Player Spotlight: Peyton Jones
He’s a college sophomore pursuing business. He’s a former standout of the United States Hockey League. He is currently one of the best young goalies in the country. But to his friends, his family and his teammates, he’s just Peyton.
Peyton Jones, 21, may be young, but Hockey has been something he has been doing his whole life. Raised in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Peyton’s parents Regina and Thomas decided to start him in Hockey from the early age of five years old. From that point on, it was obvious this was something he was meant to do and as of now it has been hard to argue with his success.
Upon graduation of high school, Jones went to the United States Hockey League, where he would play in 63 games for the Lincoln Stars. There he managed to secure a 25-25-7 overall record, 5 shutouts, an incredible .920 save percentage and a playoff run for the Stars during the 2015-2016 season.
After his incredible season in the USHL, Jones formally committed to play college Hockey at Penn State University under coach Gadowsky. During his freshman year, Peyton started 36 games for the Nittany Lions and set the Penn State Men’s Hockey single-season record for wins with a 23-10-2 record. His first collegiate win came on opening night when he recorded 28 saves during a 4-2 win over St. Lawrence who were ranked No.16 at the time. He also had a huge night on Oct. 14, 2016 when he finished his first career shutout with a 7-0 win over Mercyhurst. After the game, he was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week.
He ended the season with a respectable .904 save percentage and multiple honors including being named to the all-freshman team, an All-Big Ten honorable mention and being named the most outstanding player in the Big Ten Tournament after saving 118 out of 123 shots. Jones would end up leading the Nittany Lions to their first ever tournament championship that year. Through all the success during his freshman year, Jones would cap it all off by being named as one of twenty nominees for the prestigious Mike Richter watch list for standout goalies.
However, if you think Peyton’s athletic success is a coincidence, think again. Jones comes from an entire family of athletes. Younger brothers Nolan and Andrew, as well as sister Liana, are all superb athletes. In fact, Nolan was the 55th overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft, where he was selected by the Cleveland Indians.
While he may still may be young, Peyton Jones in just a few short years has already proven himself to be one of the best goalies in all of college, the country and the entire world. His accomplishment and statistics speak for themselves and this star athlete looks to continue his dominance of the sport for years to come.
No matter where his career takes him, one thing is for sure: Peyton Jones will find a way to do what he does best. Sit in the net, make incredible plays and help lead Penn State, or whichever team he is on, to victory.
Jason Marcus is a junior telecommunications major. To contact him, email jasmarcus320@gmail.com.
