Johnathan Kovacevic: Who Is He? Facts About Montreal Canadiens Defenseman
Johnathan Kovacevic credits his achievement to his parents, who instilled in him an optimistic attitude. Johnathan, a Montreal Canadiens defenceman, is the son of Montenegrin father Novica and Bosnian mother Angie.
Novica worked as a software engineer, while Angie worked as an IV nurse in a prestigious Ontario hospital. In addition, Kovacevic enrolled in civil engineering because he felt he needed to be prepared if hockey didn’t work out.
After speaking with Jets scout Max Giese in the middle of the 2016-17 season, he began to ponder a career in the NHL.
In the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, he was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round, 74th overall. After three seasons at Merrimack College, Kovacevic signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Jets on March 17, 2019.
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Johnathan Kovacevic Parents Novica And Angie Met In The Summer Of 1991
Johnathan Kovacevic, an ice hockey defenceman, was reared in Ontario, Canada by his parents, Novica and Angie. Meanwhile, they met for the first time in the summer of 1991, just a few months after Novica arrived to Canada.
Initially, a familiar acquaintance from Hamilton’s Serbian community attempted to set them up during a group picnic. When a scheduling conflict precluded that, their friend took a different approach: they invited Novica and Angie to dinner at their home. The bond was immediate, and the commitment followed fast.
To make matters worse, Novica arrived in Canada in May 1991 on a six-month visa, according to The Athletic. Novica’s plans to leave and return to Canada were considered, but they were eventually abandoned. They were married by the end of the year.
His mother, who had been married for 30 years, used her Hamilton education to become an IV nurse, mostly dealing with cancer patients at a leading cancer care institution.
Angie had planned to retire in January 2020, but she was recalled when COVID-19 put a strain on personnel resources.
Johnathan Kovacevic Mother Grew Up Without Electricity Or Running Water
Johnathan Kovacevic, 25, began his road to his first NFL game, which he played for the Jets, outside of a little town in Bosnia. Angie, his mother, was born there and raised without running water or electricity.
According to The Athletic, her family lived on a small subsistence farm, using a horse and cart for transportation, until she was eight years old and emigrated to Canada.
Besides, Angie’s parents believed that her and her two brothers’ life in Canada would be easier than they had been in Bosnia. When her family initially relocated to Hamilton, she worked as an IV nurse at a premier Ontario hospital; they didn’t speak English and didn’t have a college degree.
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His Father Novica Worked As A Software Engineer
Novica (No-VEET-sa), Jonathan Kovacevic’s father, was raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and attended a prominent technical school.
His father worked as a software programmer in Sarajevo during the 1980s, going to places like England and Japan for employment until Yugoslavia’s slow disintegration drove the country into numerous conflicts.
Fortunately, Novica made the correct decision to start a new life as war loomed in 1988 and 1989. He departed for Canada in May 1991. A few weeks later, war broke out in Slovenia, and it grew harrowingly worse in Croatia and Bosnia over the next few years.
According to The Athletic, Novica watched Muslims, Christians, and people of all ethnicities coexisting peacefully and working side by side in Sarajevo.
He would have loved to continue working and travelling in what had been an idyllic location throughout the 1980s if not for the Yugoslav Wars. Instead, he found himself in Hamilton in the summer of 1991, safe, sound, and about to fall hopelessly in love.
Johnathan Kovacevic Two Siblings: Ryan And Daniela
He was grew up with his two siblings, a brother named Ryan and a sister named Daniela.
In addition, his brother is an engineer, and his sister is an occupational therapist at the Waitemata District Health Board in New Zealand.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she earned a Master of Science in occupational therapy from McMaster University in 2019.
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CAREER STATS
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SEASON
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TEAM
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GP
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GLS
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AST
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PTS
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+/-
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HIT
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PPG
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PPA
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SHG
|
SHA
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2022-2023
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MON |
17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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2021-2022
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WPG |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playing Career
The Winnipeg Jets selected him in the third round, 74th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. On March 17, 2019, he signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Jets after spending three seasons with Merrimack College.
He made his professional debut with the Winnipeg Jets’ American Hockey League club, the Manitoba Moose, on April 19, 2019, and scored one goal and one assist against the Chicago Wolves.
On August 13, 2021, the Jets resigned him to a one-year, two-way contract for $750,000 in the NHL. He was recalled from the Moose for the next 2021-22 season and made his NHL debut with the Jets on January 28, 2022, against the Vancouver Canucks, ending with one shot on goal in 10:21 of ice time.
As a restricted free agent, he was re-signed to a three-year contract deal with the Jets on July 22, 2022.
Career
After three years as a member of the programme, he signed a professional contract with the Winnipeg Jets at the end of the 2018-19 season.
Former assistant captain who was one of the team’s most influential defenders throughout his three-year tenure.
In 101 games, he recorded 54 points on nine goals and 45 assists.
In addition, he had 166 shots and five power play goals.
Was a model student-athlete, winning back-to-back Hockey East All-Academic Team and Top Scholar-Athlete honours with a 4.0 GPA.
At the completion of the 2018-19 season, he was named CoSIDA Academic All-District.
The Winnipeg Jets selected him in the third round, 74th overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft, making him the program’s second-highest-drafted player ever.
2018-19
- CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree
- Served as assistant captain
- Saw action in 31 games as the team’s top defensemen and arguably its most valuable player while logging more minutes than any player on the team on a given night
- Led the team with 14 assists as part of an 18-point campaign that also featured four goals, a new career-high
- Set a new single-season high water mark with three power play goals
- Finished with 67 shots on target
- Tied his single-game scoring mark with a three-point/three-assist game against Lake Superior (10/6)
2017-18
- Dominant in the classroom for a second straight season, earning Hockey East All-Academic Team honors and a second straight Top Scholar-Athlete award for finishing with a 4.0 GPA
- Enjoyed a second straight productive season as one of Merrimack’s top defensemen, appearing in 34 games
- Nearly matched his rookie year scoring output with 17 points, scoring twice while dishing 15 assists
- Set a single-game high with three assists in a win over Bentley (11/10)
- Totaled a career-high 50 shots on goal while blocking 20 shots
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