Feb 2, 2026
Utica, NY – We bumped into Comets’ defenseman Jackson van de Leest after practice last week who took us on a tour of his riveting hockey journey.
Van de Leest grew up about 240 miles northeast of Vancouver in Kelowna, British Columbia, what he refers to as “the land of orchards, vineyards, and lakes.” He says his parents exposed him to several sports as a kid but he felt the strongest draw to hockey, lacing up the skates at three and starting organized hockey at the age of five. Van de Leest’s dad, who moved to Canada from The Netherlands as a kid, also played hockey growing up.
Jackson is not the only one in the van de Leest family who has gone on to a professional hockey career. His sister, Adriana, who is two years younger, played collegiately at both Bemidji State and the University of Maine, and currently plays in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL).
For anyone that has attended a Comets game, van de Leest is not hard to spot. At 6’7”, his size is one of his trademarks and runs in the van de Leest family with his father standing at 6’3”, his mother 5’11”, and his sister 6’0”. Jackson said he was always on the taller side growing up, although not always the tallest in his class, but kept growing for another couple years after everyone else stopped.
Van de Leest was a fan of the Vancouver Canucks growing up with them being the closest NHL team, but he also enjoyed cheering on the local major junior club in his hometown, the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Dallas Stars’ forward Jamie Benn was a member of the Rockets and a player Jackson has always looked up to.
While he was growing up, van de Leest played spring hockey in Vancouver for a few years which eventually morphed into one team at Yale Hockey Academy, one of two prep schools that he attended as a teenager. He spent one year at Yale in Abbotsford, BC, and then opted to go to Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) in Penticton the following year which brought him closer to home. He billeted at Yale but was able to live at home while going to OHA which was about 50 minutes away from Kelowna. He reflected on that commute which consisted of taking a passenger van with other students from Kelowna. He said there was no shortage of shenanigans and recalled one particular episode in which the van had to be fumigated after a fellow student left an open container of yogurt in the vehicle for days on end.
In the spring of 2016, prior to attending OHA, van de Leest was selected 16th overall in the WHL Prospects Draft by the Calgary Hitmen where he would spend four full seasons. He spoke highly of both the organization and the city of Calgary. Jackson described it as an expansive city which made getting together with teammates a bit of a challenge logistically, but that they made it work and that it was an incredible experience.
About halfway through his final year of juniors during the 2021-22 season, he was traded to the Red Deer Rebels. Life in Red Deer varied drastically compared to being in a bigger city like Calgary, but he embraced what was the next stop on his journey and made some lifelong friends in the process.
In the fall of 2022, van de Leest embarked on a cross-country trek to Halifax, Nova Scotia to attend Dalhousie University. Although he was over 2,500 miles away from home, Jackson was fortunate to have some other family members in Halifax and enjoyed experiencing a different way of life on the other side of the country. He added that he received a great education at Dalhousie for the two years he was there and continues to work towards his degree having left early to join the pro hockey ranks.
Van de Leest made his professional debut in February of 2024 with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder after leaving university. He played a total of 14 games that season with the Thunder and six with the Comets after making his AHL debut in March. In discussing his transition from the collegiate level, he noted, “Getting to play against players who are on the cusp of making the jump to the NHL is something you can’t take for granted. I think there was definitely a learning curve when I began my pro career. I feel that I was able to adapt fairly quickly, but I’m still working to finetune my game at this level.”
With 10 appearances as a Comet this season, van de Leest has surpassed the six games total that he played in each of the past two seasons and has continued to make strides forward. “This is where I want to be. I’m proud of where my game has been this year and I’m working hard to get the opportunity I’m getting.” He has also thoroughly enjoyed life in Utica away from the rink. “I love the community here and have been spending some time at the animal shelter. I miss my animals back home, so I’ve been able to get my fix through that. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed trying all the restaurants around town.” Among the best dishes he says he’s come across is the Pork Osso Bucco at Aqua Vino and the Paella at Ancora.
Back in Kelowna, the van de Leest family has a wide assortment of pets: one dog, one cat, and about a dozen chickens, although those numbers are dwindling due to a variety of predators such as owls and raccoons, Jackson says. He added, half-jokingly, that chickens are one of his main passions in life. He also loves learning, and one of his most recent areas of study has been the French language, taught by none other than fellow teammates Nathan Legare and Xavier Parent.
Van de Leest and the Comets are back home this Friday at 7 p.m. against the Bridgeport Islanders. For tickets, just visit uticacomets.com/tickets or call 315-790-9070.