By Nathan Kanter

Jensen fills whatever role is needed

Feb 28, 2017 | 4:00 PM

Conor Jensen played in just three of the North Stars first 15 games this season because of an injury.

It’s something that has unfortunately happened quite a bit over his hockey career, including a separated collarbone while playing high school hockey in his home state of Minnesota in Grade 11.

In early January, Jensen lost multiple teeth after taking a high stick to the mouth against Notre Dame, although that didn’t cause him to miss any time because, well, this is hockey after all.

“This year, having an infection and just being hurt, it’s hard watching but at the same time it’s great being back,” the Bloomington, Minn., native said after practice Tuesday. “[Missing the beginning of the year] was hard, definitely. It kind of put me two steps back from everyone else…Everyone is practicing every day and I’m sitting up in the stands around the bike.”

This is the Jensen’s second season with the North Stars. Last year, the defenceman had 13 assists in 45 games but no goals.

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Upon his return to the lineup this year in late October, Jensen set out to change that.

In his fourth game back from injury, he scored a goal, added an assist, and then, to cap things off, fought Yorkton’s Quinton Hobbs in the second period to complete the Gordie Howe hat-trick.

“It felt good to get the monkey off the back,” Jensen said of notching his first career SJHL goal. “I don’t even know what I was thinking after I scored. Just a level of excitement I’d never had before. But it was good. A memory I’ll remember for sure.”

“My first game [in North Battleford] was a rookie game…and I scored two goals that game and then didn’t score a goal the rest of the season,” he added with a laugh.

Two games after scoring against Yorkton, he scored against La Ronge. Three games after that, he scored his third of the season against Kindersley, to give him three goals and nine points in his first 12 games of the season.

The offensive output was tough to maintain, which is a good thing that Jensen’s game is not one-dimensional.

Throughout the season, North Stars head coach Nate Bedford has been able to slot Jensen into the lineup at both forward and defence. He played forward for two games last season under Kevin Hasselberg, but this year it has been many more than that, which he’s just fine with.

“I’ve always grown up playing ‘D’ but at the same time if [Bedford] needs me to play forward, I’ll play forward,” Jensen said. “It’s a little tricky. You’re used to skating backwards on one and then the other one you’re all forward. Forward is kind of nice because you can see the play and how it’s developing and you know as a defenceman, ‘Oh, he’s going to go there.’”

“[Jensen] is a true hockey player,” Bedford said when Jensen first returned to the lineup in October. “He does things in practice the right way and as a coach you feel more comfortable having guys like that on the ice… just because he leads by example and doesn’t take shortcuts and listens and does everything with a smile but does it with some intensity.”

Jensen just turned 20 last month and still has another year of junior eligibility.

He has already had some discussions with Div. III schools to perhaps play college hockey as early as next season, but nothing concrete has been decided on yet.

“I’m not really sure whether I go next year or I use my third year of eligibility and continue to play here next year,” he said. “It’s up in the air [right now and]…I’ll see how the rest of the season goes. The main focus for me right now is just a league championship. I’ve never really been able to go all the way and that’s really what my focus is right now.”

With Fransoo out of the lineup, Jensen played forward on Friday but ‘D’ on Saturday alongside veteran Zach Nedelec.

In practice on Tuesday he was paired with Connor Manegre, but he’s not sure that’s who he’ll be paired with on Friday and Saturday or even if he’ll play defence again.

“You just have to have an open mind and be ready to do whatever,” he said. “Everyone is easy to play with. We’re all tight and we all read each other.”

Nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

@NathanKanter11