Story and photo courtesy of Prince Albert Raiders
On January 5th, Jackson Kostiuk scored a goal for the Steinbach Pistons of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League in what would be his final game with the Pistons in the 1,200 seat arena in Neepawa, Manitoba. Five days later, Kostiuk would make his WHL debut with the Prince Albert Raiders 1,117km west in the 18,347 seat Rogers Place in Edmonton.
Kostiuk was having a great season with the Pistons in the MJHL. At the time he left the team, he had 11G-23A-34P to sit second in team scoring only behind the league leading Connor Paronuzzi, his Pistons were alone at the top of the league and on a three game winning streak.
Raiders General Manager Curtis Hunt said that the success of the Pistons program was part of what got eyes on Kostiuk in the first place.
“Paul Dyck is their coach and he’s a tremendous coach. He’s got great experience, comes from pro hockey and he’s done a great job with their program. For us, and give this credit to our scouts, we listed Jackson before Christmas. We had an opportunity to see him play in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan game in preparation for the World Junior A Challenge which was held in Camrose, and Jackson was a big part of that team. As a matter of fact, he started probably deep in the lineup and he finished in their top group.”
The World Junior A Challenge consisted of four teams, one from Sweden, one from the U.S, and then two from Canada with Kostiuk playing for Team Canada West. In the bronze medal game against Team Canada East, Kostiuk put up two assists including a primary assist on the eventual game winner.
During that tournament, Hunt saw a player that puts maximum effort on the ice in whatever zone he is in.
“He seemed to be always in and around the play and I think a guy who can be a game changer. We think he can jump in the second or the third line in the middle. I think with the addition of Smith as well, we have a lot of centermen, which is really important I think. He’s a cerebral player, he’s got great tenacity. He plays fearless and he can get around the ice very, very well.”
For Kostiuk, playing for Team Canada West was an unforgettable experience.
“It was such a good experience playing Team Sweden, Team U.S.A. It might be the only time I get to where the Team Canada jersey, so I really enjoyed myself.”
When Kostiuk first joined the Raiders, they were in the middle of a roadswing through Alberta, so instead of being welcomed in a billet home he was instead welcomed to a hotel bed in Red Deer on a Raiders off day. The next night, he drove into Edmonton and made his Raiders debut in the biggest rink in the league.
“I was definitely a little nervous for that rookie lap and for the first game, but it’s been really good getting to know the systems.”
In his second game with the Raiders, Kostiuk earned his first point with the team as part of the Raiders 3-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels. He sent the puck back to the blueline for Daxon Rudolph, and that set up Justice Christensen for a one timer.
As there always is with players that come from Junior A into Major Junior, there’s a bit of a period where the player needs to adjust to the speed of the game and figure out how to make it in the WHL. Five games in, Kostiuk has found a regular role as the centreman of the Raiders checking line, and it fits in well with how he likes to play.
“I’m a player that likes to produce offensively, and I take a lot of pride in the defensive zone. I don’t like to get scored on, so I put a lot of effort in the D zone and I find when the boys put a lot of effort into the D zone, it just makes it a lot easier to get into the O zone and have some fun produce some offence.”
Now six games in, Kostiuk has not only been able to meet his billets and get acquainted with his new home, but he’s also become one of the hardest working Raiders and has adjusted quickly to the speed of the game in the WHL.
When he joined the Raiders, Kostiuk had already been teammates with Oli Chenier as part of the same rec hockey team in the summer, and he already knew Dimitri Fortin and Ethan Bibeau as well.
Kostiuk was originally drafted by the Saskatoon Blades 216th overall in the 10th round of the 2021 WHL Draft before he was released and signed in the MJHL.