Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-launching-into-awards-territory- 471389844.html Jets launching into awards territory By: Mike McIntyre The Winnipeg Jets’ surge to the top of the NHL’s Central Division standings hasn’t gone unnoticed by hockey media and fans across North America. The Professional Hockey Writers Association revealed Friday the winners of 10 mid-season awards, based on a vote of more than 150 journalists in NHL markets across the league and 2,000 fans who cast their ballots online. Among the local highlights are goalie Connor Hellebuyck finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting, and coach Paul Maurice sitting third in Jack Adams Award voting. Three other members of the Jets garnered some votes: Blake Wheeler was fifth in Hart Trophy voting, Kevin Cheveldayoff was sixth for GM of the year and rookie Kyle Connor 10th in Calder Trophy voting. PHWA members will vote on end-of-season NHL awards in April. Here’s the top-3 mid-season results for each category: Hart Trophy — to the player adjudged to be most valuable to his team 1. Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche 3. John Tavares, New York Islanders Norris Trophy — to the defenceman who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability in the position 1. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings 3. John Klingberg, Dallas Stars Selke Trophy — to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game 1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins 2. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers 3. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings Calder Trophy — to the player selected as the most proficient in his rst year of competition 1. Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders 2. Brock Boeser, Vancouver Canucks 3. Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins Lady Byng Trophy — to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability 1. Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames 2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs 3. Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo Sabres Vezina Trophy — to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position 1. Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets 3. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators Jack Adams Award — to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success 1. Gerard Gallant, Vegas Golden Knights 2. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning 3. Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets GM of the year award — to the general manager adjudged to have contributed most to his team’s success 1. George McPhee, Vegas Golden Knights 2. Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning 3. Ray Shero, New Jersey Devils Rod Langway Award — to the defenceman who best excels in the defensive aspect of the game 1. Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings 2. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins 3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning Comeback player of the year award — to the player who returned to a previous high level of performance that was interrupted by subpar play, long-term injury or major illness. 1. Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning 2. Brian Boyle, New Jersey Devils 3. Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers Wheeler says it will be chaos. Hellebuyck was more concerned about making his flight in time. Maurice doesn’t want either player to pull a muscle. The all-star break has arrived, and Wheeler and Hellebuyck are representing the Jets this weekend in Tampa Bay, Fla. "Chaos. It’s going to be hectic. But this whole weekend isn’t about rest and recovery. It’s going to be a fun experience, the family is going to be down there, so I’m excited about it," Wheeler said following the Jets’ 4-3 shootout loss in Anaheim on Thursday night. Wheeler and his teammates took a charter flight back to Winnipeg, arriving just after 4 a.m. Friday. There wasn’t much time for Wheeler or Hellebuyck to catch their breath before flying to Florida. "Hopefully, I can catch my plane, maybe do a little bit of relaxing," Hellebuyck joked in a post- game chat in California. "I’m just going to enjoy the whole weekend, soak everything in, try to make some memories." Maurice said he’s happy for his two players, even though he’d prefer they were putting their feet up and getting some rest. "Make sure you warm up before the game, don’t pull anything, and enjoy the heck out of it," was Maurice’s advice to the pair. The Jets did some roster shuffling Friday connected to the upcoming NHL and AHL all-star games. Goalie Michael Hutchinson was returned to the Manitoba Moose. That allows him to go to Utica, N.Y., to play in Monday’s AHL all-star game. He’s expected to head right back to the Jets in time for Tuesday’s game at Bell MTS Place against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In exchange, the Jets recalled goalie Jamie Phillips from the Moose. The move is purely to ensure the team has a goalie when they return to practice Monday — especially since Hellebuyck will be making his way back from Florida after playing in Sunday’s NHL all-star game. Phillips, 24, is 1-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .932 save percentage with the Moose this season. This also allows top goalie prospect Eric Comrie to continue playing with the Moose, as he did Friday night and is expected to do tonight in Laval. Manitoba also recalled goalie Colton Phinney from their ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville to serve as Comrie’s backup this weekend. Phinney, 24, is in his first pro season of hockey after four seasons at Princeton University. He owns a 3-7-1 record with a 3.49 GAA and a .878 SV% in 15 appearances with Jacksonville. In an additional move, the Jets returned winger Brendan Lemieux to the Moose. He has dressed in seven games with the Jets so far this season, and had been up with the team as an extra forward on this road trip. It’s possible he could be recalled next week, depending on whether injured forward Adam Lowry is ready to return to the lineup. Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/whod-have-thunk-it Who'd have thunk it? By Paul Friesen Those were definitely flashes of playoff-style hockey as the Winnipeg Jets battled through San Jose and Anaheim to get to the NHL all-star break. And while they got through it with aplomb, collecting three of four points, you couldn’t help but wonder how they’d handle a longer dose of the stuff over a six or seven-game series. Would the pounding take its toll? Would the roster, bolstered by AHL callups and maybe, just maybe, a trade deadline acquisition or two, prove deep enough to get through one playoff round? Two rounds? Three rounds? We’ve learned a lot about the Jets so far this season, but not as much as we’re going to learn the rest of the way. Captain Blake Wheeler obviously liked what he saw in Anaheim, Thursday, a game in which the Jets may have taken more than they gave, but played the rugged Ducks dead-even. “We didn’t shy away,” is how Wheeler put it. “We were in every corner with them.” They’ve been rubbing shoulders with the big boys all season. And the rest of the NHL is starting to notice. Individually, the Jets are getting unprecedented attention for the league’s major individual awards. The Professional Hockey Writers Association, which votes on most of them, chose mid-season winners for the first time in decades, Friday, and Connor Hellebuyck finished second in the voting for the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender. If you saw that coming going into the season, go out and pick the winning numbers in the Lotto Max, right now. Hellebuyck ranks second in wins, with 26, behind only Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (29), who leads the Vezina race at this point, too. Wheeler probably won’t win the Hart Trophy as league MVP, but he placed fifth on the mid- season ballot, getting votes from 60 of 152 writers, including three first-place votes. And Paul Maurice ranks third in the voting for the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year, behind everyone’s choice, Gerard Gallant of Vegas, and Jon Cooper of the Lightning. The Jets may not take home a single trophy, but simply being in the running for so many is a step up the NHL food chain. A year ago, the only one in the conversation for anything would have been Patrik Laine for the Calder as top rookie. But individual recognition isn’t all this upstart team from the prairies is getting. There are head coaches out there actually predicting the Jets will win three playoff rounds and represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. No less than six coaches picked the Jets to win the West in a poll conducted by TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the results of which he released this week. Only Nashville (16) and Vegas (seven) were picked by more. At 29-13-8, Winnipeg’s 66 points is good for the No. 2 spot in the conference, behind only the expansion Golden Knights. Going into the season, anyone predicting the Jets would trail Vegas by two points at the all-star break might have raised an eyebrow or two. Predicting they’d be the top two teams in the West would have brought in the men in the white coats.