Springfield, Illinois – As the calendar year 2020 continues to wind down, our efforts are increasingly being focused on building toward the future. Our coaches have continued to work off the ice and have been looking for the best pieces to bring together. With that in mind, we are excited to welcome back forward Carson Jones as a tender for the 2021-22 season!
Jones is no stranger to the Capital City as he spent the entire 2019-20 NAHL season on the Jr. Blues roster. The Eden Prairie, MN native appeared in 49 games, recording 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points. He finished ninth on the team in scoring and was second in rookie scoring (Longhi – 30).
“Carson is a very hard working player who competes day in and day out,” Head Coach Tyler Rennette said about Jones. “We are excited for him to return next year and can’t wait to see what he’s able to accomplish with two years of junior hockey experience under his belt.”
With the Jr. Blues voluntarily sitting out this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones was selected by the Kenai River Brown Bears in the dispersal draft before making his way to the North Iowa Bulls in the NA3HL, a team that had tendered Jones once already in the past.
“When we found out Springfield was going to go dark this year, we immediately thought of Carson Jones, if he didn’t find a North American Hockey League team,” said North Iowa head coach Todd Sanden. “Being a tender of ours in the past, he’s a guy that we have a lot of interest in, and with this year being what it is, there are a lot of really good hockey players who are struggling to find a home. We are so excited and blessed that he decided to come here and jump on board with us.”
Since joining the Bulls in early November, Jones has appeared in five games and has scored in four of them. Two of those games, including the Bulls most recent game agains the New Ulm Steel, Jones has recorded multiple points. He has a total of seven points – four goals, three assists – and has plenty of season left to add to those totals.
“We’re not at all surprised that Coach Rennette tendered him for the following year, based on his leadership capabilities, his effort, and his compete level,” said Sanden. “He’s one of our highest compete-level guys every night.”
Jones is the eighth player to sign a tender for the 2021-22 season, joining a growing group that was announced over the last month. This list includes: Caden Eaton (Fox Motors 18U AAA), Jared Kaplowitz (Nashville Jr. Predators 18U AAA), Carter Schram (Meijer AAA 18U), Mac Gadowsky (Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U), Nick Sewecke (Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 18U), Matthew Smith (CarShield AAA 18U), and Coby Weber (CarShield AAA 18U).
A tender is a contract, of sorts, a player signs announcing his intentions to play for that particular NAHL team and that NAHL team only. Once a player signs a tender with an NAHL team, his playing rights belong to that team within the NAHL and he may not be recruited by any other NAHL team.Tendered players are not eligible for the NAHL draft, which is held each year in the summer.
