| Birth Date: | 12 July 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lb: | 223 |
| Position: | Defence |
| Shoots: | Right |
| League: | NHL |
| Team: | New Jersey Devils |
| Former Teams: | Winnipeg Jets Montreal Canadiens |
| Draft: | 74th overall |
| Draft Year: | 2017 |
| Draft Team: | Winnipeg Jets |
| Career Start: | 2019 |
Johnathan Kovacevic (born July 12, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 74th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Kovacevic has also previously played for the Montreal Canadiens.
Kovacevic was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the third round, 74th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
After three collegiate seasons with Merrimack, Kovacevic signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Jets on March 17, 2019.[2] He made his professional debut with the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on April 19, 2019, scoring one goal and registering an assist against the Chicago Wolves.[3]
On August 13, 2021, Kovacevic was re-signed by the Jets to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750,000 at the NHL level.[4] [5] In the following season, Kovacevic was recalled from the Moose and played in his first NHL game with the Jets on January 28, 2022 against the Vancouver Canucks, finishing the game with one shot on goal in 10:21 of ice time.[6]
As a restricted free agent, Kovacevic was re-signed to a three-year contract extension with the Jets on July 22, 2022.[7]
After attending the Jets' 2022 training camp in preparation for the season, Kovacevic was placed on waivers during the pre-season. He was claimed the following day by the Montreal Canadiens on October 8, 2022.[8] Acquired by the Canadiens to help with weakness on the right side of the defence corps, Kovacevic made his debut in the season opener versus the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 12 and immediately became a regular part of the lineup. He surpassed his prior NHL appearance total within eight days of his first game.[9] [10] Kovacevic was regularly paired with rookie defenceman Jordan Harris, and drew praise from the coaching staff. On November 14, Canadiens executive Jeff Gorton advised Kovacevic to find regular accommodations in Montreal, indicating that he had found a permanent roster berth for the foreseeable future. He remarked on the occasion that "it gives me a little bit of an idea that they like what they see from me, they want me for a bit of a longer haul. Because when you’re picked up on waivers, you never really know."[11]
On December 6, 2022, Kovacevic scored his first career NHL goal in a 4–2 road victory against the Seattle Kraken.[12]
Prior to the beginning of the NHL free agency period, Kovacevic was traded to the New Jersey Devils on June 30, 2024 in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.[13]
Kovacevic's father, Novica, is from Montenegro and his mother, Angie, is from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has a brother, Ryan, and a sister, Daniela. He holds a civil engineering degree from Merrimack College.[14] [15]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Ottawa Jr. Senators | CCHL | 52 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | Ottawa Jr. Senators | CCHL | 21 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Hawkesbury Hawks | CCHL | 30 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2016–17 | Merrimack College | HE | 36 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Merrimack College | HE | 34 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Merrimack College | HE | 31 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 45 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 29 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Manitoba Moose | AHL | 62 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 62 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 143 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| CCHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2015 | |
| Third All-Star Team | 2016 | |