Tyson Jost
Tyson Jost is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League.
Born in St. Albert, Alberta to a single mother, Jost moved to British Columbia to grow his hockey career at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy. From there, he played with the Okanagan Rockets of the British Columbia Major Midget League and Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League to retain his NCAA eligibility. Jost played one season of NCAA Division I ice hockey with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks before being drafted 10th overall by the Avalanche in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Jost made his NHL debut with the Avalanche during the 2016–17 season after the Fighting Hawks fell to Boston University in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. He spent the following seasons within the Avalanche organization moving between their American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, and the NHL level.
Internationally, Jost has competed for Team Canada at both the junior and senior level, winning a gold medal with them at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and silver at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and 2019 IIHF World Championship.
Early life
Jost was born on March 14, 1998, in St. Albert, Alberta, to single mother Laura Jost. He eventually moved to Kelowna, British Columbia and lived with his grandparents in order to attend the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy with his cousin. He also grew up with a younger sister Kacey, who he is very close with. He has referred to his mother and sister as "the rocks of my life." Jost was also born with color blindness.Playing career
Amateur
While playing in Kelowna for his sophomore season, Jost recorded 56 goals and 109 points in 33 games. This earned him attention from the Western Hockey League and he was eventually drafted by the Everett Silvertips at 7th overall during the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. In spite of his high selection, Jost decided to play with the Okanagan Rockets of the British Columbia Major Midget League to retain his NCAA eligibility. In his first and only season with the Rockets, he led the team in scoring with 44 goals and 88 points to help them claim the BC Hockey Major Midget League Championship. Jost also made his debut in the British Columbia Hockey League after agreeing to play with the Penticton Vees. In his first full BCHL season in 2014–15, Jost's playmaking and scoring ability were apparent in helping the Vees reach the Fred Page Cup. He compiled 45 points in 44 games to earn a selection to the BCHL All-Rookie Team.Prior to his second full season with the Vees, Jost verbally committed to play NCAA Division I ice hockey for North Dakota Fighting Hawks starting in the 2016–17 season. After announcing his decision to return to the BCHL for the 2015–16 season, Jost was appointed team captain alongside assistant captain Dante Fabbro. In his first season as captain, Jost justified his status as a potential first-round pick with the Penticton Vees with a dominant 104 points in only 48 regular season games. Upon the Vees reaching the RBC Cup, Jost was awarded the 2016 RBC Canadian Junior Hockey League National Player of the Year award. He led the league with 62 assists and finished third in overall scoring with the highest point-per-game rate to be selected as the BCHL Most Valuable Player, Canadian Junior Hockey League Top Forward, and earn CJHL National Player of the Year honours.
Leading up to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Jost was ranked 16th amongst all North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Upon being drafted 10th overall by the Colorado Avalanche, Jost reflected on the strength of the BCHL, alongside teammate Dante Fabbro and Dennis Cholowski in helping the league set a new record with three players taken in the first round of a draft. Although Jost previously committed to play in the NCAA, his WHL rights were traded from the Silvertips to the Regina Pats along with Dawson Leedahl.
As promised, Jost immediately began his collegiate career in the 2016–17 season, quickly adapting to the Fighting Hawks in assuming first-line responsibilities. He finished his freshman season placing second amongst North Dakota in scoring with 16 goals and 35 points in 33 games, earning a selection to the NCHC All-Rookie Team. As a rookie, he helped lead the team to the 2017 NCHC Frozen Faceoff, where they captured their first title and he was named to the Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team. Jost continued to help the Fighting Hawks advance to the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, where they eventually lost to Boston University. On March 29, 2017, Jost opted to end his collegiate career, in agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche.
Professional
Jost joined the Avalanche immediately to help close out the franchise's worst season in Denver, making his NHL debut in a 2–1 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues on March 31, 2017. He scored his first NHL goal with the Avalanche in a 4–3 defeat to the Minnesota Wild on April 6, the team's final home game of the season. He attending the Avalanche's training camp prior to the 2017–18 season and made their opening night line up. His stay in the NHL turned out to be shortlived as he suffered a lower-body injury and missed eight games. Before returning to the Avalanche lineup, the team assigned him to their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. After recording one goal and assist in five games with the Rampage, he returned to the NHL for the remainder of the regular and post season. Jost made his post-season debut in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Nashville Predators, during which he recorded his first post-season point.After attending the Avalanche's training camp, Jost was named to their opening night roster to begin the 2018–19 season. His play remained stagnant throughout the season and he was reassigned to the Avalanche's newest AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, in January after recording six goals and nine assists in 43 games. As he regained his confidence, Jost played on the top lines with the Eagles and spent time on the power play to eventually earn a recall to the NHL on February 12, 2019. He concluded the season with 26 points in a career high 70 NHL games.
The following season, Jost was again invited to the Avalanche's training camp and cracked their opening night roster to begin the 2019–20 season. On October 18, 2019, Jost recorded his first career NHL hat-trick in a 6–2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to extend the team's point streak to eight games. After the game, Jost stated that "It's kind of something you always dream about as a kid playing in your backyard. It felt really special. It was an awesome moment."
International play
Internationally, Jost has competed for Team Canada at both the junior and senior level. His first international event was in 2014 when he was selected to participate with Canada White in the World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Prior to his second season with the Penticton Vees, Jost and teammate Dante Fabbro were named to Canada's Under-18 to compete at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. After winning a gold medal at the tournament, he collected his second medal of the year with Canada West at the 2015 World Junior A Challenge and was named Team MVP.Jost captained Canada at the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he led the tournament in scoring with 15 points in seven games. His points total established a Canadian record at that event, surpassing the previous mark set by Connor McDavid in 2013. Despite placing out of the medals, Jost was selected as the tournament's “Best Forward” and was named to the All-Star Team. On April 30, 2018, Jost was a late addition to Team Canada's senior roster to compete at the 2018 IIHF World Championship. After sitting out as a healthy scratch for the opening round-robin game, Jost drew into the lineup and played his first game at the senior level, scoring two goals and an assist in a 10-0 blowout victory over South Korea on May 6, 2018. Jost played the remainder of the tournament with Nicolas Roy and teammate Fabbro as Canada placed fourth overall.
On May 10, 2019, Jost was again a late inclusion to Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, joining the squad following the Avalanche's second round defeat in the post-season. He played his first game in Slovakia, registering two assists in an 8–0 victory over Great Britain on May 12. Jost helped Canada progress through to the playoff rounds before losing the final to Finland to finish with the silver medal on May 26, 2019.