Roslovic looks to give back to community with TopGolf event

Jack Roslovic can remember what it was like to grow up in Columbus and fall in love with the sport of hockey.
From driveway pickup games to suiting up as a kid with the Easton Youth Hockey Association, the Blue Jackets forward was able to turn his childhood passion into living out the dream of playing in the National Hockey League.
Now, the 24-year-old, who was acquired by the Blue Jackets in a trade in January, sees a clear opportunity to give back to the community that helped him make it to the top.

A key piece of that took place Aug. 22 as Roslovic hosted the inaugural Rosie's Gear for Goals TopGolf Event, with proceeds going to his personal foundation that hopes to help provide gear to young players and engage more and more youngsters in the sport he loves.
"I've been wanting to do this for a while," he said. "Even when I was in Winnipeg, I had always wanted to come back and give back to Columbus and Columbus youth hockey, and the reason why we're holding this event is to raise money for the awareness of the sport. It's not necessarily for kids who play the sport and already have the means to do it. It's more for kids who never even may have heard about it or don't have any equipment to play it.
"I know how expensive hockey can be. And that's been my biggest thing -- my vision a couple of years ago was to hold events to raise money and host a camp and outfit kids and youth in Columbus to get them on the ice or get them on the roller rink. We can use that money to create awareness and maybe have some new kids start playing the game, watching the game or whatever it might be, just to show hockey in a different light and introduce people to the sport."
The event figures to be a good time, and it should also be more accessible to the average fan than an all-day outing given the burgeoning popularity of the TopGolf entertainment experience that combines food, drinks, friends and fun.
Roslovic said some fellow Blue Jackets will make appearances along with members of the Columbus Crew, while there will be on-site raffles, giveaways and a silent auction. Those who wish to take part can buy a non-golfer pass and enjoy the show, or purchase a TopGolf bay for the three-hour event and play the entire time with their friends. A premium sponsorship package also allows businesses to take part.
"It's a Sunday afternoon, and I think it'll be a cool, fun interactive event," Roslovic said. "I know some of the Blue Jackets guys are going to be there. We are going to have some fun people there. It'll be cool to see how it's an everyone knows everyone kind of thing. I know how small of a town Columbus can be, so I think it'll be great."
Roslovic, who moved up the ranks from his start on the Chiller Easton ice to play for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets before attending Miami University and being drafted in the first round by the Jets, is one of the first wave of talented youngsters to make it from the capital city youth programs to the biggest stage.
Five central Ohio born-and-bred players -- Roslovic and then-CBJ teammate Kole Sherwood, Kole's brother Kiefer, new Blue Jackets signee Sean Kuraly and Connor Murphy -- skated NHL minutes a season ago, with many others scattered throughout the minor league, college and junior ranks.

It's a club that's getting bigger by the season, in part because the infrastructure of Columbus youth hockey continues to grow, providing more and more opportunities for young players to follow in Roslovic's footsteps.
That's something the CBJ forward wants to continue to see grow, thanks in part to events like Rosie's Gear for Goals.
"It really is crazy now to see what these kids are doing," he said. "When I was in that 6-10 age group, there were probably one or two house league teams when I was younger. I bet you there's probably three leagues now. It's pretty crazy to see and it's pretty cool to see.
"I just want to keep on going down that path of helping kids learn to play, learn to skate, learn the sport in general. It's one of those things that's been my passion because I was a kid once who grew up here."