 7, 2022.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database