50 Players, 50 Days: Jacob Wiethaupt
April 29, 2020
During the current and unforeseen cancelation of the 2019-20 season, the players in the NA3HL saw their seasons cut prematurely short. In some cases, players saw their junior hockey careers come to an end as well. However, the NA3HL got together a decided to highlight some of those players, who were born in 1999 and were in their final season of playing junior hockey.
As a result, we present a new series entitled: 50 players, 50 days
50 players in 50 days will select 50 players from each of the 34 NAHL teams this past season that were born in 1999, who are currently uncommitted, and deserve some recognition during their time spent playing and developing in the NA3HL. Over the course of the next 50 days, we will take time out to look at their accomplishments, review their season, and provide some background on their NA3HL careers. Players will be initially highlighted in alphabetical order by team. Enjoy!
Jacob Wiethaupt, Forward, St. Louis Jr. Blues
A product of the NAHL's Ladder of Development, St. Louis Jr. Blues forward Jacob Wiethaupt, 20, enjoyed two stellar seasons in the NA3HL, amassing a total of over 100 points in just 79 games.
Wiethaupt hit the ground running in his rookie season with St. Louis, posting 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points in 38 games during the 2018-19 campaign and ranking third in team scoring as the Jr. Blues advanced to the Fraser Cup Semi-Finals. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound native of O'Fallon, MO, played a key role in that playoff run, putting up 2g-2a--4pts in four games during the divisional rounds and three assists in Chicago at the 2019 Fraser Cup Championship. This year, Wiethaupt brought more of the same offensive production, as his 28 goals, 30 assists and 58 points each ranked second on the team in their respective categories. He caps off a successful NA3HL career with 53 goals, 53 assists and 106 points in 79 outings.
Wiethaupt's transition to Junior hockey was made easier by his experience playing high-level youth hockey, including three seasons in the NAPHL, all in the St. Louis area. After his bantam season with the St. Louis AAA Blues in 2013-14, Wiethaupt joined the St. Louis Selects 16U squad, logging 25 games in the NAPHL season and recording 8g-9a--17pts in 2015-16. The following season saw him move up to the Selects' 18U squad for 9 NAPHL games, during which he posted five points, and play some high school hockey as well for Fort Zumwalt South High, where he thrived with 25 goals, 20 assists and 45 points in just 15 games. He then closed out his youth hockey career during the 2017-18 season with Carshield AAA 18U as their captain, notching 10g-11a--21 points in 18 NAPHL contests.
