Jacob Herauf is a one of a kind personality among the Red Deer Rebels.
Boldness and exuberance are not usually the buzzwords that come to mind for a steady WHL defender, but Herauf embodies each with a measured assurance.
In his third season with the Rebels, Herauf finds himself playing significant minutes alongside Alex Alexeyev, often matched up against the other teams’ top players. After a full WHL season on the blueline last year, this year his confidence seems to be at an all-time high early on in this campaign.
“Obviously you want to develop and with it being my third year, I’m 18 years old, I expect a lot out of myself and I know the coaches and my teammates do,” he said.
“I feel like I have developed and I still have a lot more to do. That’s what the other two years are for.”
Another source of confidence for the blueliner was an invite to the Pittsburgh Penguins rookie camp. Although Herauf was NHL draft eligible and not selected, at camp he took away how much there is still to learn about playing at the next level.
“We had a few practices and games and they harped so much on details. Everything there is a pro-mentality,” he said.
“I guess I have brought that here with me… I guess what I took out of it is how hard they work each and every day and how professional they act.”
Herauf was originally drafted by the Rebels 16th overall in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. He made the jump to the WHL full-time in late 2016-17 when he played 37 games. Last year he played 70 of 72 games as a steady blueliner.
Now, not only has he provided a counter-balance to the offensive catalyst in Alexeyev this year, but Herauf has also contributed on the scoresheet.
Through 13 games he has six points, on pace to easily eclipse his total of 18 from last season. He also registered a pair of assists in two of the last three games he played, most of which he deferred to his defence partner.
“I like playing with Alex and having that responsibility. I try not to think about it too much,” he said.
“I can give (Alexeyev) the puck and I know it’s going to end up in a nice play. The other night, I gave him the puck, don’t have to do much and he put it in the back of the net. He went first round for a reason and he’s going to play professional hockey next year.”
Off the ice, Herauf isn’t afraid to share that bold personality either.
He proclaims excellence at the popular video game Fortnite, only a few pegs down from Brandon Hagel. He without a doubt believes his Halloween costume will be the best this year among his teammates. While he wanted to keep that secret, in the past, his best was a good run of Hanson Brothers fame.
“I already have a costume picked out, but I don’t want to blow it,” Herauf said.
“I went as the Hanson Brothers for about three years in a row. That was pretty good. Had the glasses and everything.”
Herauf said this season there was a strong belief in the dressing room that the Rebels would have success. His own game has helped that, along with the leaders having confidence that this was a strong team, and they’ve proved it so far.
“I knew coming into camp we were going to have a strong team. I knew we would have a young team,” he said.
“Everyone on our team is capable of playing in this league and our good players. I’m not surprised how we are doing and I think we can do better.”
Red Deer will take on the Saskatoon Blades on Friday night at the Centrium. They will hit the road for their next five games at the Canadian Finals Rodeo rolls into town on Oct. 30 and then Agri-Trade takes over the Centrium from Nov. 7-9.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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