Jeff Hassler
Jeff Hassler is a Canadian rugby union player and winger for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby. He has 12 caps as a member of the Canadian national squad and has appeared in 37 Rabo and Guinness Pro12 matches since signing with the Ospreys In 2013. Hassler is a Calgary, AB native and grew up playing high school athletics in Okotoks, AB where he attended Holy Trinity Academy. In High school Hassler excelled at all sports but in particular Canadian Football and Rugby.
Jeff has a large family on his father George's side. George has 9 siblings,. Jeff also grew up with three brothers, Thomas Hassler, John Micheal Hassler, and Ryan Hassler.
In his young professional career, Hassler has already been recognized for his talents on the field. In his rookie year as an Osprey, he appeared in seventeen matches and notched 8 tries earning him a spot on the RaboDirect Dream Team. In addition to being selected for the RaboDirect Dream Team, Hassler was voted by fans and peers as Team Canada's 15's player of the year for the 2014 season. Although injury sidelined him for the majority of the 14/15 campaign, Hassler scored 6 tries in eleven appearances with the Ospreys this season in GuinnessPro12 and European Cup Competitions.
Hassler plays on the wing but is also able to cover in the centres. He ended his career with the Osprey on 24 April 2018. On 10 May 2019, it was announced that Hassler signed with the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby.
Early career
Hassler played both Canadian Football and Rugby in his teen years. He was a star running back in Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget and High School Football. At the end of high school, Hassler was a highly sought after by multiple CIS programs and committed to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Injuries unfortunately sidelined him for the majority of this two years with the Huskies. He was known for his dynamic and powerful running style. He was also selected to represent Team World in the 2010 IFAF International Federation of American Football game vs the USA.Huskies Individual Career Statistics
Rushing | Games | att | Yards | TD | Long | avg/c | avg/g |
2009 | 4 | 45 | 367 | 5 | 49 | 8.2 | 91.8 |
2010 | 2 | 20 | 177 | 1 | 69 | 8.9 | 88.5 |
Total | 6 | 65 | 544 | 6 | 69 | 8.4 | 90.7 |
Kick Returns | Games | no. | Yards | TD | Long | avg/r | avg/g |
2009 | 4 | 3 | 119 | 0 | 86 | 39.7 | 29.8 |
2010 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25.0 | 12.5 |
Total | 6 | 4 | 144 | 0 | 86 | 36.0 | 24.0 |
All Purpose | Games | Rush | RCV | PR | KR | IR | Total | Avg/g |
2009 | 4 | 367 | 127 | 0 | 119 | 0 | 613 | 153.2 |
2010 | 2 | 177 | 41 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 243 | 121.5 |
Total | 6 | 544 | 168 | 0 | 144 | 0 | 856 | 142.7 |
Professional Rugby Career & Statistics
National Team Senior Men's XV's StatisticsHassler has represented Canada internationally at the U17, U20 and Senior Men's XV's level and also the on the HSBC Sevens World Series. He made his debut on the Sevens circuit in Feb 2012 and later that summer with the Senior Men's XV's vs the USA. At the end of the autumn internationals in 2014, Hassler suffered a serious knee injury that sidelined him for the majority of the remaining season. However, he stands to be an integral part of Canada's makeup for the RWC2015 Rugby World Cup in the fall of 2015.
Season | Team | MP | TOT | TR | PK | C | DG | YC | RC | CAPS | NCAPS |
2012 | Canada | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
2013 | Canada | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
2014 | Canada | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
2015 | Canada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Totals | Canada | 12 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
Hassler signed with the Ospreys in 2013, and extended his stay with a three-year deal that would see him as a member of the club until the end of the 2017 campaign. He had started the 2014/15 year with a bang, co-leading the team in tries through seven games before injuring his knee. He returned to the pitch on May 8, 2015 in a home stand against the Glasgow Warriors and was back in form scoring a try in the Pro12 semi finals vs Munster 2 weeks later.
Competition | Team | Played | Tries | Points |
2014-2015 - Guinness PRO12 Total | Ospreys | 9 | 5 | 25 |
2013-2014 - RaboDirect PRO12 Total | Ospreys | 17+3 | 8 | 40 |
Total - Guinness PRO12 | Ospreys | 26+3 | 13 | 65 |
2014/2015 European Rugby Champions Cup | Ospreys | 2 | 1 | 5 |
2013/2014 Heineken Cup | Ospreys | 5+1 | 0 | 0 |