Centre Wes Jarvis was a solid playmaker and checker who was chiefly a part-time NHL player for nearly a decade. He was a prolific scorer in junior and the minor leagues but was reduced to the role player designation on the big leagues. Jarvis was a solid defensive player, a trait he shared with his better-known cousin, Doug.
The Toronto native was an offensive star with the Weston Dodgers of the MTHL before moving on to the OHA with the Sudbury Wolves and Windsor Spitfires. After scoring 101 points in 1977-78, he was chosen 213th overall by the Washington Capitals in the Amateur Draft. In 1978-79, he recorded 109 points for the IHL's Port Huron Flags, was chosen to the league's second all-star team, and won the Garry F. Longman Memorial trophy as the top rookie in the "I".
Beginning in 1979-80, he was a semi-regular with Washington while also suiting up for the AHL's Hershey Bears. Washington coach Gary Green was high on Jarvis' defensive improvement and often sent him out to kill penalties. He was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in August 1982. Jarvis played only three games in Minnesota but led the CHL with 108 points while playing for the Birmingham South Stars in 1982-83. Following the season, Jarvis was voted on to the CHL first all-star team.
Jarvis signed as a free agent with the L.A. Kings and played 61 games in 1983-84 before moving to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He was chiefly a farmhand for Toronto but put up impressive numbers with the team's AHL affiliates in St. Catharines and Newmarket. He did see action in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the only time in his career in 1987. His best performance in the minors during this period came in 1985-86 when he recorded 96 points, including 60 assists, and was named the Saints' winner of the Molson Cup. Jarvis retired in 1990 after playing 237 fairly anonymous games in the NHL.
