Five years have passed since David Jones was drafted.
Not many people know it.
Taken by the Colorado Avalanche in the ninth round, 288th overall, near the end of the 2003 entry draft, there was a good chance he'd never see ice time in the NHL.
Instead, since joining the Avs as a call-up earlier this season, he's been watching his minutes climb. Sometimes, he's even found himself out there alongside Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic.
"It's really given me a lot of confidence playing with those guys," said Jones yesterday before a game against the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center.
"When you look on paper and you see Forsberg and Sakic, two of the best players of all time, it's pretty overwhelming."
It was a new level of pressure for the former valedictorian of North Vancouver's Seycove Secondary school.
"Those guys make anyone around them look real good just because they're such good players," said Jones. "It is a lot of pressure, but once you're in the game, you kind of just forget about it."
Letting his instincts and 6-ft.-2, 220-lb. frame take over, the 23-year-old has been showing some serious signs of potential. In a game against the Flames last week, he was easily the team's best forward. Stymied by Miikka Kiprusoff on a couple of occasions, his play had people wondering aloud, 'Who is this kid?'
"He's a big kid. Got good speed, good quickness, good hockey sense. He's got a real nice shot," said Avs head coach Joel Quenneville.
"He's progressed really well throughout the year.
"It's been a real nice path that he's demonstrated. We've been using him as a more important player as we go along here."
His development since starring for the B.C. Hockey League's Coquitlam Express has included three years playing U.S. college hockey with the Ivy League's Dartmouth College, and a strong few months in the AHL with the Avs affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.
He gave up his senior year of college eligibility to sign with the Avalanche last May.
Jones says the fact the Avs were starting their own farm team played a role in his decision.
"I felt like that would open up pretty much half a team of new spots. I figured I'd have a good chance of getting playing time there," said Jones. "Also, I thought with the Avs not making the playoffs, they might want to make a couple of adjustments.
"They also gave me the confidence. They felt I could make the jump."
It helps that former Big Green teammate Lee Stempniak did just that a couple of years earlier with the St. Louis Blues.
"Everyone sort of talks down about the ECAC. We don't get as much coverage as the WCHA and the big CCHA schools, but I think the level of hockey is there," said Jones.
"A lot of big guys and a real tight-checking league, I think you'll start to see a lot more guys come out of those areas and play pro."
Jones plans to go back to school when time allows and finish the final year of an economics degree.
It's a far cry from what he was doing when he first got word he'd been selected in the entry draft.
"I was actually working at a landscape supplies store, carrying around bricks and stuff, and my mom called me," Jones recalled.
"She said, 'Some guy called. They said they drafted you or something.' She's like, 'What does that mean?'
"I told the manager I had to go home for the day. He gave me the day off and I went home and celebrated with my family. It was an unbelievable feeling."
And now, he's experiencing it all over again.
"It's been a roller-coaster ever since that first year," said Jones. "It's flown by. My experience at Dartmouth was just incredible, and I wouldn't have given that up for the world, but it's just a dream come true to be here and play with those guys."
