Hockey's Future - The #1 Online Prospects Resource

A few of german natives played hockey in north america last season. Some in the NHL, some in the minor leagues and also some boys in the junior system. But only two of them are goalies. The first is known by every NHL-Fan, it's the Vezina-Trophy winner from 2000, Capital' Olaf Kölzig. The other is an interesting young gun. His name is Oliver Jonas, he is 22 years old and currently the last weeks in his fourth (and last) academic year at the Harvard University. So, both goalies goes by "Oli" or "Olie".

Jonas was born in Neuss, germany and has a very interesting family with a fine hockey pedigree. First, his uncle, Helmut de Raaf, is known by every german hockeyfan. The goalie legend played in world championships and olympic games for the german national team. He retires from hockey in 1999, but was on the official roster from DEL-champion Adler Mannheim in the last two seasons and played for them a few minutes due to injury-problems from their first two goalies. Also, he coaches Mannheim's junior team since one year. And second, his sister, Isabel Jonas - he played for german's women's hockey national team years ago.

Jonas left germany in summer 1994 and attended the Breck High School of the Tri-Metro Conference in Minneapolis where he played in their hockey and their soccer team. His uncle Helmut de Raaf introduced him to Breck. Because of his good appereances in the U16 and U17 national teams he got the back-up spot in the U18 at the european junior championships in 1997. Playing in just two games he can't help the team to not relegate from the A-pool. His personal stats wasn't as bad as the teams results. His GAA was 2,50 and he saves 69 shots to have a .9324 save percentage.

The left catching goalie leaves the high school after one year and starts to study physics at the Harvard University, an excellent place to study. Normally that he played for their hockey team, the Crimson in the ECAC, too. Living at a german-named house, he's only the second european in their team after french defenseman Michel Breistroff.

The 97-98 season starts and he was the back up netminder behind a New York Islanders' draft pick from 1996, J.R. Prestifilippo. So, the game against the Northeastern University Huskies was his first collegiate contest ever. And after this game he started in nine other games, five of them because Prestifilippo was sidelined. Posting a 5-5 record and a .868 save percentage, he allowed a 3,81 GAA in his first season. The officials honors his saves, calling him into the ECAC All-Rookie Team.

The next season wasn't a good year for Harvard, the team only finished the season on the eight position. But, Jonas started in ten games (plus two games from the bench) as the back up from Prestifilippo, too. Seven of them in the regualar season, the other three starts were in the play-off's. He posted a better record with 4-3-1, a better GAA with 3,22 and better save percentage with .892.

His sophomore season with Harvard was behind Prestifilippo, too. And he gains only five starts with a 3-2 record. Allowing a GAA of 3,66 he had a .886 save percentage. The season wasn't good for him, but good news came soon at the end of the season. Crimson's number one, Prestifilippo leaves the team after his years of study and joined a ECHL-team. Both shared goaltending tips, were roommates on roadtrips and their relationship was competitive but friendly, but insiders said Jonas could have been a four-year starter without him. So, Jonas get his shot in his last year at Harvard as the starting goalie.

His last season comes closer, together with the question: Playing the whole season as the starting goalie, as the back up goalie, or share the job with rookie Willie Crothers? Early he knows, this could be his season. Now, he has the opportunity to play.

Jonas take the chance and shows his talent. The number one is now the goalie with the number one on his back. His quick reflexes and tremendous instincts are known from his games during the last three seasons, but only if he plays in game to game you see how constant he plays and shows his reflexes. The team were often outshot by their opponents, so Jonas must save many shots - and he did it. "I take it as it comes, whatever they put on net." Especially on this situation under pressure he plays at a very high level. He earn the team some points and in fact of this he personally earned the title go-to guy. But, thats nothing new either; he plays in most of Harvard's play-off games in the three years before, those experiences have set the stage for this year.

So, in this season, Harvard reaches the third place in the table and in the championship play-off's with a overtime win against Dartmouth in the third place game, where Jonas saves 32 shots. The most valuable players for the team were sometimes sophomore forward Dominic Moore, the topscorer and Oliver Jonas everytime.

His stats are a very good reason for that: A 15-15-2 record in his 32 starts , his lowest GAA in his college career with 2,99, two shotouts and a sensational .915 save percentag - the best in the league. Also, he set a new career high with 47 saves in the game against Colgate.

Now, the season is over and Jonas say goodbye to Harvard. Where does he go? The option number one is germany, but the chance that he really go back is very low. Many foreign goalies play in the german leagues, now. Goalies like Frederic Chabot, Andrej Trefilov or Mike Rosati are the starting goalies in the DEL and young germans are only the back ups, Robert Müller in Mannheim, for example. Also, the managers in the second league sign foreigners, too. If he would like to play he must go in the third league. As a 22 year old netminder talent he must play, and the third league level isn't high enough for him.

So the option #2 is that he goes into the try-out camps from the minor league teams. This option is realistic, because he would stay in america, if possible in Boston. "I love Boston" he said and he won't come back to germany, so i've promissed that he goes to a AHL-camp and if he can't sign with a team from this league he maybe goes to the ECHL. Other opportinities are the CHL, the UHL, the WCHL or the WPHL.

He should stay for a minimum of three years in north america, than he has the option to go back to germany, too. But the situation for him is after this time much better for him. A minor league goalie in a good age with a german passport - DEL-manager's get excited. And the Officials will reduce the number of foreign players in the next seasons.

© Oliver Janz