Player recap--Jarrett Toll
What can you say about this kid? Well, for starters, he's not a kid anymore. Jarrett Toll came to the Americans in the 2004-2005 season as a scrawny 15-year-old and saw action in 3 games. He departs as a player who has fulfilled his eligibility in the Western Hockey League. In that time, he's played in 274 regular season games and 57 playoff games. He's accumulated 23 goals, 71 assists, only 225 penalty minutes, and is a +74 (!!!).
Toll was never a big guy, certainly not a flashy player. He didn't ever play super physical, though you wouldn't know it by the number of injuries he encountered in his tenure with the Americans. Funny (not haha) how people are so quick to jump all over Mestery for not playing physical when they don't say the same about Jarrett. Sure, Eric's a bit bigger, but so what. You don't need to look further than Toll to see that one can be an effective defenseman without playing balls-to-the-wall physical.
What Toller brought to the table was ultra-reliable consistency. He's one of those hard-working, lunch-pail kind of guys. You know what you're going to get from him, night in and night out, which is 1000% work ethic. He was selected as 2009-2010 team captain for a reason.
Off the ice, with player appearances, Toll was always super friendly with fans, always ready to smile for a picture. He will go down in the books* as one of the absolutely nicest players to come through Tri-Cities. Never arrogant or avoiding fans or anything like that. He's the kind of guy that you talk to for 10 minutes and you feel like you're old friends**.
I don't know what the future holds for Jarrett, either hockey or lacrosse I'm sure. I think I read in the paper he's leaning towards University of British Columbia. No matter what, I wish him all the luck in the world, he truly deserves it. And thank you Jarrett (and your family!) for sharing the past 5 years of your hockey life with us grateful fans in the Tri-Cities.
*ok, my own little book
**that's sounding creepier than intended
2 comments:
Hands down, without a doubt, my favorite player to put on an AMS jersey. Gonna miss watching this kid play more than I can probably admit.
Best of luck in whatever you future may hold, Jarrett! Thanks again for all the memories throughout the years.
Great post! Toll is the first player I've gotten to watch from rookie to captain, and it's just one of my favorite parts about junior hockey. Not only is he kind and humble off the ice, he's the steadiest and most consistently effective defensemen we've had in recent years. I love the offensive upside we saw this year, too! He brings a sense of honor to the game (that could easily go dirty in this sport) and sportsmanship that made me proud.
I'm gonna miss watching him in an Ams jersey. I'm so grateful for his years of service and being a role model for the kids. I know success will follow him no matter where he goes. Mr and Mrs Toll, well done. Thank you both and also the billet family who hosted our Captain.
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