Jake Neighbours

Did You Know?

• Neighbours cites the wide age gap between his half and step-siblings as a reason for his maturity.
• He was named captain of Canada White for the 2018 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
• He helped Canada win a silver medal at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Playing career

Neighbours began his youth hockey in Alberta with the Calgary Midget AAA Buffaloes and the Airdrie Xtreme before moving to the Kelowna Pursuit of Excellence Bantam Prep team. He was selected fourth overall in the 2017 Western Hockey League bantam draft by the Edmonton Oil Kings. In his draft-eligible year, he recorded 68 points in 30 regular-season games and 11 points in the playoffs. Neighbours joined the Oil Kings for the 2018–19 season, posting 24 points in 47 regular-season games and earning two WHL Rookie of the Month awards. He was the team's only rookie to score during the playoffs. After returning from a loss with Canada White, he suffered an upper-body injury in a fight against a Red Deer Rebels player, missing 12 games. Upon returning in February, he received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct, followed by a four-game suspension. In his sophomore season, he averaged over a point per game with 70 points in 64 regular-season games before the WHL season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was invited to the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and was ranked 30th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Draft Rankings. He also received the team's Most Improved Player Award and Scholastic Award. Leading up to the 2020 NHL entry draft, his ranking improved to 26th among North American skaters, and he was drafted 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues. He signed a three-year entry-level contract on October 17, 2020, attended Blues training camp, and was reassigned to the AHL affiliate Utica Comets to begin the season.