SYDNEY, N.S. — For many reasons, Jack Cashen doesn’t pay much attention to the standings or his personal statistics.
Instead, the New Waterford native focuses his attention on becoming a better goaltender each day and knows the statistics don’t paint the true colour of his play.
“I think I’ve been playing well this season — I give my team a chance to win every game,” said Cashen. “I’m competing hard and battling every game and I never stop working on my game.”
After a tough start to the season, the Sydney Mitsubishi Rush second-year player believes the turning point of the season for him came in November during the annual Monctonian ‘AAA’ Challenge in Moncton.
The 16-year-old appeared in two games at the tournament, posting ties against the Commandeurs du Collège de Lévis of Quebec, 2-2, and the York-Simcoe Express of Ontario, 1-1.
“I was locked in and focused in my games at the tournament, I was quite confident,” said Cashen. “There were a lot of scouts in the building, so it made me focus a lot more — I had never been more zoned in.”
Following the tournament, the team returned to Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League regular season play and struggled to find the win column with 12 rookies in the lineup.
But since early December, the Rush have been playing better hockey and Cashen has been part of the team’s progress.
“We had a turning point where we started playing better and gained more confidence,” said Cashen. “We still lost quite a few games, but we were in every game and felt we were playing well.
“At the start of the year, teams knew what we were like, but now they’re not sure what we’re going to bring each game.”
Cashen began his hockey career with the New Waterford Minor Hockey Association and played Atom ‘AAA’ for the association in 2013, a year in which his team hosted the provincial championship.
The following season, 2013-14, Cashen left the New Waterford association to play with the Glace Bay Miners because Peewee ‘AAA’ was not offered in his hometown.
Cashen returned to New Waterford to play his final year of peewee ‘AAA’ with the Sharks, when that level of hockey was offered again, and later joined the Joneljim Cougars of the Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League.
In his rookie campaign with the Cougars, Cashen posted a 5-8 record, along with a 5.02 goals-against-average during the 2016-17 season, behind the team’s veteran netminder Josh Leudy.
As the team’s No. 1 goaltender in 2017-18, Cashen appeared in 23 games with the North Sydney-based Cougars, posting a 5-15 record, while lowering his goals-against-average to 4.37 from the previous year.
“My stats weren’t the best over the two years, but I enjoyed my time with the team because it was a really good place for my development as a player,” said Cashen.
“The team had good coaches and they helped me along the way — I worked as hard as I could, and I feel I became a better goaltender because of the program.”
BIO
JACK CASHEN
- Hometown: New Waterford, N.S.
- Age: 16
- Position: Goaltender
- Height: 6’2”
- Weight: 152
- Team: Sydney Mitsubishi Rush (NSMMHL)
- QMJHL Draft: Selected by the Cape Breton Eagles in the 14th-round, No. 246 overall, in 2019
Last year, Cashen cracked the Cape Breton Unionized Tradesmen roster as a rookie, serving as the club’s backup to Leudy, who was drafted by the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles at the 2018 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft.
He appeared in 13 games for the Tradesmen, posting a 1-11 record along with a 4.85 goals-against-average and an .860 save percentage.
Cashen credits Leudy with helping him transition to the major midget league and for his continued development both on and off the ice.
“He was a good role model for me,” said Cashen. “I wanted to get drafted in the QMJHL and he was already a draft pick, so I saw what he did each day and I followed along, and it ended up paying off in the long run.”
Last June, the Cashen family attended the QMJHL Entry Draft in Quebec City where Jack was eventually drafted in the 14th-round, No. 246 overall, by Cape Breton.
“I didn’t really speak with many teams over the year, so after discussing it with my parents whether or not to go to the draft, we ended up going,” said Cashen.
“We decided to go because it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and if I didn’t get drafted, it was still going to be a good experience to see how things work.”
Cashen attended his first QMJHL training camp with the Eagles in August and impressed the Sydney-based team’s coaching staff.
He was one of the team’s last cuts and has been called up numerous times because of injuries to either Kevin Mandolese or William Grimard this season.
“Going into camp, I was really nervous but very confident in myself,” said Cashen. “I wanted to go there, prove myself, get the experience and see what could happen.”
After being cut by the Eagles, Cashen returned to the Rush for the 2019-20 season. He’s appeared in 19 games, posting a 4-13 record along with a 5.57 goals-against-average and a .850 save percentage.
Although not pleased with his statistics, Cashen believes he has something to prove for the remainder of the year and going into the next hockey season.
“My stats, I find, don’t really explain the goaltender I am,” said Cashen. “My stats aren’t the best, but I think I’m a better goaltender than what they show — I definitely think I’m not a 14th-round draft pick, I think I could be higher than that.”
The overall goal for Cashen is to make the Eagles roster next season, but for now, he’s focused on helping the Rush and leading them into the playoffs next month.
Cashen and the Rush (7-21-3-0) will return to the ice Friday when they host the Charlottetown Bulk Carrier Knights (6-16-3-0) in interlock action at 7 p.m. at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.
The Rush are eighth in the Nova Scotia league, while the Knights are sixth in the New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Major Midget Hockey League.
Sydney will also play the Weeks Major Midgets (17-8-5-0) of Pictou County on Saturday at 7 p.m. in New Glasgow, before returning home to play the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild (16-7-3-0) on Sunday at 4 p.m. in Membertou.
HOW THE TEAMS MATCH UP:
Sydney Mitsubishi Rush
- Record: 7-21-3-0 – 17 Points
- Standings: Eighth in the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League
- Goals For: 98
- Goals Against: 171
Charlottetown Bulk Carrier Knights
- Record: 7-16-3-0 – 17 Points
- Standings: Sixth in the New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island Major Midget Hockey League
- Goals For: 66
- Goals Against: 110
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