Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Veteran shows no fear blocking shots

The story behind Jackson DeSouza’s shin guards

Sep 26, 2023 | 8:00 AM

Kelowna Rockets defenseman Jackson DeSouza is following in the footsteps of former NHLer Craig Ludwig.

Ludwig, who played 1,256 games in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota/Dallas Stars, is famously known for wearing the same shin pads over his entire NHL career that he was given while playing at the University of North Dakota.

DeSouza, who is also a defenseman, told RocketFAN, that the shin pads he currently wears heading into his final season in the Western Hockey League are also timeless.

“I have worn the same shin guards since I was 15 years old,” DeSouza said with a grin. “They are pretty worn down.”

Truth be told, DeSouza’s dad, Chris, who is a professor at the University of Boulder, Colorado, bought them for his son before the lanky blueliner joined the Rockets full-time, and the need to change hasn’t crossed his mind.

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“I can’t get rid of them,” DeSouza explained quickly. “My dad bought them for me, plus if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Ludwig’s excuse for wearing old shin pads, given to him in his freshmen year at university before declining more protective ones in the NHL was the fact he hated new things.

It appears DeSouza, who joins Dylan Wightman and Turner McMillen as the three overage players in 2023-2024 has the same mindset.

“I would be lying if I said it doesn’t,” DeSouza speaking honestly about blocking a slap shot with his shins. “I just do what I need to do to be successful and for the team to be successful. Obviously, it is a small detail that people don’t see, but it was rewarding going to [Detroit] Red Wings camp and them mentioning my competitiveness, because I hate losing.”

Unfortunately, the WHL website doesn’t count shots blocked in its statistics, but if they did, the Erie, Colorado resident would be among the league leaders.

“When blocking a shot [with his shin pads], I like a quote that my dad would say,” DeSouza added. “‘I don’t care how rough the seas are, just bring in the damn boat’.”

Attending an NHL camp in September can do wonders for a player’s psyche. It is especially rewarding when you go undrafted at 17, which DeSouza was, before being overlooked again as an 18 and 19 years old.

“When I got the call that I was going to [Red Wings] development camp, I was working at Sport Chek in the Orchard Park Mall,” DeSouza recalled with a smile. “I called my agent at first, and he said getting an invite didn’t look good. An hour later, he called me and told me the good news.”

Development camp went so well for the well-spoken DeSouza, it led to an invite to main camp.

“It is next level [in the NHL],” he said, still raving about the experience. “You are playing against men. You are playing against guys who are trying to make the league like I am, so it pushes you to be better. It is an experience I can take back here [to Kelowna] and apply it during the regular season.”

Coming off a career season in 2022-2023, DeSouza scored a career-high six goals and collected 20 points, while missing just two of 68 regular season games. The most eye-popping stat for the positionally sound defensive defenseman was the 82 shots he recorded on goal, which was second on the d-core only behind teammate Caden Price.

“I need to move the puck quick, box out early, and work on the little details of the game this season,” DeSouza said, knowing what he needs to take his game to the next level. “It seems weird being a 20-year-old now. It seems like yesterday I was wearing a cage on my helmet and playing my first game in Medicine Hat.”

A fourth-round pick by the Rockets organization in 2018, the 6’5 defender wants to leave junior hockey on a high note.

“We are tired of losing,” DeSouza noted, with a determined look on his face. “We are tired of having an early entrance to the summer.

“We have to take it personally this year, get down to business, and define who we are as a team.”