By Matt Stefano
With an extended offseason officially in session, we’ve decided to take this time to look back at some of the Soo Thunderbirds top scorers from previous seasons.
Today we will look back to the Soo Thunderbirds inaugural season in 1999-2000, when they were led in scoring by forward Patrick Jarrett.
Jarrett, who entered the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League as a 15 year old in 1999, led the Thunderbirds in scoring during the 1999-2000 season with 22 goals and 54 points in 39 regular season games.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario native also became the first player in Thunderbirds history to be named the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Rookie of the Year.
Following his first and only season with the Thunderbirds, Jarrett then went on to be selected first overall by the Mississauga IceDogs in the 2000 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.
In his first season with the IceDogs in 2000-2001, Jarrett led his club in scoring with 15 goals and 53 points in 60 regular season games.
He was also on the IceDogs with his former Soo Thunderbird teammate Nathan O’Nabigon, who played on the Thunderbirds with him during the 1999-2000 season.
Jarrett and O’Nabigon were also the top two rookie scorers on the IceDogs during the 2000-2001 season.
During his sophomore season in 2001-2002, Jarrett ended up being traded to the Owen Sound Attack in January and also participated at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Saskatoon on January 31st.
Following his second season in the Ontario Hockey League, Jarrett became the first Soo Thunderbird graduate to be drafted by a National Hockey League team, after he was selected in the 5th round (138th overall) by the Nashville Predators.
Jarrett then served as captain of the Owen Sound Attack in his final three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2002-2005.
In his fourth season in the Ontario Hockey League in 2003-2004, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario product finished tied for first in team scoring on the Owen Sound Attack with 72 points with his teammate Stefan Ruzicka.
In November of 2003, the former Soo Thunderbird also participated in the first ever Canada/Russia Series, where he helped Team OHL to 7-1 and 4-0 victories over Team Russia.
Jarrett, who spent five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League from 2000-2005, splitting time with the Mississauga IceDogs and the Owen Sound Attack, recorded 90 goals and 286 points in 305 career regular season games.
Following his five year career in the Ontario Hockey League, Jarrett then began playing professional hockey with the Berlin Polar Bears in the DEL in 2005-2006.
Jarrett, who retired with the Frankfurt Lions in the DEL-2 back in 2017-2018, now serves as a video coach with the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs.
