Jackson Jutting, a 'born leader,' provides invaluable presence for Bemidji State

Mar. 21—The Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato has had many names.

Formerly known as the Mankato Civic Center, Minnesota State's 5,280-seat hockey arena opened in 1995. The name changed to the Midwest Wireless Civic Center in 1999, then to the Alltel Center in July 2007.

Two years later, the building became the Verizon Wireless Center. Verizon owned the naming rights until March 2019. when the building's title went back to the Mankato Civic Center. Eight months later, Mayo Clinic Health System purchased the naming rights.

It's a building rich with hockey history, serving devoted MSU fans 29 years of triumphs and heartbreaks.

By now, Bemidji State men's hockey fans know the

upbringing of their captain, Kyle Looft.

The Mankato native grew up in the Mavericks' colors, then put them away for good upon his arrival at Bemidji State in 2019. Looft grew up at MSU hockey games, idolizing the players representing his hometown institution.

He wasn't alone.

Beavers senior and alternate captain Jackson Jutting grew up with strong ties to the Mavericks. The Savage native spent ample time in Mankato watching his uncle Troy, who coached MSU from 1987-2012.

"Loofty and I were just talking about this the other day about how we were the kids hanging over the railings asking for sticks," Jutting recalled. "We wanted to walk away with anything leaving the rink. Whether it was the rally towels, the bam bam sticks, cowbells — anything the rink gave out or any kind of equipment we would get our hands on — we were those kids."

Jutting played four years of high school hockey at Prior Lake, totaling 61 goals and 80 assists in 106 games. He spent one year in the NAHL with the Minnesota Magicians in 2018-19 before playing his final junior hockey season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. During his time in the USHL, Jutting scored 11 goals and 16 assists in 49 games.

Jutting's collegiate career began at Colorado College. In two years, he amassed four goals and eight assists in 54 games. Then, he entered the transfer portal after his sophomore season.

Jutting was looking for a new home, and he found it after watching

the theatrical 2021 Mason Cup championship

game in Mankato.

"I committed here shortly after the Mason Cup final against Mankato after (BSU) lost in overtime in that crazy game," Jutting said. "That's always been in the back of my mind — seeing the kind of atmosphere that was like and all of the stakes that came with it. Winning the MacNaughton Cup a few weeks ago and now having another chance to win a trophy for this fan base is pretty special."

Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore saw the qualities in Jutting that made him a good fit in his program.

"He's a focused individual, and that carried over into Bemidji," Serratore continued. "He was a focused individual in high school, junior hockey, college hockey and pro hockey, whenever that time comes. Whatever he does (after hockey), he's going to be focused, and he's going to be good because he has all of those intangibles."

Despite being a point-per-game player, Jutting's tools direct him toward being a standout defensive forward at the collegiate level.

He's BSU's best player on the faceoff dots. He centers a physical third line with Austin Jouppi and Kasper Magnussen that chops down opposing teams' highly skilled top lines.

Jutting played in just 21 games this season after

missing two and a half months

with a torn MCL.

Adding his 10 goals and 11 assists this season is a welcomed bonus to what he gives Bemidji State defensively. Jutting was tabbed the CCHA's Best Defensive Forward following the 2023-24 regular season.

"First off, (winning the award) takes discipline," Serratore said. "It takes a team-first guy. He will do anything to help the team win, even sacrificing offensive numbers to do the right thing. That's what those guys are about. They're all about the team."

Ultimately, the most valuable trait Jutting possesses is his leadership.

He earned his alternate captain status after just one year of playing for the Beavers. From Serratore's perspective, the team's choice was a no-brainer.

"Jutts is a leader," Serratore said. "I don't think it matters if you've been around one year, two years, four years — you are who you are. Jackson Jutting is a born leader. He trains right. He's great in school.

"It doesn't take a long time at the rink or in the locker room to see somebody like Jutts and see that the guys know he's somebody they can count on and that they can trust."

During BSU's 11-game unbeaten streak heading into Friday's Mason Cup championship against Michigan Tech, Serratore attributed the success to a total buy-in of the team's identity. It's about playing "Beaver hockey," a mantra embedded in each player's battle level and will to make sacrifices for a greater result — blocking shots, winning puck battles and staying disciplined.

Having on-ice figureheads like Looft and Jutting makes the buy-in process for other players effortless.

"You can't put a price tag on leadership," Serratore said. "Leadership is everything. When you have great leadership, it makes (our) jobs so much easier. Those guys who have control of the locker room — Loofty, Jutts — it makes our job easier because they're an extension of us."

Jutting's authenticity solidified him as a beloved teammate and one of Bemidji State's most important players.

"From the start, I just wanted to be myself," Jutting said. "I pride myself on work ethic and showing up every day with consistency and a good, positive attitude that, hopefully, the guys catch on with."

After last Saturday's 4-1 win over Lake Superior State in the Mason Cup semifinal, Jutting found out his famed uncle was in attendance at the Sanford Center. Now that his purple and gold MSU apparel — cowbells and bam bam sticks included — have been stashed away for good, Jutting is ready to take in the caliber of a game he grew up dreaming of playing in, with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

"He didn't even tell me (he was there) until the next day," Jutting said. "I didn't even know he was at the game, but it was pretty special he was there. Growing up going to all of those games — same thing with Loofty and just being in that (college hockey) environment — it's something I wanted to do my whole life."