Youth Movement Continues in Winnipeg

Jets youngsters Mark Scheifele, Nik Ehlers, and Nic Petan celebrate a goal during preseason action. Photo courtesy of pinterest.com.

The Winnipeg Jets started their season with a considerable amount of new youth to insert. Nik Ehlers, the headliner of the group has looked dangerous on many shifts playing with an offensive unit in Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele. Ehlers has shown he’s consistently looking to be a threat, whether it be through a quick snapshot or his unique ability of cutting inside on defenders and getting a quick shot off. Paul Maurice has also mentioned no concern of his defensive game, saying the effort has been there since day one.

Nic Petan, although in a much different role than Ehlers, has looked like looked like the rare case where a highly skilled offensive player actually benefits from playing on the fourth line. His linemates, Andrew Copp and Chris Thorburn, don’t play a particularly skilled game, but Petan is benefitting from being afforded time to learn to adjust his 5’9 frame to the rigors of the NHL. Maurice has also shown trust in him and a willingness to help him develop, since he is also getting plenty of time on the second power play unit. In most cases your fourth liner’s only special teams contribution is on the penalty kill, but the Jets have been afforded the rare opportunity where a power play man is stored in the bottom of your lineup.

Should any top 9 Jet go down with an injury, look for Petan to seamlessly slide to the left of Scheifele, and move the defensively responsible Mathieu Perreault off of his line to play with Adam Lowry and Alex Burmistrov. Continue reading

Paul Maurice gives young center Mark Scheifele some strong instructions during a game against Detroit. Photo courtesy of windorstar.com

Since Paul Maurice has been hired in Winnipeg, I’ve found his interviews to be enlightening and engaging; I’ve enjoyed listening to pretty much every single one. In this article you will find analysis and insight highlighting topics he speaks about that I find interesting. He is one of the best interviewees in hockey and, in my mind, one of the most intelligent as well. He is well known for delivering insightful, well-communicated answers when asked about his hockey club.

When highlighting the differences between last year’s playoff roster and this upcoming season’s roster, the names are easy to switch out, and they’re all at forward. Gone are proven veterans Jiri Tlusty, Lee Stempniak, Jimmy Slater, and Michael Frolik. The Jets now have a bunch of kids to replace ‘em. New to the team this year are Nik Ehlers (19), Nic Petan (20), Andrew Copp (22), and Alex Burmistrov (23), an average age of 21 years old. Continue reading

Alex Burmistrov shields the puck from LA defenseman Rob Scuderi. Image courtesy of www.snipview.com.

First Dance in the Big League

Back in June of 2010 when then-Thrashers GM Rick Dudley selected Alex Burmistrov with the 8th overall pick, he conveyed his excitement almost from day one. Noted as a player “we had been targeting a long, long time”, Dudley was elated at the possibility of finally having a true number one playmaking center, a vacancy that had never been filled since losing Marc Savard to free agency four years earlier in 2006. Right after the draft Dudley evaluated Burmi as being a “brilliant two way player”, and during his rookie season in Atlanta he held the fort strongly as an 18 year old third line center, offering sound defensive play and a willingness to play in any role. Other than being a little undersized, he certainly didn’t look out of place. He’d finish his 18 year old season with 6 goals and 14 assists in 74 games,

Entering 2011, with all the hype of hockey’s return to Winnipeg, it was a memorable year for many reasons: the first Jets goal, the unveiling of the new uniforms, and the jam packed MTS Center rapidly climbing the ranks of the NHL’s loudest building. It was, however, not memorable for the second year center. Showing reasonable improvement on his first year (13g, 15a), Burmistrov also started displaying the signs of a player who started playing in the NHL just a little too early. So concerned about getting his defensive duties correct and being reliable, you started to see a little bit less of what made him such an intriguing prospect back in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. During his rookie season – before his offensive instincts were crushed out of him – you saw amazing tight turns in the offensive zone, firing off a pass mid turn to find a streaking winger. You saw him try to use his soft hands a little more to pull the puck quickly away from the defender and without missing a beat find a pass to his teammate. During his second year, we also saw him slowly start to hold the puck a little bit less along the boards than normal, after being outmuscled hundreds of times during his 75 game rookie season. It’s a shame, because his ability to control the puck along the boards in junior was one thing that allowed him to be so electric; combining that with his vision and hands, you saw the potential for a fascinating playmaking package. Continue reading

Image courtesy of sportsnet.ca

The Winnipeg Jets enter 2015-2016 coming off the most successful season since relocating in 2011. Led by the fast-paced, hard hitting philosophies of head coach Paul Maurice, the Jets earned 99 points to sneak into the playoffs. The leadership group rose up to the challenges of Maurice and have set the tone for what the “Winnipeg Way” is and the young core of Mark Scheifele, Jacob Trouba, and Adam Lowry all have showed immense promise. Despite being swept in four games to the veteran Anaheim Ducks, there is plenty to look forward to in the snowy plains of Manitoba’s capital. General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff seems to agree, as he stayed relatively quiet during the off season.

Here’s a look at what transpired this offseason and what to expect for the upcoming year. Continue reading

Tune in to this article series for fantasy predictions and analysis on the top 5 sophomores at every position. Using NHL guidelines, a sophomore is anyone who played more than 25 games last season, and who qualified to compete for the Calder trophy. The crop of players entering their second full season can be ripe with potential and often is the type of off the radar pickup that can propel your fantasy team atop the standings. Last year, second year players such as Jaden Schwartz, Brandon Saad, and Gustav Nyquist broke out, while Nail Yakupov and Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau were victims of the sophomore slump. Who will it be this year?

Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
Defenseman
Goalies

5. Patrick Maroon, LW, Anaheim Ducks

An underrated acquisition for the Ducks back in 2011, Maroon followed up 4 excellent years of seasoning in the AHL with his first full season in the NHL. Playing primarily alongside Mathieu Perrault and Teemu Selanne, Maroon posted a respectable 29 points in 62 games. He’s shown he has the capability of complementing skilled players by using his large body and solid hands, and figures to remain a top 6 option for coach Bruce Boudreau. Following the departure of both Selanne and Perrault, Maroon figures to be a complementing forward to the fantasy goldmine of Getzlaf-Perry, or slotting in down a line with newly acquired Ryan Kesler. His 101 minutes spent in the sin bin add fantasy versatility while sporting the upside of playing for a proven Anaheim Ducks squad.

Final Thought: 76 GP, 19 G, 25 A, +14, 132 PIM Continue reading