| Jack Sparkes | St. Michael’s Buzzers | OJHL | R | D | 6’8″ | 229 | Michigan State | 2022 | Toronto, ON | 2003 | 2021-2022: C+ |
OJHL: Toronto Jr. Canadiens vs St. Michael’s Buzzers, February 20, 2022: This was a game to forget for the entire Buzzer’s squad as they lost 9-0, but we did like the fire Sparkes showed when he started a fight with 12 minutes left in the third period. Honestly it was just one of those games, but we did think he was moving more smoothly than we had seen a few weeks ago versus the Wellington Dukes.
OJHL: Wellington Dukes vs St. Michael’s Buzzers, February 4, 2022: This was St. Mike’s first game after a 43 day break and as such he looked a little tentative defensively and conversely over he tended to over complicate things offensively. An example, early in the first he attempted to use the back of the net for a self reverse that led to a turnover, defensive zone time and a scoring opportunity for the Dukes. We feel as the game went on Sparkes settled in and as expected it looked like the game slowed down for him. On the power play he lined up on the left flank where his one-timer was able to be utilized and resulted in a rocket of a goal. Sparkes is a true NHL prospect.
OJHL: The OJHL Showcase, December 1, 2021: Sparkes plays in all situations for his team. A giant of a player, listed at 6’7” and 230 pounds. His mobility is very good. Jack’s use of all four edges allows his big body, and long reach to become very effective in managing gap situations, pivoting to retrieve pucks or defending attacks. He used his body and stick position regularly to angle and create puck separation along boards or low in the defensive zone. While use of body is effective, Sparkes is not physically punishing, rather, contains opponents in a manner that minimizes any threat. He is a smart player, making good decisions with and without the puck. Sparkes distributed the puck in a simple, yet effective manner, during his power play time. His speed is adequate and he is willing to advance the puck by carrying it into open ice when available. Lower half strength increase will help contribute to his skating development. It is hard to imagine that this player has reached his ceiling. Four years at a good college program at Michigan State will help put him in a position to play professionally. Sparkes has improved significantly since our viewings in his U16 season. He might be the most improved player we have seen since U16 in the last few seasons. Grade: A
OJHL: St. Michael’s Buzzers vs Wellington Dukes, November 11, 2021: The first thing you notice about Jack Sparkes is his enormous size. The second thing is his high level of coordination and athleticism. Even though he’s 6’8″ Sparkes has a nice skating base with a deep knee and flexibility for a powerful cross-under. Defensively he played with an active stick, but still showed the awareness to keep his poke check hidden until he needed to block a shot or defend in a 1 on 1 situation. Although he will need to become more detailed, we think he has a chance to be a force at killing penalties in professional hockey. In this game we liked his quickness and inside edge explosiveness after recognizing Duke’s players who had bobbled the puck or turned their pack to the play. Although he did not see a ton of power play time Sparkes earned a secondary power play assist. What we loved about the assist was the fluidity he showed as he sprinted to keep a puck in at the blueline, the hard stop he made without getting off balance and the puck poise he showed to make a hard flat pass across the blueline with a Duke’s penalty killer in his face. It seems like every time we see him play he improves.
OJHL: St. Michael’s Buzzers vs Toronto Jr. Canadiens, October 15, 2021: Sparkes is a 6’8″ mountain of a young man with incredibly good feet. When not under pressure he moves well laterally and does not need to cross over while pivoting, but we do see cross-overs when under pressure. He retrieved dump-ins with his head on swivel locating the layers of forecheckers. We liked that he did not crowd his goaltender when he came out to play the puck, instead falling off to the corner for easier transition. Sparkes played the top of the umbrella on the power play where his touches were smooth. He showed the ability to work give and goes along the offensive blueline and his snap shots created rebounds. Defensively there were times when he defended with his stick parallel to the ice, but when he needed to take away passing / shooting lanes his stick positioning was sound. As a penalty killer he maintained shooting lanes and showed nice acceleration when the Jr. Canadiens rolled into an umbrella and he was forced to move from the crease to face-off dot to take away time and space. There is a lot to like about this young right shot defenseman.
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