Jānis Jaks
{{Short description|Latvian ice hockey player (born 1995)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image_size = 230px
| alt =
| name = Jānis Jaks
| image = Latvijas hokeja izlases sveikšana - Jānis Jaks.jpg
| caption = Jānis Jaks, 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1995|8|22}}
| birth_place = Riga, Latvia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lbs = 190
| position = Defense
| shoots = Right
| league =
| team = Free Agent
| former_teams = Dinamo Riga
Bakersfield Condors
HC Sochi
| ntl_team = Latvia
| draft = Undrafted
| career_start = 2014
| career_end =
}}
Jānis Jaks (born 22 August 1995) is a Latvian professional ice hockey defenceman currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Sochi of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Playing career
=Collegiate=
Jaks joined the Yellow Jackets for the 2016–17 campaign and quickly became a mainstay of their blue line, scoring five goals and six assists for 11 points as a freshman, including two game-winning goals.{{Cite web|url=http://aicyellowjackets.com/cumestats.aspx?path=mhockey&year=2016|title=American International College Yellow Jackets – 2016–2017 Men's Ice Hockey Cumulative Statistics|website=aicyellowjackets.com|language=en|access-date=2017-11-29|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030953/http://aicyellowjackets.com/cumestats.aspx?path=mhockey&year=2016|url-status=dead}}
=Professional=
On 30 March 2020, Jaks was signed to a one-year contract with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL for the 2020–21 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.bakersfieldcondors.com/news/christensen-and-jaks-signed/|title=CHRISTENSEN AND JAKS SIGN AHL DEALS|date=March 30, 2020|accessdate=May 1, 2020}} With the commencement of the 2020–21 North American season delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jaks was signed to a try-out contract with Latvian-based KHL club, Dinamo Riga, on 23 August 2020.{{cite web | url = https://www.dinamoriga.lv/en/club-news/dinamo-riga-has-signed-a-probation-contract-defenceman-janis-jaks | title = Dinamo Riga sign probation contract with Janis Jaks | publisher = Dinamo Riga | language = Latvian | date = 23 August 2020 | accessdate = 23 August 2020 | archive-date = 24 January 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220124175932/https://www.dinamoriga.lv/en/club-news/dinamo-riga-has-signed-a-probation-contract-defenceman-janis-jaks | url-status = dead }} Jaks appeared in 17 contests with Dinamo, collecting 1 goal and 4 points before returning to the AHL and the Condors. In completing his first professional season, Jaks contributed with two goals and 6 points from the blueline with the Condors.
Jaks left North America as a free agent and signed a one-year contract to return to the KHL with Russian-based club HC Sochi on 19 July 2021.{{cite web | url = https://www.hcsochi.ru/article.asp?id=%E2%80%8BUsilenie-v-linii-oborony-10659 | title = Strengthening of the defense | publisher = HC Sochi | date = 19 July 2021 | accessdate = 19 July 2021 | language = Russian | archive-date = 19 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210719184741/https://www.hcsochi.ru/article.asp?id=%E2%80%8BUsilenie-v-linii-oborony-10659 | url-status = dead }}
International play
{{MedalTableTop|name=}}
{{MedalCountry|{{ih|LAT}}}}
{{MedalSport|Ice hockey}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2023 Finland/Latvia|}}
{{MedalBottom}}
Jaks played for Latvia's junior team at the 2013 and 2014 World Junior Championships. He played his first game at the senior international level in the 2014 World Championships for Latvia's national team against Russia's national team.{{cite web|url=http://www.iihfworlds2014.com/en/news/roster-forming/|title=Roster forming – 2014 WM – International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF|publisher=iihfworlds2014.com|accessdate=2014-05-09}}{{cite web|url=https://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/387/IHM387B37_74_3_0.pdf|title=GAME SUMMARY|author=IIHF|date=2014-05-17|access-date=2014-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072826/https://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/387/IHM387B37_74_3_0.pdf|archive-date=5 February 2018|work=IIHF|url-status=live}}
He represented Latvia at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded two goals and five assists and won a bronze medal, Latvia's first ever IIHF World Championship medal.{{cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2023/wm/news/45379/usa-lat |title=Latvia wins historic bronze in OT |date=28 May 2023 |work=IIHF |access-date=28 May 2023}}
Career statistics
= Regular season and playoffs =
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM | ||||||||
| 2012–13
| HK Riga | MHL | 30 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 20
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2013–14 | HK Riga | MHL | 38 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 2014–15
| Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees | NAHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014–15 | NAHL | 41 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 63
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2015–16
| Minnesota Wilderness | NAHL | 56 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 80
| 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2016–17 | AHC | 27 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2017–18
| American International | AHC | 37 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 20
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018–19 | American International | AHC | 38 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 12
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20
| American International | AHC | 33 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2020–21 | KHL | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21
| HK Zemgale | LHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2020–21 | AHL | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 21
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22
| HC Sochi | KHL | 41 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 22
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" |KHL totals ! 58 !! 7 !! 15 !! 22 !! 34 ! — !! — !! — !! — !! — |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM | ||||
| 2013
| Latvia | U18 | 10th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2014 | Latvia | WJC-D1 | 12th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2014
| Latvia | WC | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2015 | Latvia | WJC-D1 | 13th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 2017
| Latvia | WC | 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2019 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021
| Latvia | WC | 11th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021 | Latvia | OGQ | Q | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2022
| Latvia | OG | 11th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2022 | Latvia | WC | 10th | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||
| 2023
| Latvia | WC | {{bronze3}} | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" |Junior totals ! 15 !! 4 !! 4 !! 8 !! 20 | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="4" |Senior totals ! 40 !! 6 !! 8 !! 14 !! 16 |
Awards and honors
| class="wikitable"
! Award ! Year ! |
| All-Atlantic Hockey Third Team
| 2017–18 |
| Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament Team
| 2019 |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Ice hockey stats}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- {{Olympics.com|janis-jaks}}
- {{LOK profile|699}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaks, Janis}}
Category:American International Yellow Jackets men's ice hockey players
Category:Bakersfield Condors players
Category:Latvian ice hockey defencemen
Category:21st-century Latvian sportsmen
Category:Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Latvia
Category:Ice hockey people from Riga
{{Latvia-icehockey-bio-stub}}