We all know the familiar faces on our team. There’s Marc-Andre Fleury with his wide smile, Jonathan Marchessault with his captivating blue eyes, or William Karlsson with his blonde hair flips. We know their numbers and we know what they bring to the team.
But what about the rookies? Do you know how Jimmy Schuldt shoots, or what Dylan Coghlan’s goals were at last season? Never fear, that’s why the VGK Ladies are here!
Jake Bischoff: A Profile
Allow us to introduce young gun Jake Bischoff in the first of our rookie introduction series. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, this 6-foot-1-inch 25-year old joins the Vegas Golden Knights as a defenseman. He was drafted in 2012 in a Round 7 pick by the New York Islanders, who held his rights until 2017. He was traded to Vegas then, along with the Islanders’ 2017 pick (Erik Brannstrom) and a 2019 2nd round draft pick.
Now, let’s look at the important part. What kind of numbers is this kid putting up?
As stated earlier, Bischoff plays defense. He’s not going to score massive amounts of goals like a winger would. Still, seven goals in the 2017-2018 season and two in the 2018-2019 season…those aren’t numbers to really sneeze at. 16 assists in 2017-2018, 11 in 2018-2019…those are both still impressive stats.
A Plus/Minus Way in the Positives
But the number that stands out to me the most is right under the plus/minus there. In hockey, a player is awarded a plus each time they’re on the ice when their team scores an even-strength or shorthanded goal. Minuses are dealt when the opposing team cashes in on those chances. The more positive that plus/minus number, the better it looks for a player.
In 2017-2018 alone, Bischoff had a plus/minus of 23. 23! That’s a staggering number. In fact, he had the highest plus/minus of any player on the Chicago Wolves during that season. Had he been playing with the Golden Knights that season, he’d be ranked right under Brayden McNabb (26) and above Nate Schmidt (19).
So in 2018-2019 his plus/minus depleted a little. He went from 23 to 11. He was still high in the positives, which meant good news for him as a defenseman.
Currently, Bischoff is playing defense for the Golden Knights in lieu of Schmidt, who is still day-to-day with a lower body injury. He has been swapping the position with Nicolas Hague as Gerard Gallant tests their mettle. If Bischoff’s plus/minus numbers from the last couple seasons are anything to go off of, perhaps we will see more of the young gun yet.
