Last summer, Jake joined the club from Slovakian side, HK Nitra and across 54 appearances, he racked up 32 points for the Stars, scoring 15 goals and assisting 17 times.
The 25-year-old, winger is the ninth player from last season to extend his stay in Dundee and he earned his spot after showcasing his impressive skillset and providing timely goals.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Elmer was signed by the NHL’s New York Rangers as a free agent in 2019 and would pen a three-year entry-level contract with the Blueshirts, whilst also being appointed as an alternate captain for the 2019-2020 preseason.
Jake has previously played four seasons of professional hockey in North America, icing for the Rangers affiliate clubs in both the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL, where he was an All-Star in his first season.
LEFEBVRE ON ELMER
After securing the return of the highly-skilled forward, Stars Director of Hockey Operations and Head Coach, Marc LeFebvre, said: “Jake has a tremendous skillset, a great shot and he is a weapon on the powerplay.
“He just has a lot of offensive upsides to his game but he is also a great guy in the room and the boys loved him, I really liked working with Jake and it was an easy decision to bring him back.
“Being honest, Jake struggled to adapt during the first half of the season, due to a number of things, but once he got things going and found his legs, he was one of our better players in the second half of the season.”
LeFebvre continued: “Jake was a target for us right from the get go.
“When the season ended and we had our exit meetings, I told him that we wanted him back and obviously it has taken a bit of time to get it over the line but in fairness to Jake, he wanted to spend some time at home and with his family and think things through but we got the deal done in the end, and we are glad to have him back.
“The way we are trying to build our team this year is we want to have three really strong and deep scoring lines and then the fourth line will bring a lot of energy, and if the team is down then a physical presence.
“We want to be a deeper threat offensively this season and that is what we have done with the different players that we have brought in and with the guys that we are looking to sign and get over the line, who will make us even more potent offensively.
“It is an exciting time right now and I know the fans are eager for signings but we are only in June, we have a lot of time to build this team and make sure we get the right guys and make this team better than last year.”
ELMER ON SIGNING UP FOR MORE
Once he had signed up for another season on Tayside, Jake added: “I am excited to get back.
“It will be another good year being in a familiar spot with familiar faces that you already have chemistry with, so I am looking forward to it and I am really excited to get back and win some games.
“Last season left me wanting more at the end of the year because I knew I was capable and able to produce at the level I expect I can.
“I think at the start of the year there was a lot of ups and downs and some mental battles that I had to overcome but with the help of the coaching staff, the team and other guys, they pulled me out the slump.
“From then, I was able to find my grove and it was successful for the team, so I am hoping I can do that right from the jump.”
Discussing how he came to the decision to return to Scotland, Jake said: “When I left in April, I did not say no.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to comeback but I just wanted to see what my options were but Dundee made sense for me and what I want to do with my career and also it made sense for the organisation.
“So, I am grateful for the opportunity and it will be an exciting season.”
Finally, Elmer shared a message for the fans ahead of his return to the DIA and he said: “Get ready for some new dance moves!
“I have to work on them this summer for our laps around the rink but I am really excited to come back and see some familiar faces in the crowd, and hopefully win some games for us.”
Listen to the full interview with Jake and Stars TV below!
In his 13-year-career so far, Jake has featured in 621 matches, recorded 232 goals, 219 assists and collected 408 penalty minutes, while also playing in 44 playoff games, where he tallied 33 points (12G, 21A) and 43 penalty minutes.
Jake is our 12th signing of the summer and joins Drydn Dow, Ben O’Connor, Jonathan McBean, Xavier Pouliot, Craig Garrigan, Kris Inglis, Kyle Pouncy, Brett Gravelle, Craig Moore, Keanu Yamamoto and Brendan Harms on the roster for next season.
Elmer will again wear #98 for the Stars and you can sponsor his equipment for this season right now, click HERE.
To see Jake’s career stats on Elite Prospects click HERE.
All images: Derek Black.
