Home is sweeter for Leafs’ Jooris
Josh Jooris identifies with that old Supertramp song, Take The Long Way Home.
The Burlington product has been through five NHL teams — four different clubs last season alone counting a pair of minor league demotions — before landing with the Toronto Maple Leafs on the opening day of 2018 free agency.
While timing and numbers weren’t in his favour during some previous stops, where he was placed on waivers or traded, Toronto suddenly found itself in need of veteran forwards. James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, and Leo Komarov signed elsewhere, Matt Martin was traded and there seems little appetite to bring back fourth-line centre Dominic Moore.
General manager Kyle Dubas, an old friend of the Jooris family, extended a one-year, two-way contract for US$650,000 for Josh to try to make Toronto’s roster at wing or centre.
“It’s surreal,” Jooris, 28, said Tuesday at an informal practice with his new team. “Growing up local ... the organization is so historic to be part of, to see some of the greats along the wall (of the dressing room) and especially ( joining now).
“They’ve been building for quite some time, with some big acquisitions and young guys who’ve been in the league a couple of years now. You can really start to see them flourish. For them to believe in me and give me an opportunity to help, I won’t take it for granted.”
The undrafted Jooris made it to the NHL on his third try with a third team, the Calgary Flames in 2013. A one-time roommate of Johnny Gaudreau, he was on the main Flames’ roster in 201415 with a promising 24 points in 60 games, but his trail meandered from there to the Rangers, Coyotes and then the Hurricanes at the start of last year. Both Carolina and Pittsburgh, where he was traded late in the season, assigned him to their minor affiliates for a few games, a real shock to his system.
“It’s not the easiest thing playing for four different teams and four different groups of guys,” Jooris said.
“(But) it was a good experience and coming into this, my fifth year, I’m going to be a confident guy out there. You have a different appreciation for how hard it is to be an NHL player and to stick in this league.
“You can take (demotion) two ways; as a negative, dwell on that you don’t want to be there or that it’s part of the process of your journey. I took positives from it. At the end of the day, I’m playing hockey and that’s what I wanted.”
Jooris also gets full marks for honesty, proud to be raised in a Red Wings household despite playing for the Tier II Burlington Cougars and his proximity to Scotiabank Arena and all things blue and white.
“I can’t lie, it’s in the archives,” laughed Jooris, whose father Mark played senior hockey well into his late 40s.
“I’ve been honest before when I was on other teams, saying that I was a Wings fan.”