When looking at statistics for ECHL rookies, you don’t have to look very far to find Jake Jaremko’s name.

The first-year pro is tied for fourth among freshmen with 29 points this season for the Florida Everblades, potting nine goals and 20 assists in his first 37 pro games while seamlessly sliding right into a powerhouse franchise.

“It’s been going well, it’s been a lot of fun,” Jaremko told FloHockey via cell phone.

“I’m really enjoying the time down here in Florida—really good teammates and overall, it’s just been going really well and I’m really enjoying it.” 

The 25-year-old centerman was a highly coveted commodity on the free agent market following a four-year run at Minnesota State University-Mankato, putting up 90 career points in 129 NCAA games and establishing himself as a consistent scorer at the college level.  

After stints in rookie camp with the NHL’s Nashville Predators and training camp with the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, he was offered a contract with the Everblades by head coach Brad Ralph, who was up at the latter camp.

It was a deal that Jaremko says he couldn’t turn down given all of Florida’s success and how highly regarded they are as an organization. However, with little to his name in pro hockey other than some impressive showings in training camp, transitioning to the next level was going to be a challenging adjustment, but one that he says he was eager to make.

“College helped me prepare a lot for that—Mankato is a very good school, and practicing against the guys I did there every single day helped me,” he said.

“I really just tried to come here and wanted to work hard and play my game. Coach has been putting me in good opportunities to succeed, and the team that we have around here makes it really easy as well, because we’ve got some really good guys. They showed me the ropes, and I’ve just tried to pick up on some things from the older guys. They’ve done a good job of helping me out and giving me small little details, like working on faceoffs or defensive zone stuff. It’s all credit to those guys and Mankato for helping me prepare for pro hockey.”

Jaremko also credits Ralph for helping him improve in the defensive zone to become more of a true 200-foot player. He says he’s relied heavily on a lot of the veteran core group of forwards, like John McCarron, Blake Winiecki and Nathan Perkovich to help in making that transition a smoother one.

So far, so good for the six-foot, 190-pounder. Jaremko is hopeful that he can once again find a way to make his success translate to the next level, if the AHL should come calling—a moment that’s more “when” than “if” given his current production pace.

“Obviously, you want to keep moving up, but I’m just going to continue to keep playing my game,” he said. “If you do that, things tend to work out. I’ve got to just keep working hard, keep doing the things I’ve been doing, and if something happens, it happens.”