8 Days 'Til Boston College Hockey: Get To Know #8, Travis Jeke

BC hockey takes to the ice in two days for an exhibition game, and is just eight days away from their first real game. It's getting real. Today, we meet one of the team's seniors.

#8 Travis Jeke, Defenseman

Class Year: Senior
Height: 6'2''
Weight: 193
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Before BC:

Jeke played at the Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY, scoring 70 points in 70 games over two seasons.

Fun facts:

- Thanks to BC's weakened roster during the World Junior break, Jeke got to play big minutes during BC's holiday tournament at the CONSOL Energy Center in his home town of Pittsburgh in 2013. He seized the opportunity, putting up his first career multi point game in the opener against Bowling Green and adding another point against Penn State.

2014-2015 in review:

Jeke only played in 8 games last season and put up one assist. Jeke was behind not only BC's six stellar starting defensemen on the coaches' depth chart, but also converted forward Danny Linell, so his opportunities to play were very limited.

2015-2016 outlook:

For whatever reason, I have always been a fan of and a believer in Travis Jeke, and I feel as though he's been underutilized on the multiple occasions in which injuries have ravaged BC's blue line. It has often seemed like when Jeke has been given an opportunity to play, he's done pretty well.

He played somewhat regularly as a freshman, appearing in 22 games and being fairly serviceable, but BC's moves to bolster the roster relegated him to the stands most nights in 13/14. He only played in two games, but he managed to put up points in both games (Bowling Green and Penn State, back to back). His ability to move the puck and contribute on both ends led some fans to clamor for more playing time for Jeke the past two seasons, but it's never come regularly.

This year presents a chance for Jeke to maybe get in the lineup more often. He's battling with two freshmen, Casey Fitzgerald and Josh Couturier, to fill the void left by Noah Hanifin and Michael Matheson. While I suspect Fitzgerald and Couturier will have the inside track, I do think Jeke will be given a chance to earn some PT and we will likely see a lot of him on Saturday night.

Links:

Twitter, @jeker8

Highlights:

Here's what I'm talking about with Jeke. He gets pressed in to duty due to Steve Santini's injury, steps in to the lineup facing Denver, and manages to help get the team on the board with a nice little shot from the point that Destry Straight tips home.

Next up:

#8 Travis Jeke, Thursday 10/1