Boone Robbie Jenner (born June 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL).
As a teenager, Jenner played four seasons of major junior hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League, where he scored 111 goals and 135 assists for 246 points, while earning 265 penalty minutes, in 227 games played. His play with the Generals resulted in Jenner being selected by Columbus in the second round, 37th overall, of the 2011 NHL entry draft.
Jenner has represented Canada on the international stage at both the junior and senior levels. He first represented Team Canada at the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, where he won a silver medal. In his next tournament, Jenner helped clinch a bronze medal for Canada at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. After failing to medal at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Jenner won a gold medal while representing Team Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship.
Early life Jenner was born on June 15, 1993, in Dorchester, Ontario, to parents Matt and Terri Jenner and was the youngest of three boys. While his first name came after his father heard it on the radio, his middle name Robbie is from his paternal grandfather. Jenner grew up playing hockey and lacrosse in Mossley, Ontario, a small town just outside of London. The first organized hockey team he played with was his local Dorchester Tyke Firefighters. He played minor hockey with the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs AAA squad in the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario League before being drafted into the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In his final season with the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs, Jenner was named captain of the team and competed at the 2009 OHL Cup Showcase Tournament. While the Chiefs failed to win the tournament, Jenner ranked second amongst all players in scoring with six goals and five assists in seven games.
Playing career Amateur Upon concluding the 2008–09 season with the Chiefs, Jenner was drafted fourth overall by the Oshawa Generals in the 2009 OHL Entry Draft. As a 16-year-old rookie, he made his OHL debut on September 18, 2009, where he scored a goal and an assist against the Sarnia Sting. In December 2009, Jenner was named the OHL's Rookie of the Month after he led all rookies in scoring during the month with three goals and seven assists over nine games. He was also named captain of Team Ontario and led them to a silver medal at the 2010 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Although he only scored once in the final 10 games of the season, Jenner finished with 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points. As a result, Jenner was a runnerup for the Emms Family Award as the OHL's Rookie of the Year and earned a selection on the OHL’s first All-Rookie team. Over the summer, he also helped lead Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Jenner returned to the Generals for his sophomore season, during which he set career-highs in goals, assists, and points. After participating in a brawl on opening night, Jenner sat out the General's second and third games of the season against the Ottawa 67’s and Kingston Frontenacs. After coming back to the lineup, he faced difficulties in recapturing his scoring form, and only tallied 12 points through his first 20 games of the season. He also experienced an 11-game scoring drought starting on October 17 which was broken on November 16. Although he struggled at the start of the season, Jenner was still expected to be a top pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft and was selected to represent Team Orr at the annual CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He finished the regular season setting career-highs with 25 goals and 41 assists through 63 regular-season games. His efforts helped the Generals qualify for the 2011 OHL playoffs, where he tallied seven goals and five assists through 10 games. Jenner's final ranking from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau was 18th amongst eligible North American skaters. He was eventually drafted in the second round, 37th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Following the draft, Jenner participated in Team Canada’s National Junior Development Camp and the Blue Jackets training camp before he returned to the Generals for the 2011–12 season. Upon returning to the Generals, Jenner was appointed team captain. The team struggled at the start, maintaining a 13–18–1–3 record through the first 35 games of the season. Due to their struggles, former Blue Jackets assistant coach Gary Agnew took over as head coach for the Generals in early November. Through 27 games, Jenner led the team with 15 goals and 18 assists and was named to Team Canada's national junior team to compete at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. While Jenner did not play in Canada's bronze medal game due to a suspension for elbowing, his overall efforts helped Canada clinch a bronze medal at the tournament. Following the win, Jenner returned to the Generals for the remainder of the regular season. On January 28, during a game against the Brampton Battalion, Jenner suffered a concussion due to a hit and missed 12 games to recover. While he recovered, the team maintained a 6–5–1 record. Once he rejoined the team, the Blue Jackets signed Jenner to a three-year, entry-level contract on March 28, 2012. Over the final eight games of the season, Jenner tallied four goals and four assists for eight points to secure the Generals a spot in the 2012 OHL playoffs. When the Generals faced the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL playoffs, Jenner scored a hat-trick and added two assists for a five-point Game 3 to cut the Ice Dogs' series lead 21. Jenner added another goal and assist the following night to help the Generals tie the series, although they were eventually eliminated in Game 6. Once they were eliminated, Jenner joined the Blue Jackets American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, for the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs. He was placed on their fourth line between Ryan Garlock and Tom Spencer.
As a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Jenner returned to the Generals for his fourth season and was renamed captain. He started the season strong and led the league with seven goals and 12 points over five games. By December, Jenner had improved to 27 goals over 32 games and was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. As a result of a late hit to Swedish defenseman Jesper Pettersson during an exhibition game, Jenner was suspended from the first three games of the tournament. Upon returning from the tournament, Jenner was invited to participate in the Blue Jackets abbreviated training camp in January but was one of the final cuts prior to the season beginning. In his first game back with the Generals following training camp, Jenner tallied two goals and two assists for four points in a 61 win over the Kingston Frontenacs. By the end of February, Jenner led his team with 36 goals and 73 points. Jenner finished his major junior career with 111 goals and 135 assists for 246 points, 263 penalty minutes and a cumulative +22 plus/minus rating in 227 career OHL games. Once the Generals were eliminated from the 2013 J. Ross Robertson Cup Playoffs, Jenner was reassigned to the Springfield Falcons. While playing with the Falcons, Jenner scored the overtime game-winning goal of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against Syracuse. In eight playoff games with the Falcons, Jenner registered five points.
Professional Early years (2012–2016) During the offseason, Jenner worked alongside Blue Jackets strength coach Kevin Collins, going through intense workouts geared toward preparing him for the NHL level. In September, Jenner was again invited to the Blue Jackets training camp where he earned praise from coach Todd Richards. Once the season began, Jenner was placed on a line alongside Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky who helped him score his first and second NHL goals on October 17, 2013, against the Montreal Canadiens. His rookie season ended after he suffered a leg injury on October 25 during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jenner eventually returned to the Blue Jackets lineup on November 17, where he recorded five shot attempts and six hits during a 41 win over the Ottawa Senators. By January, Jenner was playing alongside Artem Anisimov and Nathan Horton while leading the team in hits with 51. He also helped the team set a new franchise record with eight consecutive wins.
As the Blue Jackets approached the post-season, Jenner ranked second among league rookies in hits, third overall in game-winning goals, and fifth overall in shooting percentage. He earned praise from his teammates for his play, with Ryan Johansen saying: "Honestly, every time we dump the puck in, he's the first one in on the forecheck trying to kill someone." Upon qualifying for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs, Jenner and fellow rookie Jack Johnson scored their first playoff goals in the first three minutes of Game 3. His second goal of the series came during Game 4 to help the Blue Jackets win the game 43. The Blue Jackets eventually fell to the Penguins and were eliminated from playoff contention.
Following his successful rookie season, Jenner only played 31 games during the 2014–15 NHL season due to various injuries. At the start of the season, Jenner was expected to miss five weeks following surgery on his broken hand. Upon recovering, Jenner went without a goal in his first eight games before breaking that streak with six goals over the next 12 games. On December 20, Jenner was placed on the Blue Jackets injured reserve list after he was diagnosed with a stress fracture of his back. He returned to regular team practice in March and returned to the lineup in a 32 win over the Calgary Flames on March 21. Upon returning, the Blue Jackets earned a point in their final 10 games of the season and Jenner finished with nine goals and eight assists through 31 games. He also ranked sixth in the league with 102 hits, behind Ryan Reaves with 276.
Upon entering his third year with the Blue Jackets, Jenner was named an alternate captain alongside Brandon Dubinsky and captain Nick Foligno. As the season progressed, Jenner set career highs in goals, assists, and points through 63 games and ranked second on the club in goals, power-play goals, game-winning goals, shots, and hits. As a result, the Jackets signed him to a two-year contract extension on February 29, 2016. He continued to produce on offense and became the fifth player in franchise history to have a 30-goal campaign.
Finding post-season success, captaincy (2016–2026) In the first year of his two-year contract, Jenner slowed down in scoring through the 2016–17 season while the team improved overall. He began the season with two goals over the team's first 22 games, with his first of the season coming on November 9, 2016. While playing alongside Cam Atkinson, Jenner scored three goals in the team's first 22 games and ranked second on the club in hits. Although Jenner was struggling, the team began a winning streak of 16 consecutive games, including a perfect 140 record in December. When it ended on January 5, 2017, with a loss to the Washington Capitals, the team was one short of the NHL record of 17 games. When the streak ended, Jenner and his second-line linemates Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky continued to produce for the Blue Jackets. While Dubinsky described their line as primarily defensive focused, by the middle of February, the trio had improved to 17 goals, 16 assists and a plus-20 rating. From January 1 until the end of the regular season, Jenner ranked third on the team in goals scored. He finished the regular season with 18 goals and 16 assists while linemate Atkinson led the Jackets in points and goals. In June, Jenner was one of 11 players the Blue Jackets protected ahead of the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft.