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Home , Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine

Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/laine-hit-the-gym-not-the-ice-in- preparation-of-sophomore--444040433.html

Laine hit the gym, not the ice, in preparation of sophomore season

By: Mike Sawatzky

Patrik Laine has laboured long and hard to develop his skating and uncanny puck skills.

But, like the vast majority of Europeans who play in the NHL, on-ice prep is not an off-season priority.

"I just skated six or seven times," said Laine Tuesday morning between his first sessions at the Iceplex since returning to Winnipeg from Finland. "We don't skate a lot. We just work out at the gym, doing dryland (training)."

Any shooting drills? "No," he replied.

The 6-4 Laine looked a little bigger ("four or five kilos, that's pretty good for me," he said) and, judging by Tuesday's small sample size, his seems to have lost none of its velocity or accuracy. And his release appears to be as ridiculously quick as it was last season, too.

The Finnish scoring sensation took the NHL by storm last year — his rookie season. Laine, who turned 19 on April 19, scored 36 goals and 64 points in 73 games and was the runner-up to of the Maple Leafs in Calder Trophy voting for the NHL's top rookie.

Does he have a number in mind for 2017-18?

"It's the ," said Laine. "That's my only and, for myself, to try and be a better player this season and to help my team win more games."

Where Laine eventually lands this season, as a left- or right-winger, could impact his production and possibly his defensive play. He played on both sides with the Jets last season but, although he's right-handed, grew up in the game with a preference for his off side.

However, Jets head coach believes his most effective position could be as a right- winger.

"Long term, I think his choice would be to play the left," said Maurice Monday. "But after the year on the right, when we moved him over, he agreed the game was easier for him on his forehand.

"I’m probably gonna start him on the left again, I know that’s where he wants to get to. As soon as he feels real comfortable and he can get up the ice on his off side then he’ll probably fit there. But he’s going to play left and right this year."

For Laine, it's not an issue.

"Well, I don't really care," said Laine. "If Paul wants me to be a lefty or right, I don't care. I can play both. There's some pros and cons in both."

Tuesday was Laine's first chance to rub shoulders with Steve Mason and defenceman Dmitry Kulikov, a pair of seasoned vets acquired via the unrestricted free-agent market.

"I think it looks really good," said Laine. "It's kinda like the same bunch of guys we had last year and a couple of new faces in the locker room. So, I think it looks really good. I'm excited to get the season started."

NOTEWORTHY: The Jets will hold medicals on Thursday with the start of training camp scheduled for Friday at the Iceplex. The club's fourth annual Fan Fest will be held on Saturday at the Iceplex. Admission is free for the event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m... Jansen Harkins had two goals as the Jets prospects earned a 4-1 win over the Flames in their final game of the YoungStars Classic rookie tournament in Penticton, B.C., Monday. Some of those participants will get invites to the start of main camp for the Jets or the AHL's Manitoba Moose. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/despite-agreeing-to-be-exposed-in-the-expansion- -enstroms-heart-was-always-in-winnipeg-444022983.html

Despite agreeing to be exposed in the expansion draft, Enstrom's heart was always in Winnipeg

By: Mike Sawatzky

Toby Enstrom always felt like he had unfinished business in Winnipeg.

It's one of the reasons he decided to help the Jets out this summer, honouring GM Kevin Cheveldayoff's request to waive the no-movement clause in his contract in advance of the NHL Expansion Draft. The move allowed the Jets to protect an allotment of seven forwards, three defencemen and one goalie, which was preferred by management.

In return, Cheveldayoff promised Enstrom he would do his best to keep the 32-year-old Swede in Winnipeg. But there could be no guarantees.

"Actually, for me it wasn't hard at all," said Enstrom following Tuesday's informal workout prior to Friday's opening of training camp at the Iceplex. "(The) , I've been with this franchise for 10 years. And of course, I wanted to stay here and I want to play here. In the end it wasn't hard at all."

The possibility of being chosen by the expansion was very real but a pre- draft deal was struck, securing Enstrom's place with the Jets. He had taken a few days to consider Cheveldayoff's request but didn't hedge.

"There's always a chance (I would be chosen)," said the veteran defenceman, who is entering the final season of a five-year deal that will pay him US$5.75 million in 2017-18. "The things this organization has given me and my family, you can't put words on that. And I felt like they asked me to do it and I wanted to give something back to keep this team moving forward.

"I took a few days. But this is home for me. I've been here for forever... I love it here. I love the people in Winnipeg. I came back Sunday night here and when I landed, it was like it feels like coming home. It feels good and the thing is, I've been with this team for so long and I want to win. That's the biggest thing for me now."

The off-season was a time to rest, recuperate and recharge for Enstrom.

A concussion, suffered on a illegal hit from behind by Tom Sestito of the , ended his season on March 8 and his recovery took time. He went home to Ornskoldsvik, a six- hour drive north of Stockholm and a place where he can live the quiet life he prefers.

"You know what, the city I live in they raise so many good players — (Peter) Forsberg, (Markus) Naslund, Sedins (Daniel and Henrik), (Victor) Hedman," said Enstrom. "They're used to hockey, so in that city, it's pretty easy to move around, get around. Like I said say, they're so used to big names in hockey. I like it up there, it's nice and quiet. I fish a lot."

Enstrom found even more contentment in his personal life when he married his fiancee, Swedish television reporter Camilla Nordlund, in a mid-summer ceremony.

"She's great for me," said Enstrom. "We have fun together. She stayed here last year with me. We made it work last year and she'll be here this year, too."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Enstrom was asked to project what he thought teammate and scoring sensation would be capable of in 2017-18, his sophomore season.

"It's written in the stars. Great kid. I mean, we've all seen him play. He can do magical things so... I guess we'll see this year," said Enstrom.

TSN.ca https://www.nhl.com/news/mark-scheifele-of-winnipeg-jets-aims-to-me-among--elite/c- 291009354?tid=277548856

Scheifele: We need to make the playoffs

By Frank Seravalli TSN Senior Hockey Reporter

The NHL’s annual preseason media tour in New York is nicknamed the “car wash,” because it’s a steady lineup of stars moving from one room to the next at league headquarters answering questions.

The questions range from silly to serious. One favourite: “When was the last time you cried?”

Winnipeg Jets centre was not asked that question, but he wasn’t all business in his wide-ranging chat with TSN and ESPN last week following his breakout season:

Q: If you were Commissioner Bettman and you could make one rule change to better the game, what would it be? Scheifele: “Go to the Olympics, I would say. I know I was definitely disappointed with the news last year about the Olympics.”

Q: Why are the Olympics so important to you? Scheifele: “It’s like the next best thing. We all dream of winning the , but right there is winning a gold medal, playing for Team Canada in the Olympics. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I think when you have even the slightest chance of making the team you want to have that opportunity to play.”

Q: Coming off last season, there has been a significant increase in expectations in Winnipeg. Do you sense that? Scheifele: “I mean, we scored a lot of goals last year. With the buzz around [Patrik] Laine, a kid like [Nik] Ehlers, then we make pickups like [Steve] Mason and [Dmitry] Kulikov. We have a little bit of buzz around us, maybe a lot more in Winnipeg than around the hockey world, but we all feel those expectations every year. We know that we’ve got to make the playoffs. It’s not we hope to make the playoffs; we need to make the playoffs. I know I want to be in the playoffs. I want to go on a long run. There’s nothing more fun than winning. But I think we’re all feeling that pressure to do some big things this year.”

Q: What do you think held the Jets back last year? Scheifele: “Our whole team just didn’t click. One game we’d be great defensively, but we couldn’t score. The next game we’d score, but we’d be terrible defensively. We have to be consistent each and every night. We do have the firepower to score. We have the horses on the back end, and we’ve got good goaltending that’s going to keep the puck out of the net. That’s a big thing for us – just finding that consistency together. Not half the time, all the time. Every game we have to know what we’re getting out of each other. It’s an exciting time for us. Hopefully we start to make some more waves, start to make the playoffs and make the Stanley Cup. Hopefully we’re right up there.”

Q: What’s it like having a 19-year-old celebrity in your dressing room? Scheifele: “We always give it to him; tell him he’s a god in Finland.”

Q: Tuukka Rask was just here and he said Laine and Teemu Selanne are the two biggest names back home. He’s almost like Teemu Jr. Scheifele: “Honestly, it’s crazy though. We don’t think of it because we’re in Canada and we don’t see a lot of it, but this year with the media attention he had and the stardom he has, it is crazy. There was Finnish media there every day. I was like, ‘Give this guy a break, he’s 18 years old. Let’s get him a day off.’”

Q: If we didn’t know Laine, how would you describe him? Scheifele: “He’s pretty quiet, actually. He’s a pretty humble guy. Pretty soft spoken. He’s not talking your ear off, that’s for sure. I know in the media he got a [reputation] for being a little too confident, but he’s literally the opposite if you were to talk to him outside of the rink.”

Q: Do you think any of that “confidence” is a language barrier? Scheifele: “A little bit, but I think he also knows he is good. He’s a really talented hockey player. If he gets asked a question, he is going to answer it honestly. But if you talk to him off the ice, he’s humble. He wants to do the best for his linemates. He wants the best for everyone. It’s not, ‘I’m the best. I’m the greatest.’ It’s something that before I met him I probably never would have thought, listening to the media interviews before the draft. The humility and quietness that comes with him was a little bit of a shock.”

Q: How do you pass time on the plane? Scheifele: “I watch shows and movies. I either sit with [Julian] Melchiori or [Michael] Hutchinson, which is tough because I don’t know if either of them will be there this year. I might need to find new buddies. We’ll rent a movie or buy a movie or show. I have a splitter so we can both put our headphones in. I watched The OC last year with Hutch. Great show.With Melchiori, we’d talk the night before and figure out what movie we should watch. We usually pick stupid comedies, but I never saw Inception before this year. I was like, ‘This is awesome.’ Mind blown. It’s a good way to decompress. I don’t like to think a lot. On the plane, it’s like the one time you’re not on your phone. You can watch a mindless show or good movie and relax.”

Q: What do you know about Steve Mason? Scheifele: “Calder Trophy winner. Good goalie. Obviously a little different style [Mason catches with his right hand], though we were kind of used to it with Hutch a little bit. We all know he is a solid goaltender and we’re hoping that he continues to progress his game. I read in some interviews he said he’s feeling the best he’s ever felt in his career. Hopefully he’s a good fit with our team and our system.”

Q: What’s the feeling going into the season with a new face in net? Would it be nice to not have to answer questions about goaltending anymore? Scheifele: “I think excitement. We know we have a solidified NHL goaltender. There were always questions: Is it a young guy? Is it Hellebuyck or Hutch? Is it Pav [Ondrej Pavelec]? Obviously, Hellebuyck is an unbelievable goaltender and he’s only getting better because he’s young - goalies don’t reach their peak until a little bit later. He can come in and take the starting job. But I think it’s always comforting when you have a veteran, solidified goaltender in net.”

Q: You’ve made consecutive jumps of 15, 12 and last year 21 points - netting a career-high 82 points last year. What’s next? How do you improve on an already good year? Scheifele: “Everything I worked on this summer. I had a pretty good plan in mind of things I needed to work on. I’m a pretty hard-working guy. I don’t want to just be seventh in the league in scoring; I want to be at the top. That’s something I can push for, whether it’s in the gym or on the ice. No matter what it is, I want to be the best. I try to work harder than any other guy in the league. It’s a tough thing to do but you’ve got to make some sacrifices to do that. I’m definitely willing to put them in.” http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/jets-prepared-to-end-playoff-drought~1207163 (VIDEO LINK)

Jets prepared to end playoff drought

Two years ago the Jets brought playoff hockey back to Winnipeg, but they've now missed the postseason in back-to-back years. With the team's core maturing, Mark Scheifele believes that the playoffs should always be an expectation for Winnipeg.

The Athletic Winnipeg http://globalnews.ca/news/3735301/winnipeg-jets-prospects-looking-to-take-next-step-in- hockey-careers/

LeBrun: Overlooked superstar Scheifele ready for national spotlight

By Pierre LeBrun

He might just be the most underrated star in the NHL.

“That was a silent 82,” Jon Cooper said, marveling at Mark Scheifele’s total from last season, seventh-best in the league.

The head coach bookended his 2016-17 season with Scheifele at the in September and the world championships in May, and came away beyond impressed by a young man he knew hardly anything about before those two events.

“I didn’t know him from Adam before the World Cup,” Cooper told this week. “If I was going to circle a couple of the guys that I was really, really impressed with by the end of the World Cup, he was one of them.”

Cooper, an assistant on Todd McLellan’s Team North America staff at the Word Cup, recalls the extra time after practice when a handful of players would stick around for extra drills and fun on the ice.

“There was a group of four-five guys that would stay on each time after practice, and Scheifele was one of them,” Cooper said.

That should surprise absolutely no one that has crossed paths with the 24-year-old native of Kitchener, Ont.

The work ethic is through the roof. The desire to get better has no limit. The curiosity level about how to self-improve is sky high.

“That’s the cool thing about our game, it’s what I love. I wake up with a smile on my face every morning because there’s always something you can learn,” Scheifele told The Athletic. “It’s not the same thing over and over, there’s always something that can be taught. There’s innovation all the time. That’s what I love.”

If that reminds you of a certain superstar out of Pittsburgh, it should. And like the great , Scheifele is a total hockey nerd. He wants to know what’s going on around the game. He seeks information.

I shared with Scheifele the story of chatting with No. 87 on the eve of the Penguins-Sharks 2016 Stanley Cup final. How despite the time zone difference and the fact, well, the Penguins had been a little busy en route to getting to the final, while most of his teammates were waiting to get briefed in team meetings about the Sharks, Crosby already knew every facet of that vaunted San Jose power play. He had taped many of their games and watched them.

Scheifele is dialed in, too. Cooper, Canada’s head coach at the worlds in Paris, recalls the many hockey conversations he had with Scheifele during both tournaments, the young center rhyming off stats like nobody’s business. And then he stumped the coach.

“He’s like, ‘Hey Coop, do you remember that time you guys were playing that team and Brayden Point made that play?',” Cooper chuckles. “So I had to pretend I knew what I was talking about and then go back and look at the game and realize that’s what he was talking about. That’s how in-tuned he is. He really pays attention. He’s paying attention to an Eastern Conference team he doesn’t even need to be paying attention to. Once his playing days are over, he can coach if he wanted to.”

Turns out Scheifele watched plenty of film this off-season.

“I watched a lot of Sidney Crosby video this summer, just to try and figure out things that he does, places that he goes on the ice, his mannerisms, his posture, the kind of things that he does as a player that helps him succeed,” Scheifele said.

“He’s the best player in the world at every area in the game. He makes everyone around him better, whether it was Kunitz, Rust, Sheary, Guentzel, whoever it is, he gets the most out of them. That’s something I envision for myself, as a center I want to be the guy that drives the other two forwards on your line, drives the defensemen to be better, drive everyone on your team to be better. That’s something I’ve definitely taken to heart this summer. Any guy can learn from a guy like Sid. He’s doing something right.”

And now he wants to challenge Sid, and Connor McDavid, and whoever else is competing for the league scoring title. Why not?

“I worked my butt off this summer to try and become one of the best players in the league,” Scheifele said. “You try to find another edge on Connor, another edge on Sid, another edge on Stammer (), that’s how you become the best by learning from the best and try to one-up them.”

It was November last season when Scheifele was actually leading the NHL in scoring when he got his favourite text message of the year.

“I got a text from Connor saying, ‘Hey, can you slow down?' ” laughs Scheifele. “I was like, ‘Are you kidding? You’re going to catch me any night.' And obviously he did. And I returned the message back when he went on his tear, saying ‘Hey, you mind slowing down a little bit?' That was pretty cool.”

Talk about cool, how about Scheifele ending the World Cup on a line with McDavid and Auston Matthews.

“He deserved it,” Cooper said.

“The World Cup did a lot for my confidence,” Scheifele said. “To be able to play with McDavid and Matthews, it was pretty sweet, to realize I was able to play with guys like that. I learned a lot about myself and knowing that if I kept working hard I could be right there and contending with those guys for years to come.”

Having Patrik Laine as a teammate for years to come leaves him giddy, too.

“He’s still so young, that’s what is so exciting,” said Scheifele, who played about half the season with the electric Finn on his wing. “But what’s also fun is how many different wingers I can play with in Winnipeg and they’re all so talented, whether it’s Wheeler or Ehlers or Laine or Perreault.”

The national attention is just beginning to grow for Scheifele, and as much as it’s flattering, something bigger burns in him.

“Individual accolades are only good if you’re winning and you’re getting in the playoffs,” he said.

“Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, what would he be without his Cups, you know what I mean? Your individual statistics only last so long, I won’t be fully satisfied until we’re a winning team and experienced all that.”

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-making-sense-matt-duchenes-situation/

31 Thoughts: Making sense of Matt Duchene’s situation

By Elliotte Friedman

23. Mark Scheifele with some great insight into Sidney Crosby and how that affects Scheifele’s own approach. “Sid does it consistently. He makes the same play over-and-over again. He creates so many chances by being consistent for his linemates.” What does “being consistent for your linemates” mean?

“Obviously Sid likes certain areas on the ice. He likes that back post, clearly guys know he’s there. Through the neutral zone, he does certain things over and over. They know where he’s going, they know his reads. That’s what chemistry is. They know his reads, they know what he’s thinking. Obviously, Sid is at a different level the way he thinks the game, but being consistent for everyone around you helps everyone be the best player that they can. When they get stuck in a situation it’s not like, ‘Where is everyone?’ It’s like, ‘Sid’s right there.’”

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/bourne-connor-s-speed-is-exceptional-1.854520

Bourne: Connor's speed is exceptional

Justin Bourne of The Athletic discusses the type of impact Kyle Connor, and Eric Comrie can make at the NHL level this year. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/munz-stanley-s-skating-has-improved-immensely- 1.854515

Munz: Stanley's skating has improved immensely

TSN 1290 broadcaster Brian Munz speaks to Kevin Olszewski about the players that stood out at the YoungStars Tournament in Penticton which include and . They also discuss the position battles to watch for at Winnipeg Jets training camp. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/cotsonika-scheifele-setting-the-bar-as-high-as-possible- 1.854671

Cotsonika: Scheifele setting the bar as high as possible

NHL.com columnist Nick Cotsonika joins the Afternoon Ride to discuss Mark Scheifele’s comments aspiring to be better than Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/vincent-amazing-to-see-progression-through-penticton- tournament-1.854674

Vincent: Amazing to see progression through Penticton tournament

Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent joins the Afternoon Ride to review the Winnipeg Jets performance at the Young Stars tournament