Jake Karabela

Year:
Freshman
Position:
Forward
Height:
5-11
Weight:
187
Hometown:
Guelph, Ontario
Junior Team:
Guelph Storm (OHL)
NHL:
Washington (2022, Fifth Round, No. 149)

Ohio State Career

2026 Big Ten All-Freshman Team
2026 Big Ten All-Tournament Team
2026 team Rookie of the Year and Leading Scorer award winner
March/April 2026 HCA National Rookie of the Month
2026 Ohio State Scholar-Athlete

NHL

Drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft (No. 149 overall)

2025-26 (Freshman Season)

Led Buckeyes with 22 assists and 37 points and shared team goal lead with 15; third on team with six power play goals
Ended season on four-game goal and seven-game point streaks
Selected to Big Ten All-Freshman Team
Voted team's Rookie of the Year and won Leading Scorer award
Named to Big Ten All-Tournament Team with six points (3g, 3a) in Buckeyes' run to B1G final
In league play, was first for the Buckeyes and tied for eighth among B1G skaters with 24 points in 24 conference outings (10g, 14a)
Hockey Commissioners Association co-Rookie of the Month for March/April after leading all NCAA skaters with 1.8 points per game in the stretch; had four goals and five assists, with a +5 rating
11th in the Big Ten in points, ranking 12th in goals and assists, ranking 11th in points per game (1.0)
Team-high four gamewinning goals to tie for fourth in the B1G
Notched the go-ahead and eventual gamewinning goal in the third period at Minnesota Feb. 7, tallied the gamewinning goal late in the third period at Notre Dame Jan. 24 and scored the overtime winner vs. Minnesota Dec. 5, tallied game-tying goal in the third period of a comeback win vs. Wisconsin Feb. 14 and had the gamewinning tally at Michigan State Feb. 27
10 multiple-point games on the year
Three points, with a goal and two assists, in B1G semifinal at Michigan State March 14, with a hand in all three goals in 3-2 overtime win
Also had three points (1g, 2a) Dec. 5 vs. Minnesota, scoring OT winner; also had a 1-2-3 line against the Gophers Feb. 6 in 6-2 road win
Scored twice in 5-1 win at Michigan State Feb. 27
Two assists Oct. 17 at UConn and Oct. 31 vs. Penn State
Goal and an assist Nov. 14 at Wiconsin, Jan. 3 at Bowling Green, March 6 vs. Notre Dame and March 11 at Wisconsin in 7-1 Big Ten quarterfinal win
Ohio State Scholar-Athlete honoree

Prior to Ohio State

Selected for 2022 CHL Top Prospects Game
Spent four years in the OHL, all with the Guelph Storm; had 171 points (66g, 105a) in 249 regular season games
Alternate captain for the Storm the last two years
55 points, on 25 goals and 30 assists, in 65 regular season games in 2023-24 and had 32 points (11a, 21a) in 2024-25 while skating in 48 regular season games
Posted 12-33-45 totals in 68 regular season games in 2021-22 and had 39 points (18g, 21a) in 68 regular season games in 2022-23
Graduated from Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute in 2022
Played baseball and basketball growing up

Personal

Parents are Heather Pierce, a high school principal, and Stan Karabela, a high school physical education teacher
Has a younger sibling, Hadley
Wears No. 49 because it is his grandparents' birth year
Plans to major in sport industry
Enjoys camping, tennis and golf
Father got him into hockey around age 4