In an exciting move for the St. Olaf hockey program and for St. Olaf athletics as a whole, defenseman Roshen Jaswal ’20 has officially made the jump from intercollegiate to professional play, signing with the Kansas City Mavericks as of Feb. 23.
Jaswal’s transition into professional hockey is no surprise for die-hard fans of St. Olaf hockey, as the 24-year-old British Columbia native had an illustrious career while donning the black and gold. While Jaswal managed to achieve an honorable mention for the All-MIAC conference team in both his sophomore and junior years, he truly broke out as the star of the team during the 2018-19 season. Jaswal led the team in both total points and assists during 2018-19. He finished third in assists and fifth in points amongst all defensemen throughout the MIAC conference.
Despite somewhat of a dropoff this past season, tallying only nine points in 23 games played, Jaswal had more than demonstrated his ability to perform at a high level on the ice, prompting the Mavericks to give the Ole star a chance in the big leagues.
The Mavericks, a member of the ECHL, an AA developmental league and direct affiliate of both the Stockton Heat of the American Hockey League and the Calgary Flame of the NHL, signed Jaswal to a tryout contract on Feb. 23.
Jaswal’s continued presence on the team is far from confirmed. Due to the tryout nature of his contract, he only has 25 games to prove his worth. The former Ole is already off to a strong start, seeing time on the ice and recording a shot in his debut game Feb. 23 while helping the Mavericks record a 2-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies.
For those of us immersed in the world of St. Olaf athletics, it is always an exciting time when an Ole has the opportunity to turn pro because it is such a rare occurrence. While there have been major league appearances by Oles before, these appearances are few and far between.
Over its 146-year history, St. Olaf has only ever seen seven of its players drafted into the MLB, with the most recent being Benjamin Hughes ’12 in 2011, who was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the 10th round of the MLB draft. None of these players ever made their major league debut, with Hughes’ short minor league career ending in 2014.
Even fewer Oles have ever seen time in the NFL, with only three being drafted, and seemingly none have ever played in the NHL, with Oles only ever going as far as to play professional hockey overseas.
That being said, Roshen Jaswal, St. Olaf wishes you nothing but the best in your playing days, and looks forward to monitoring what is sure to be a long and successful career. Um Yah Yah!
