![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/trouba.jpg\")
“I don’t think the lockout has had anything to do with it,” Berenson said. “Jacob was committed to Michigan, he knew he needed to go to school and mature and get his game going and grow his game until he was ready to play at the next level.<\/p>\n
“I think this year, he was totally dedicated to come up to school. He’s not worried about Winnipeg right now; he’s worried about Michigan.”<\/p>\n
Trouba has been able to compete for the Wolverines in a significant role on a nightly basis and had the opportunity to play for the United States in the World Junior Championship, capturing the gold medal.<\/p>\n
“It’s always a pretty special opportunity to play for your country,” Trouba said. “And it’s an honor to play against the best players in the world and see better competition and get better as a player.”<\/p>\n
As for Trouba’s future professional home, the Jets are pleased with his progression after electing to play in college.<\/p>\n
“One thing about a player like Jacob and the competitor that he is, we know exactly what he’s going to be doing when he’s out there,” Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “He’s the type of player that lays it all on the ice each and every night, and as he gets stronger and gets more and more of a opportunity to throw around his frame, it’s going to be better each night he gets the opportunity to be out there.<\/p>\n
“NHL-ready is kind of a real nebulous term. I think for young players you want to make sure that you don’t put them in situations that they are not ready for. We’re in it for the long haul and we believe that Jacob is a player that’s going to be a big part of the success of our franchise for years to come.”<\/p>\n
Cheveldayoff and the Jets’ brass have frequent communication with Berenson’s staff at Michigan, monitoring the progress of their prized prospect. It’s easy to speculate about Trouba’s future beyond this season and wonder whether he may be trading in his textbooks for a passport to head north next season. For all involved, it’s a wait-and-see process.<\/p>\n
“That’s something I haven’t really put much thought into yet,” Trouba said. “But that’s something I’ll sit down with my coaches and my parents and we’ll figure out what’s best for me at that time. And if that’s what we feel is right then it’s something I’ll try to do.”<\/p>\n
“There’s no question he’s going to play at the next level; it’s just a matter of when,” Berenson said. “We have always said there’s no rush to get there because you want to stay there when you get there. You don’t want to just go there for a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n
“If he keeps his head on straight — which he will — and he continues to grow his game, it’s just a matter of time before he’ll play there, and I say that because we’ve had some pretty good players play here before Jacob and even in our conference. Players like Jack Johnson, and [Mike] Komisarek, and we’ve seen players like Rob Blake come out of Bowling Green and so on around our league, and I think Jacob’s right there. He’s going to be an NHL defenseman down the road.”<\/p>\n
The Jets will continue to keep an eye on their second top-10 pick in as many years since the franchise moved from Atlanta in 2011.<\/p>\n
“We’ll evaluate and watch, and we’ll have great conversations,” Cheveldayoff said. “We’re just more focused on the now and making sure that all the proper steps are taken so that the future takes care of itself.”<\/p>\n
And when Winnipeg does call and both sides feel it’s time for Jacob to go pro?<\/p>\n
“When Winnipeg says its time to come, I’ll drive him to the airport because he’ll be ready when they think he’s ready and when the kid thinks he’s ready,” Berenson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A first-round pick, the freshman defenseman still believes in his decision to play for the Wolverines. Josh Getzoff reports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n