Jonah Jobin plays center for the ACHA D1 Hockey team. He is a Junior working towards his career as a college professor, with a major in Sports Business Management and a minor in Business Economics.
In this interview, we get details of what inspires him off the ice, his advice for forthcoming freshman players and his personal hockey idols.
Michael Mongera: “What got you into hockey?”
Jonah Jobin: “I was born into it. My parents both played it when I grew up. My dad played a lot, I mainly got it from him. It’s ingrained in me. There’s probably 50 rinks in half an hour of where I live, which is Mississauga, Canada. Hockey is massive in the country overall.”
MM: “When did you start playing hockey?”
JJ: “I started playing hockey in the age range of five-turning-six. I was a part of the Melville Ice Puppies, which was our little youth league. It was a great experience. I played with that same coach for six years after that, so it was a good start. ”
MM: “If you have any, who are you hockey idols?”
JJ: “There has been a couple. As a kid, my idol was Jarome Iginla from the Calgary Flames. My dad is originally from Calgary, so I grew up being a fan of his. As I’ve gotten older, I have two favorite players in the league. One of them is Jonathan Toews from the Chicago Blackhawks. I’ve been lucky enough to meet him personally a couple of times, he’s been a bit of a mentor to me in some ways. I appreciate how he carries himself on and off the ice. Another favorite player is Ryan O’Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres. I love that way he plays and I’m a huge fan of him as well.”
MM: “What inspires you off the ice?”
JJ: “It’s a couple of things. Definitely my future and what I want to do. I plan to get my PhD and become a college professor. That inspires, and keeps me driven in the classroom. What also inspires me is my family. I’m so lucky to have two of the best parents a kid could ever ask for and I have an amazing sister. They keep me going.”
MM: “What do you love about this team?”
JJ: “Definitely my teammates. Going into my senior year in the fall, I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of this group. Just the camaraderie, we get together a lot outside of the rink and we come to work together at the rink. I love being around this group of guys. I’ve played hockey for about 16 to 17 years now, and I can’t think of a tighter knit group.”
MM: “In every interview I’ve conducted so far, every player or worker has commented that they’re favorite part about the team is the familial aspect. Has that left an impression on you?”
JJ: “Yes, absolutely. It’s left a huge impression on me. For me it started in my freshman year. I was lucky enough to play with two sort of a legends in our program, Jesse and Kevin Valasek. They’re brothers that we use to play with in line together and those guys were real mentors to me on and off the ice. We had a great freshman year. Moving forward, I’ve tried to carry that to the younger guys as we’ve moved on. We have pairing such as rookies and vets, which keeps everyone close. It’s neat to see how some rookies who do come in and are shy to become more active in the team.”
MM: “Do you have any advice for incoming freshman players?”
JJ: “Commit to the team. It’s easy to stick the club team mentality, and what I tell every guy that comes in is “this team is what you make it.” If you have a club mentality we’re going to be looked down upon, if you work like a varsity athlete, that’s when you’re going to see transition in how we’re viewed. If we continue to create a culture of guys who come in who work and want to be here, we’ll see that. Obviously have fun and enjoy it, but commit to the program.”
