Performance
Jacob Trouba is awesome. At the young age of 20 years old Jacob Trouba continued his accent up the Winnipeg Jets depth chart. He logged what usually amounts to second pair ice time, but he was a huge factor on the PK and he was given tough zone assignments all year. The kid is flat out good at hockey. He moves the puck incredibly well and he is very strong in his own zone.
Perhaps even more incredible than Trouba’s performance is the fact that he has been putting up dominant possession numbers while primarily being paired with Mark Stuart. The list of players that have done this with STUUUUUU!! is teeny tiny. Even perennial Norris contender Zdeno Chara was unable to lift the gritty vet. Trouba did and he did it despite logging extremely tough minutes.
The number support both the eye test and the hype when it comes to Jacob Trouba. He is already among the best statistical defenders in the league by a handful of measures – this is particularly when you consider his age. He was also far and away the Jets' best possession defender this year, and they were a strong possession team.
Future
The future is bright with Jacob Trouba. He has the look of a franchise player. That future isn't a given, but it is definitely something that fans will be looking and hoping for. The Jets will be looking for more progress out of the kid, with further development of his offensive game. How much growth we'll see in any given year is an unknown. Regardless, Trouba is likely due for a significant raise at the end of next season.
