4 on-ice observe days and two preseason video games have given us recent clues and new perception into the Winnipeg Jets’ prime prospects, recent faces and battles for spots on the opening-night roster.
Based mostly on what we’ve seen at observe and in Winnipeg’s two exhibition video games, these are the Jets in any respect ranges of the depth chart making a reputation for themselves at coaching camp — plus a number of key query marks and gamers for whom it’s higher to point out persistence than to maintain constructing the hype.
Right here’s what we’re seeing after two preseason video games, with a small spherical of cuts on the quick horizon.
Making larger and higher instances
Nikita Chibrikov and Brad Lambert
Nikita Chibrikov’s wrist shot is a rocket. His footspeed isn’t that. His feistiness is usually undersold, though I feel the market has caught as much as that reality after his Younger Stars curmudgeonliness. He’s greater than “simply” a ache to play towards, although: Chibrikov has been absolute cash at each blue traces all through camp and confirmed nice work on entries and exits once more on Saturday towards the Minnesota Wild.
What do I imply?
On Chibrikov’s first shift, he made a troublesome play to get the Jets out of their zone with possession, spinning off his verify and passing to his defenceman for an outlet. Chibrikov then bolted up the ice, picked up a return go on the crimson line and timed an entry go completely, resulting in a shot for Dylan Samberg.
On the finish of a shift early within the second interval, Chibrikov was underneath strain within the impartial zone. He stored his head up, stickhandled the puck away from a verify and arrange an entry that led to pictures by Connor Levis, Jacob Julien, Tyrel Bauer and Alex Iafallo in a 30-second flurry. It was one among Winnipeg’s most harmful shifts of the sport and it wouldn’t have occurred if the 21-year-old ahead hadn’t stored his head up within the impartial zone.
There’s part of me that wonders if speaking about entries and exits is boring. There’s one other, extra cussed a part of me that thinks entries and exits are among the many most vital components of hockey. They don’t make spotlight reels however they assist resolve the place the sport will get performed; gamers who’re constantly nice at them drive play for his or her groups, resulting in extra pictures, objectives and wins.
Chibrikov additionally made a third-period reduce to the online after which dropped into the slot for a one-timer alternative. It was a wonderfully timed play that he fanned on. If he can take advantage of these alternatives at an NHL degree, he’s a top-six participant. If he helps drive possession and chips in additional occasional offence, I feel there’s nonetheless a top-nine participant in him. Generally I’m reminded of Mikey Eyssimont and typically Vladislav Namestnikov. Both means, the 5-foot-9 Chibrikov punches nicely above his weight as an NHL prospect.
Lambert didn’t take over Saturday’s sport the way in which the hype machine says he ought to. As a substitute, he made a number of efficient performs that led to scoring probabilities for Gabriel Vilardi and Iafallo. He discovered time and area within the offensive zone, getting onto pucks after which maintaining his head as much as make use of his linemates. Don’t mistake the dearth of essay on this topic for an indication it’s not essential; in truth, I feel combining his velocity and puck talent with a greater learn of the sport that makes higher use of his linemates is strictly the ingredient that rounds out Lambert’s offensive sport right into a sustainable, NHL-level meal. I’m unsure he makes the Jets out of camp; whether or not it occurs on Oct. 9 or someday afterward, I nonetheless suppose that is the 12 months Lambert makes the leap.
Thrust into the highlight
Haydn Fleury
Haydn Fleury’s pregnant spouse, Jaid, woke him up at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday: It was time to go to the hospital. Her contractions had begun earlier within the day however now it was go-time, so the couple hustled to the hospital, the place their son Ledger Duke Fleury was born at 1:07 a.m. Saturday.
The Fleury household bought a few hours of sleep from 3:00 to five:30 a.m. when Ledger awakened. Shortly after that got here the decision from Jets head coach Scott Arniel: Fleury had a call to make. He might play Saturday in Winnipeg, Sunday in Edmonton or take the weekend off altogether and get into his first preseason sport on Wednesday.
“I’d barely gotten the choices out of my mouth and he stated ‘I wish to play tonight,’” Arniel stated of the decision.
There are logistical the reason why it was the very best play. Jaid was scheduled to be launched from the hospital on Sunday; Haydn needed to be there to take her residence as a substitute of in Edmonton for a sport. Jaid had her mother together with her, so Haydn wasn’t leaving her alone to play within the sport. There are sensible, career-based causes, too — Fleury hadn’t performed a sport since an harm sustained final April, whereas Ville Heinola’s ankle an infection has opened the door to an NHL roster spot.
There was additionally a little bit of traditional hockey participant mysticism.
“I assumed it will be cool to play on the day my son was born,” Fleury stated. “It’s one thing I’ll keep in mind for the remainder of my life.”
Ledger is the couple’s second youngster, his first identify a tribute to the actor Heath Ledger and his center identify an homage to the Duke Blue Devils basketball group. His delivery made Fleury’s Jets debut a fatigued effort, extra dedication than dominance. Even then, Fleury was efficient, partnering with Colin Miller to manage the circulate of play towards less-than-NHL competitors. Winnipeg doubled up on Minnesota in pictures (13-7) and objectives (2-1) when the duo was on the ice, providing hope that they could possibly be a stable third pair when the depth of competitors ramps up.
The 6-foot-4 left-hander selected Winnipeg within the first place, in no small half as a result of the Jets and Moose share a metropolis. That call may lead him to an NHL job.
“I’ve two children now, and I don’t wish to be away from them,” Fleury stated. “Household comes first to me. I actually wish to be round my children as a lot as I can. That was an enormous determination in it. Having associates and my spouse having associates on this metropolis, her simply coming off a being pregnant, I feel the assist system is big.”
Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow and Kevin He
Brayden Yager is an above common skater, an above common shooter, an above common passer and — on a minimum of one event Saturday — an above common puck thief. In opposition to the Wild, one among Yager’s backtracks alongside the boards within the offensive zone ended a Minnesota breakout and put the puck on Morgan Barron’s stick for a scoring likelihood that went off the facet of the online. Arniel was impressed with Yager’s work off the puck, too, which can bode nicely for Yager’s long-term future. For now, although, the NHL tempo is a bit past him, with a number of offensive alternatives taken away from him earlier than he made up his thoughts a few play. General, Yager has made a superb first impression and I’d anticipate his WHL stardom to succeed in one other degree this season.
Colby Barlow doesn’t drive play — not at this degree, anyway, and that’s wonderful for a 19-year-old OHL star. He doesn’t have Chibrikov’s consciousness on the blue traces or Yager’s propensity for puck thievery. On one event, he was drilled to the ice by Wild defenceman Carson Lambos. Barlow misfired on a one-timer go from Chibrikov that I anticipate he’d have buried within the OHL. He did make a intelligent power-play pretend, placing a slap go in the direction of Yager for a backdoor try nevertheless it was into Yager’s ft. Ultimately, little of that mattered although: Barlow pounced on a puck following a scrambled offensive zone draw and wired a rocket previous Jesper Wallstedt that highlighted his largest energy. It’s doable that Barlow provides a play-driving dimension to his sport by the point he’s an NHL participant; he’ll most likely assist drive wins with that shot alone.
Kevin He isn’t within the combine for an NHL job and I’ve spilled sufficient ink about his feisty play and aggressive disposition. I feel he’s accomplished himself lots of favours in the long term — and he additionally made this nice play on Dominic Toninato’s purpose towards Edmonton.
Kevin He factored on Dominic Toninato’s purpose to assist the @NHLJets even the rating.
In June, He grew to become the second participant born in China to be chosen in an #NHLDraft (109th total in 2024), becoming a member of Andong Track (172nd total in 2015). #NHLStats https://t.co/qDNZlGXf6n
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) September 23, 2024
That’s a tough, well-angled forecheck, a steal and an ideal go for Toninato’s purpose.
Eric Comrie vs. Kaapo Kahkonen for the backup job
Based mostly on previous efficiency, there appears to be a transparent depth chart in Winnipeg’s web: Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kahkonen, Eric Comrie, Thomas Milic, and Domenic DiVincentiis. Based mostly on one preseason sport every, Comrie has a greater coaching camp resume than Kahkonen. Might Comrie’s calm, confident-looking 25-save efficiency in a 3-2 OT loss assist him catch up after Kahkonen’s 23-save night time in a 5-2 loss to the Wild?
I feel it’s too quickly and the pattern is simply too small. Kahkonen was in powerful with among the Jets’ poor PK work on Saturday. We additionally perceive that small samples result in dangerous goaltending conclusions. Hellebuyck’s 5 video games towards Colorado will not be more likely to predict his long-term efficiency, for instance.
Regulate this, although. Comrie is doing his half to show this into a correct race.
“The particular phrase right here is compete,” he instructed reporters in Edmonton on Sunday. “I’m simply going to verify I compete as exhausting as I can and do all the things I can to make the choice as exhausting as I can.”
Warning is the secret
Elias Salomonsson
Elias Salomonsson is Winnipeg’s prime defensive prospect, seemingly nicely away from the injured Heinola. This could result in an expectation that he’ll dominate preseason competitors — one thing he merely hasn’t accomplished, whether or not on the Younger Stars match or in his two weekend video games. The sense I’ve is that he’s enjoying issues a bit protected, selecting to chip pucks off the glass and out as a substitute of constructing the calm, managed performs that might be his hallmark.
I additionally suppose Salomonsson is a participant whose sport relies upon closely on his hockey IQ and the extent of his reads. The timing and angles are totally different between the SHL and NHL; I feel it’s pure to imagine he’ll present significantly better after half a season or so of AHL time than early at camp. It’s additionally doable that he appears to be like extra spectacular as cuts get made and among the chaos is faraway from the preseason sport. He was on the ice for Edmonton’s first purpose on Sunday however was in place; he had his man on the Jets blue line.
Chaz Lucius
Chaz Lucius is skating in an everyday jersey, a full participant at Jets camp after enjoying on the Younger Stars match in Penticton. That’s the excellent news. The powerful information is that Lucius has missed key developmental time attributable to three consecutive season-ending accidents. It exhibits, each within the type of rust (Lucius is a inventive, incisive offensive participant when he’s at his greatest however maybe a step behind at this camp) and enjoying time. He’s but to play in a preseason sport — a destiny shared with surefire Jets like Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey and with surefire minor league gamers like Henri Nikkanen and DiVincentiis.
I feel the group is taking a long-term view of his restoration to full well being, too. He’s a sensible, expert participant however the rust appears evident to me. A best-case state of affairs sees the 21-year-old play a wholesome AHL season, navigating its rigours, and making it to the 2025 Jets camp in full well being. He’s been productive when wholesome however wants persistence and a protracted runway to re-establish himself as a prime NHL prospect.
Neal Pionk
“There’s no dumbbell that’s going to repair no matter occurred within the playoffs,” Neal Pionk stated in a one-on-one dialog final week.
Our dialog was concerning the Jets’ dedication to getting “5 to 10 p.c higher” and the soul-searching that comes with it. Pionk had already spoken to needing a psychological reset over the course of the summer time. He didn’t share his coaching secrets and techniques, selecting as a substitute to focus the dialog on his mindset getting into an enormous season for the Jets.
“For myself, it’s the mindset. There’s no particular drill on the ice that’s going to repair all the things in a single day,” Pionk stated.
It’s no secret that this season will flip partially on Pionk’s means to re-establish himself as a bona fide top-four defenceman. His greatest seasons in that regard had been his first ones in Winnipeg: 2019-20, partnered with Dimitry Kulikov, and 2020-21, alongside Derek Forbort. That’s when he signed the four-year, $5.875 million AAV contract that hasn’t at all times gone the way in which he’d hoped. Pionk was injured towards Toronto in December 2021, taking Jason Spezza’s knee to his head. He was injured once more towards Dallas early in 2022-23, blocking a shot that broke his foot.
He didn’t realize it was damaged till an MRI confirmed the supply of his ache every week later.
“I used to be enjoying on it so the coach gave me a alternative. I stated, ‘So long as I can skate, I’ll play,’” Pionk stated. “I don’t wish to blow it out of proportion, as a result of so many different guys are enjoying with that type of stuff. It’s not a ‘poor me’ type of factor.”
The attention take a look at in these seasons did recommend harm. I speculated a few foot harm a number of occasions, together with in writing for The Athletic, as a result of Pionk’s mobility appeared to have taken successful. He’s at his greatest when he gaps tightly and protects his blue line with aggression, breaking performs up earlier than they flip into lengthy D-zone shifts and net-front battles. This is determined by mobility — forwards, backwards and laterally — and Pionk’s was failing him throughout these seasons (to the purpose the place it’s gorgeous that his teaching employees gave him the second-most minutes on that 2022-23 Jets group, damaged foot and all).
Pionk is again to full well being and has a peaceful confidence about himself and his group getting into this season. I’d hesitate to say he’s having an clearly dynamic coaching camp in the way in which that Morrissey did previous to taking a large step ahead two years in the past. I feel Pionk’s battle to ascertain himself as a top-four defenceman, notably with Samberg seemingly bumped up as a substitute of veteran Brenden Dillon, might be simply that: a battle.
Nonetheless, he has a superb mindset and has taken care of all the things he can by way of preparation for the season. I anticipate the Jets to wish to signal him, though the $5.875 million annual value of his present deal appears past the extent of efficiency he’s delivered thus far, accidents and all.
I requested Pionk about his method to his contract season — particularly as a result of 2020-21, his final contract 12 months, was most likely his best 12 months.
“You simply play the sport. The contract will type itself out. That’s why you rent an agent. You’ll be able to’t overthink it. You’ll be able to’t lose sleep about it. You simply play your sport and all the things will repair itself in the long run,” Pionk stated. “I might like to play right here. I might like to win right here. I’m going into my sixth season now. Our daughter was born right here. We’ve got a home right here. It’s six and a half hours away from residence for each of us. Our mother and father come up on a regular basis. Our family and friends come up on a regular basis. We really feel like we’re residence right here.”
(Photograph: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Photographs)
