Jerome enjoys his role with Prince Albert
As he heads into his first full season with the Prince Albert Raiders, D-Jay Jerome has seen a little bit of everything five games into the 201718 Western Hockey League campaign.
On Friday night at the Enmax Centre, the product of Lethbridge brought that role back in front of his hometown as the Raiders pulled into town to take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Raiders hit the road with a 4-1 loss that puts them at 2-3 on the season, but early in the season Jerome has found himself on the ice in various capacities.
“I’m on the power play and a little bit of fouron-four here and there. My biggest thing right now is getting to capitalize,” said the former Lethbridge Midget AAA Hurricane and Val Matteotti bantam AAA Golden Hawk who has one assist this year. “That can definitely change the way you play and the way you think you can play. It’s always a confidence booster to play, especially on special teams. It gives you the feeling the coach has faith and you need that to progress as a player.”
On Friday, Jerome started on a line with Spencer Moe and Justin Nachbaur and early in the third, nearly tied the game at 2-2, dancing around Canes defenceman Koltrane Wilson before getting stopped by Lethbridge goaltender Stuart Skinner.
With the Raiders down 3-1 late in the game and pressing with the extra attacker, Jerome took more key shifts.
“We came out pretty slow and in the second we picked it up,” he said. “In the third, I don’t know if the game should have been that far apart, I thought it was better than that. But all in all, we have to be better.”
The loss aside, there’s something to be said about returning to familiar terrain.
“It’s always exciting just to see some familiar faces,” said Jerome. “You love playing with the boys, but it’s definitely good to see your family once in while.”
Jerome began his WHL career with the
Red Deer Rebels last season, putting up eight points in 23 games with the Rebels before being dealt to Prince Albert Dec. 29.
He scored three goals and eight points in 32 games with the Raiders to round out the year.
“We’re a pretty good team, pretty in-depth,” said Jerome. “I think we have a solid top-six and I think we’re going to make a run for it this year.”