Graduation: Jake Sloan

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WHL Tri-City Americans

Graduation: Jake Sloan

May 15, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Jake Sloan's introduction to hockey came later than most. Born in Scotland, Sloan lived there for the first few years of his life before his family relocated to Canada.

"We moved to Canada in 2008," he said. "I remember Scotland a little bit because we still go back to visit family. We used to live beside the ocean, so I remember walking on the beach as a kid."

Sloan's father is a heavy-haul truck driver, and he said their family moved to Canada for better work opportunities for him.

Upon arriving in Canada, Sloan's parents wanted to put him and his brother into a sport, and they thought hockey would be the wise choice considering its popularity in the country. They did so, despite knowing essentially nothing about the game.

"My parents had no clue about any hockey legends growing up," he said. "I had no idea what was going to happen in hockey. I remember the first few times I went out skating I'd always fall on my butt. I'd start to cry and told my parents I didn't want to skate anymore, but they kept pushing me and eventually I started to enjoy it."

Sloan said once he learned how to skate comfortably, his love for the game grew exponentially.

The friendships he made through his minor hockey days are ones that still stick with him today, and growing up with the same group of players in Leduc is something he says he felt lucky to experience.

"I was always with the same group of guys," he said. "From when I was about seven until 14 years old, I was playing with a lot of the same guys. We were a pretty good group because of all the chemistry we had built over those years."

Toward the end of those years Sloan was already standing at 6-foot-3, giving him a major advantage over a lot of the players in his age group.

The growth spurt didn't happen all at once, however.

"It was pretty easy for me because even when I was around 10 years old, I was already nearly six feet tall," he said. "All my friends were like five-foot-two. It came gradually and not all at once, so it was a little easier to maintain my coordination."

Even as his WHL Draft year was approaching, Sloan didn't know a lot about the league.

In his first year of U15 in Leduc he scored 29 points (12-17-29) and it was then that he started to learn more about the draft.

"That year guys were talking about the draft and who they thought should get drafted," he recalled. "I asked them 'what's the WHL? What kind of draft is this?'. That's when I started looking up all these teams and places and started to learn more about the league."

In Sloan's second year with the U15 Leduc Oil Kings his production exploded to 74 points (40-34-74), resulting in him being named the league's MVP.

He says his work over the previous summer helped him take that step forward.

"I think that summer I was a lot more dedicated and motivated to put the work in," he said. "My coaches kept pushing me to get better along with my teammates. At that point I knew I loved hockey, and I wanted to be good at it, so I knew I had to do what I could to be the best that I could."

On draft day Sloan was travelling to New York for one final spring hockey tournament and couldn't keep up with the draft as it was happening.

The day before that he received a call that tipped him off on where he may end up.

"Tri-City reached out to me the day before the draft and as soon as we got off that call, we searched up where Tri-City was," he said. "We had no clue where it was. Next thing I knew I was drafted by Tri-City."

After arriving in New York, he pulled out his phone and saw that he had been drafted 55th overall by the Americans in the 2019 WHL Draft.

The distance from Leduc to Tri-City wasn't an issue for the Sloan family as he signed with the team in June of that summer.

"Whichever team that drafted me, I was pretty set to go there," he said. "I'm happy I ended up getting drafted by Tri-City because it turned into five incredible years there."

With him already having WHL size ahead of his first training camp, Sloan had a slight advantage compared to a lot of players who hit the ice against WHL competition for the first time.

There were other aspects of the game that opened his eyes when he attended his first Americans training camp in 2019.

"It was a lot faster than I was expecting," he said. "I remember being out there and seeing the 20-year-olds looking like they weren't even trying, and I was barely able to keep up with them."

With one training camp and two preseason games under his belt, Sloan returned to Leduc to make the jump to the U18 level with his hometown Oil Kings.

In February of that 2019-20 season, Sloan would make his WHL debut on the road in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He said he received some notice that he would be joining the team.

"I was told about a week before the game that they wanted me to meet them in Swift Current," he said. "When I got that call, I was really excited to meet the team and get into a game. I was very nervous ahead of that game. I knew about the solo lap before the first game, and I really didn't want to fall when I got out there. Once the game started, I think it only took me a few shifts to start feeling comfortable."

Sloan's WHL debut would be a successful one as he picked up an assist in a 5-1 Americans win over the Broncos.

His first career point came on a goal by Sasha Mutala, putting the game out of reach in the third period.

"That was a special moment for me and my parents," he said. "I went to the corner and gave Sasha a pass from the corner to the slot. I was glad he buried it and helped make my first game special."

The 2019-20 season ended up being cancelled due to the pandemic, but Sloan was able to stay in game shape over the next year thanks to a gym in his basement.

Eventually the WHL was able to plan out a shortened season beginning in March and Americans players returned to Tri-City.

"It was great to hear that our season could go ahead with limited games," Sloan said. "Especially since we were lucky enough to have some fans in the building, instead of playing in a completely empty rink."

Wasting no time, Sloan recorded his first career WHL goal in the first game of that season against the Portland Winterhawks.

It's a goal he can still picture clear as day.

"It was a special moment, I was happy I was able to get a quick one," he said. "I remember Rhett (Melnyk) sending it up the wall to (Tyson) Greenway and I was rushing to the backdoor. He sent the pass to me, and I was lucky enough to just tap it in. Even having the little number of fans that we did, it was great to celebrate that moment."

In 18 games that season Sloan recorded four goals and five assists, giving him a small sample of what it would take to play in the WHL.

Returning to Tri-City in the fall of 2021, Sloan was excited for a more normal WHL experience, along with a full schedule.

"That season was so much better," he said. "It was great being able to go up to British Columbia and play against those teams. I was happy to play more games and get more comfortable in the league as well."

Sloan skated in 57 games in the 2021-22 season posting 33 points (17-16-33).

With fewer restrictions in place that year, Sloan was able to enjoy life outside of the Toyota Center.

"I knew lots of guys liked to golf and I liked to golf as well," he said. "The weather in Tri-City is so nice all the time, so we could go golf almost whenever we wanted. We have our usual spots for lunch and post-practice food like Chipotle or Graze, and it was great just to be able to go there with your teammates and spend time together."

While Sloan enjoyed the personal success of a fine year, the Americans as a team stumbled to a 19-43-6-0 record in 2021-22.

"It's never easy when you're not winning," Sloan said. "When you are losing you just have to try your best to keep your head up. Our leadership group, they kept us going. They never let us give up."

Determined not to repeat that season, the Americans made some trades to bolster their lineup ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Those, combined with a number of players taking big steps forward, helped the Americans return to the WHL playoffs in 2023.

"Guys were coming to the rink with a much more positive mindset that year," he said. "Everyone had smiles on their faces. Getting to the playoffs was awesome. The atmosphere of the crowd was that much higher."

Sloan played a big role in the Americans resurgence that season, posting 55 points (20-35-55) in 58 games. As he got older and more experienced, his comfort level helped him make more of an impact on the ice.

"When that happens, your motivation gets up there," he said. "You're feeling good, you have confidence to do more and are trying to push yourself more. As you're having a good season you feel like you can do a little bit more to try and improve yourself."

Sloan's year-over-year improvement didn't go unnoticed as he was invited to participate in Edmonton Oilers rookie camp in Penticton, British Columbia ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Living close to Edmonton, it was something he had only dreamed of.

"I had buddies of mine texting me saying 'No way you're going to Edmonton, I'm so proud of you,'" he said. "Going there, seeing the facilities, I met some of the NHL guys who play there, it was an amazing experience."

The Young Stars Tournament in Penticton featured the Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets, allowing players to throw on full NHL gear as they play against each other.

As if it wasn't memorable enough, Sloan made the experience count as he scored two goals in his first game at the three-game event, helping the Oilers defeat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1.

"I couldn't have asked for a better experience than that," he said. "Being able to throw that jersey on and go out there and score two goals, I just felt amazing after that. My confidence was sky-high after that game."

Sloan parlayed that confidence into a career year with the Americans in 2023-24, once again setting a new career high in points with 70 (31-39-70).

He says the Oilers experience directly correlated with his production that year.

"I believe after that Edmonton experience, I had so much confidence in myself, and I knew how much better I could be," he said. "Going into that season I knew I just had to keep playing that way, keep playing my style, and prove to everyone that I'm a good hockey player."

Sloan's impact on the team, both on and off the ice, played a major factor in him being named captain ahead of the 2024-25 season.

It was something that caught him off guard.

"I was driving on my way to work, and I got call from (Americans general manager) Bob," he recalled. "I was a little worried, wondering what he would be calling about, but then he gave me the good news and I was happy to hear that. It's a huge honor and I was looking forward to going into the season as the leader of the team."

Heading into his fifth season with Tri-City, Sloan played under three previous captains and says he tried to take the things he learned from Alex Serraglio, Marc Lajoie and Luke Zazula into his captaincy.

"Those guys before me were great leaders," he said. "They always wanted the best out of their teammates. I knew going into this season I wanted guys to try their hardest, never give up and always try to be better than one another."

Before the 2024-25 season began, Sloan once again was able to pull an NHL sweater over his head, this time with the Boston Bruins as he took part in their rookie camp in September.

"I've never really been to the Eastern United States," he said. "It was great to meet some new guys and even see a familiar face in Adam Mechura."

Mechura played one full season with the Americans in 2022-23 scoring 52 points (26-26-52). He spent the 2023-24 season in the Bruins system before returning to Czechia this past year.

Sloan knew the Americans meant business in the 2024-25 season, especially coming off another disappointing finish the year before by missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.

"I knew coming into the season we made the big trade for Goldsmith and Martin," he said. "We were building a team to get to the playoffs. We were a big team, and we wanted to play with a lot of physicality to show other teams that we weren't going to be taken lightly."

After a 1-3-1 start, Tri-City rattled off 12 consecutive wins, winning games in every fashion you could imagine.

Sloan says it's something he had never experienced before.

"I don't think I've ever been on a team that's won 12 in a row before," he said. "Everyone was showing up to the rink happy, having a great time. We had our stress at times, but we knew if we just stuck together, we could handle anything that was thrown our way. We knew we were a great team. Whenever we got down, we just raised each other up and had each other's backs."

As the Americans were making their way to the East Division in November, it was announced that Sloan had committed to play at Bowling Green University in the fall of 2025.

The NCAA rule change allowed CHL players to now play at the NCAA level, something Sloan was thrilled to be able to take advantage of.

"It didn't take too long for Bowling Green to reach out to me after that rule changed," he said. "It was pretty exciting to have all these school reaching out. I knew they're a great team with great facilities. I know their coach from when he was in Everett, and I know he's a great coach who pushes his players to be better."

Bowling Green is coached by Dennis Williams, who was the head coach in Everett from 2017-2024.

While Tri-City went through ups and downs for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, one of the toughest moments for Sloan was when his roommate Jordan Gavin was traded to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Sloan and Gavin had billeted together ever since Gavin joined the team for the 2022-23 season, and Sloan said it was a hard pill to swallow when he received the news.

"I was in the gym and Stu came in and told the few guys who were there what happened," he said. "It wasn't very easy news to take, with him being my roommate and linemate for a few years. We went out to dinner that night with our billet family. Our relationship built up pretty quickly. Off the ice I drove him everywhere and I'd always let him play the music while I drove. I think we had a great bond with each other over the years."

The Americans traded Jordan Gavin and Merrek Arpin to the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for Charlie Elick and a 2026 third-round pick.

Just like every season prior, Sloan set a new career high in points with 73 (29-44-73) in 2024-25, but says he felt like he got off to a slower start than he wanted to.

"I think the start of my year was a little slower than I anticipated," he said. "Going into the second half I felt it was time to start doing a little extra around the rink."

Sloan scored 29 points (10-19-29) in 27 games over the first half, before recording 44 points (19-25-44) in 35 games over the second half.

Late in the season Sloan hit a milestone goal, scoring his 100th career goal as a member of the Tri-City Americans. It's an achievement done by only 16 other players in franchise history.

"It was a really special moment," he said. "As I started getting closer my parents were really pushing me to get there. Going into the game I tried to convince myself it was just another game, and thankfully I scored 30 seconds into the game. I was relieved, and it was a great milestone to hit with the help of all my teammates. It's a huge honor to be up there with all the great players who have played for the Americans before me."

Sloan was the first Tri-City American to score 100 career goals since Jordan Topping in 2018.

As the Americans clinched their spot in the 2025 WHL playoffs and looked ahead to their matchup with Victoria, Sloan knew the Americans had their hands full with a great Royals team.

"Going into that series we believed that we were able to compete with them," he said. "In the games you could see that they were really dedicated to blocking a ton of our shots, which gave us a tough time. I think we never had any quit in us. We tried our best and never lost any hope."

After the season came to an end in the Game Five loss, Sloan soaked in the atmosphere at the Toyota Center one final time with all his teammates.

"It was definitely a sad time, but also a special moment," he said. "Hearing my name called and hearing the fans cheer for us. It was very emotional knowing it was my last time on the ice in Tri-City."

Even after the team went into the locker room and the fans had left the building, Sloan returned to the Americans bench, in full gear, to have a moment to himself.

"I just wanted to see the ice surface one last time before leaving," he said. "I never thought five years could fly by that fast. I wanted to take one last glance at the rink before I let it go."

While teammates come and go over the course of a five-year career, one constant in Sloan's time with the Americans was his billet family, the Wilson's.

"They're a great family," he said. "I've grown up with their kids and grandkids. I still have a close relationship with all of them. We always had game nights, playing darts and just enjoying our time together. I had a great five years with them, and I couldn't have asked for better billets."

As Sloan prepares to move to the next stage of his life, and hockey career, his time as an American is something he will never forget.

"I can't thank the fans enough for the support they showed over the last five years," he said. "You guys made it a very special career for me. I loved hearing the cowbells every single night."

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