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Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/put-wheeler-back-on-wing-when- scheifele-returns-473434493.html

Put Wheeler back in right-wing spot With the return of the team's centre, should go where he's most valuable

By: Scott Campbell

With all the excitement about Mark Scheifele likely returning to the lineup tonight, it brings up the question of what to do when all the team’s centres get healthy.

Should return to his regular right-wing spot or stay in the middle, where he’s been since Scheifele went down in late December?

The old adage about icing a squad that’s strong down the middle being the best way to build a championship team has a number of fans believing Wheeler should stay at centre.

With everyone healthy — Matt Hendricks and are currently out — the Jets could have Scheifele, Wheeler, and Lowry as their pivots. No doubt, an enviable group.

Adding , Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Jack Roslovic, and Joel Armia to Scheifele, Wheeler and Little gives you three lines that can produce offence on any given night.

Lowry, Andrew Copp and Brandon Tanev (currently injured) were a strong shutdown line and could be reunited. Marko Dano might slot in here as well.

If the Jets added a forward or two via trade, this would be quite the collection. It also might lessen the price the Jets would have to pay for a centre, as comparable wingers are usually cheaper.

They’ve been winning with sophomore Laine and either of the rookies, Connor or Roslovic, playing with Wheeler — it’s tough to argue with success.

However, moving from one’s natural position often isn’t easy on a player, particularly when you move from the wing into the middle.

The hardest part, to me, would be the defensive zone changes in various situations. You’re no longer just making sure your point man (or high guy above the slot if the puck is on your offside) is covered when the opposition has the puck. It’s not that difficult to get into position for an outlet pass when your team gains possession.

This is obviously dependent on the system, but it’s much less complicated than playing centre.

For me, as a defenceman, knowing what the centre was going to do was imperative — faceoffs were important, but this reached into numerous situations.

Draws often turn into scattered play, where you need to have a both a coverage strategy and one to exit the zone. In most cases, you need to have the centre supporting wherever the puck is.

That’s a long way from a winger looking to take off for a breakaway pass when your team grabs the puck.

There are too many other things to go into here, but I have an immense appreciation of what Wheeler has done.

While he’s kept producing points, some underlying numbers have been less impressive. However, I give him the benefit of the doubt due to the youngsters he’s played with while at centre.

Those same stats have some similarities to the ones he had with Scheifele earlier this year, yet they were lighting it up on the scoreboard.

For me, Wheeler’s centre role is similar to Little playing with Ehlers and Laine earlier this season, with him having to make sure he was covering up for the young, offensive wizards but seeing his own numbers suffer.

With Perreault joining and revitalizing Little and Ehlers, that line has taken off. If Wheeler had the benefit of Perreault on his wing, his possession numbers and scoring chances likely would have jumped, as almost everybody’s do when playing with Perreault.

All things considered, I think Wheeler is a good centre, but I don’t consider him one of the NHL’s best centres.

On the other side of the coin, I do put him in my top-five wingers in the league.

Why is Wheeler so much better on the wing?

Obviously his speed helps with the extra open ice he gets there, and he’s an absolute bull whether rushing with the puck or forechecking.

A centre is often following the play after he’s recovered the puck and moved it forward. It doesn’t allow as many opportunities for Wheeler to unleash his best attributes.

While he possesses those power moves, his vision and ability to use his intimidating speed often causes hesitation among opposing defencemen. A quick stop and pass to a teammate who’s in a scoring position is more easily done down the wing.

His ability to make adjustments is excellent. While it’s not five-on-five play, I love how he confuses the opposition’s -killing unit enough to get a pass through to Laine on the power play, who has been ripping it.

Maurice has his preferred penalty-killing units, but I liked the Wheeler-Scheifele combo earlier this year. Always a threat to score, they also pressured the opponent’s power play a bit, even when the Jets were still in sit-back mode. There’s more pressure being applied by this unit now, so it should get even better.

As Roslovic has been keeping Scheifele’s spot warm in man-advantage situations with Wheeler, this duo makes line continuity much easier. Laine is also on that unit and the trio has practised together as a line.

I’m still in wait-and-see mode as far as what Maurice will finally do with the captain.

It’s possible he just wants Scheifele to be comfortable in his first game back. If they need assistance down the lineup, he can always flip Wheeler back to the middle until help arrives.

While there’s a decent argument to keep him at centre long-term, it’s an easy choice for me.

I’m taking an elite winger over a good centre all day long. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/copp-on-top-hard-working-forward-has- potential-for-increased-production-473457823.html?k=6kWxEH

Top Copp taking care of business More offensive stats sure to come for reliable forward

By: Jason Bell

Rarely do Andrew Copp’s assignments gain him attention on the evening TV highlights, but his work receives almost no focus during team video sessions, either.

That’s huge for the third-year Winnipeg Jets forward.

Copp’s offensive numbers aren’t particularly flashy — he’s fired just four goals and added 16 assists while being among only seven skaters to play all 54 games this season for the Jets.

The requirements of his job — and the reality of his skill set — don’t include challenging Patrik Laine for the team -scoring lead or transforming into a crafty setup man like Blake Wheeler.

Head coach values the 6-1, 204-pound Copp as a reliable, defensively aware forward — a guy whose performances since the day he arrived in Winnipeg haven’t required dissection during the usual day-after-game video sessions.

"He was a fourth-line centre (in 2015-16), and those guys usually are not playing with players that can carry them. The centre-ice position can be detailed and there’s lots to learn, and he never made the video. He was just right," Maurice says. "Not a lot of production (from him), and he’s just continued on that path. But he doesn’t make many mistakes.

"We think there’s some offence there, too. But he seems to have embraced the role and understands that you’re not just going out to check a line, you’re going out to play in the other team’s end against their best. So, there’s very little room for risk in that game in how you move the puck.

"A player that wants to put up numbers for that next contract sometimes struggles with that," Maurice says. "(Copp) has embraced it. He’s just a very consistent, conscientious player."

Copp relishes the opportunity to battle other teams’ best lines. Playing left wing with centre Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev, he and his linemates were highly efficient for much of the season — before injuries struck — while charged with shutting down other clubs’ most lethal trios.

Without padding their offensive statistics, their plus-minus numbers continued an upward trend because they simply didn’t allow teams to flash the goal light.

Lowry (upper body) will miss his third straight game tonight, and 11th of the team’s last 13, while Tanev will sit out his second straight (upper body). Copp again shifts to the middle on the Jets’ third line against the St. Louis Blues, with Joel Armia to his right and Kyle Connor to his left.

The 23-year-old product of Ann Arbor, Mich., who sports a plus-12 to share the team lead with defenceman Tyler Myers through two-thirds of the season, says he gets great satisfaction preventing opponents from getting good looks at Winnipeg’s goaltenders.

"Sixteen points and plus-12. That’s tough to do. I take a lot of pride in my defensive game, and am very confident in it. When I get that pairing (with Lowry) and we get Tanev or Armia with us, we can play against any line in the league and be successful. That’s my strength, my defensive game, my hockey IQ and my work on the PK (penalty kill), so I feel like that’s been the standout part of my year, for sure."

There’s a perception Copp is carrying a wider frame this year, although he maintains that’s not really the case. In fact, he was an imposing figure, and even a few pounds heavier, in his final year at the University of Michigan (2014-15).

But he’s increased his strength since turning pro, and as a former high school quarterback — it’s been well-documented Copp got some looks from Division I schools to go the football route — lifting weights has always been part of his regimen.

Copp says he’s always tinkering with ways to play bigger on the ice, and a key to his robust style has been his skating improvement, which would surely please his mother, a figure-skating coach and former competitor.

"I’ve gotten faster, a little more deceptive, which makes it harder for guys to pin me against the wall, especially in the offensive zone. Defensively, I feel really comfortable, especially down low, going against anyone in the corners," he says.

Copp joined Winnipeg for its final regular-season game of the 2014-15 season and picked up his first NHL point when he set up ex-Jet Lee Stempniak’s goal against the Flames. He cracked the club’s opening-night roster in October 2015, and will play the 197th game of his NHL career tonight

Passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, Copp played his first season with the Wolverines and was selected by the Jets in the fourth round (104th overall) in 2013. He played two more years with Michigan, ending his college career with 81 points (40G, 41A) in 107 games over three seasons.

Copp was the Wolverines’ captain in 2014-15, and earned All-Big-Ten second-team all-star recognition.

Michigan assistant coach Brian Wiseman says watching Copp become an integral part of Winnipeg’s winning formula is no surprise.

"He started out as a fourth-line right-winger for us, and by Christmas he was our No. 1 centre, so that tells you the effort he put in and what we thought of him within two-and-a-half months of him being on campus," Wiseman says. "He was named captain in his junior year, which again speaks volumes to his work ethic, his attitude, being a good teammate, a leader, and someone we could rely on as a coaching staff to carry the messages of what we’re trying to do here with the other guys in the locker room.

"It comes from how motivated Andrew is to being a professional. We saw it during his three years here, and people in Winnipeg are seeing that now in his third year of pro. He’s not only a smart, hard player to play against, he has a lot of skill. He’s turned into a real complete player in my mind, and I still think there’s growth in Andrew’s game to round out some of the offensive side as well."

So, his old coach and current coach are of like mind when it comes to Copp’s potential for increased production, and it’s something he craves as well.

Copp laments his struggles to deposit more pucks in more cages, particularly at a stage in his pro career when he’s receiving more playing time than he’d been accustomed to since he established himself with the Central Division club during the 2015-16 season.

Copp was in the neighbourhood of being a point-per-game player in his last two years with Michigan, so seeing his name on the scoresheet every three or four games still grates on him.

"Man, there’s been a lot of chances that haven’t gone in. I mean Tuesday (in a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes), the last four minutes of the game I get a two-on-one with (Wheeler), then an empty-netter gets tipped away. I’ve hit probably eight posts this year," he says. "That part has been, at times, frustrating.

"That four (goals) number isn’t where I want it to be. It isn’t probably indicative of how many chances I’ve had this year. I feel like there’s been times where I’ve had four Grade-A’s in a game and haven’t been able to bury, so it’s obviously something that I’ve been trying to work on and concentrate on. But at the same time, I can’t be sacrificing defence to create more offence."

Winnipeg centre Mark Scheifele, who returns to the lineup tonight after missing 16 games since Dec. 27 with an upper-body injury, says Copp’s value to the club isn’t measured by his individual stats.

"He’s been playing awesome. He’s a guy that skates so powerfully, I think that’s why he can go wherever. He’s a smart player, he’s got a very high-level IQ. He’s got the body and the skill to match it," said Scheifele, who lives with Copp in Winnipeg. "That’s why he’s able to play centre, he’s able to play wing, he’s able to do it all so well. First off, he works very hard at it, watches lots of film, works on it a lot in practice and in games. That’s what happens with hard work."

For Copp, the last three-plus years have been a whirlwind, and he has a difficult time wrapping his head around the fact his milestone 200th game will occur on this 10-game homestand.

"Where did the time go, honestly?" he says. "Growing up, I wasn’t even thinking NHL, I was just worried about trying to play hockey at Michigan. That was the goal. This is really the cherry on top." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/winnipeg-plans-to-keep-winning-with- scheifele-473496823.html

Winnipeg plans to keep winning with Scheifele

By: Mike McIntyre

Life without No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele was surprisingly fruitful, to the point that Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice dropped a bombshell as he greeted the media following practice Thursday.

"We’re trading him," Maurice deadpanned.

"He's one of the best players in the league. He's a big part of our room, a leader on the team. You put a guy like that back into a team that's already winning, it's just even better," said defenceman Ben Chiarot.

He was kidding, of course. But the way the Jets not only survived, but actually thrived, without the services of Scheifele was nothing short of amazing. They went 11-2-3 in his time on the injury list, a span that has them in better position now then when he went down on Dec. 27 with an upper-body injury.

Winnipeg now gets to see if they can continue their winning ways as Scheifele returns to the lineup tonight when the Jets host the St. Louis Blues in a Central Division match at Bell MTS Place. It’s the fifth game of a 10-game homestand.

"We’ve been saying, maybe we just keep you out until things go a little sideways," defenceman Ben Chiarot joked Thursday, before heaping praise on Scheifele and what he means to the club.

"You can’t say enough about him. He’s one of the best players in the league. He’s a big part of our room, a leader on the team. You put a guy like that back into a team that’s already winning, it’s just even better," he said.

Winnipeg is 32-13-9, with a one-point cushion over the for first place in the division. St. Louis is 32-20-3, which leaves them in third place, six points behind the Jets pending the result of their Thursday night home game against the Colorado Avalanche. They split a pair of meetings in mid-December, with the Blues winning 2-0 on home ice, and the Jets responding with a 4-0 win the next night in their rink.

Maurice didn’t hesitate in immediately putting Scheifele back with captain Blake Wheeler on the top line, along with sniper Patrik Laine, to take on the Blues. Wheeler has been filling in at centre for the Jets since Scheifele went down, and Maurice had previously said he would consider keeping him at that position and on a different line.

"In order for me to consider it harder, I think we would have had to have a fairly healthy lineup on the wings as well," Maurice said. "Blake going into the middle now is kind of a place that we can go if we need to. But I’ll put him back there (right wing), those two guys have such great chemistry."

Maurice said the silver lining to Scheifele’s injury was discovering several things about his team, not the least of which was how well Wheeler can handle increased responsibilities. Wheeler had five goals and 11 assists in the 16 games without Scheifele, a point-per-game pace. That’s not much off the nine goals and 33 assists he posted in 38 games with Scheifele in the lineup. He also won 49.6 per cent of his faceoffs.

"After Mark went down, a bunch of good things happened for us. Blake’s play in the middle, Bryan Little’s line, their role got changed and when they came off the bench got changed, they play against the other team’s best," said Maurice, who called Wheeler a "Hart Trophy candidate" as most valuable player in the league.

"We survived this because of him and his leadership," Maurice said. "We thought Blake would do a good job in that middle. We’d seen it a couple games, we knew he would try real hard. But we didn’t know, and how could you, that he would be as good as he was in the middle."

Wheeler said Thursday the return of his longtime linemate will bring plenty of energy into a dressing room that is already feeling pretty good these days, despite a rash of injuries they’ve managed to navigate.

"On the ice, that makes it really exciting. What he brings to the room, just his enthusiasm for the game, is going to be welcomed back. He comes to the rink every day, works incredibly hard and brings a great attitude to the rink every day, a great voice on the bench," Wheeler said. "I’m pretty excited about the opportunity to play with him again."

Wheeler admits his team’s performance without Scheifele exceeded his expectations, and he doesn’t worry about any kind of letdown with his return.

"Terrified isn’t the right word, but I was concerned about how it would work," he said. "Obviously we’ve kept the ship afloat while he’s been out. I haven’t sensed any complacency in our team since the first day of the season. If anything, you look around our room, we’re pretty beat up right now. Just because we got one guy back doesn’t mean we’re all right here."

The temporary move to centre might have another positive spinoff; Wheeler said it’s possible he could be a more well-rounded player as a result.

"You learn how important it is for your wingers to battle on the wall for you and get pucks out. As a centreman, it can be tedious and frustrating when you have to keep stopping and turning back because those darn wingers can’t get the puck out," he said.

"I think, today, we feel that me on the right wing and (Scheifele) at centre and having us together gives us the best chance to win. That may change. That’s an ongoing conversation." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-lose-another-goalie-hutchinson-out- with-concussion-comrie-next-man-up-from-moose-473418433.html

Team short on luck when it comes to goalies

By: Mike McIntyre

If the Winnipeg Jets weren’t already in the market for a goaltender, they certainly should be now. And maybe some bubble wrap, a lucky rabbit’s foot and a four-leaf clover while they’re at it.

Michael Hutchinson is out indefinitely with a concussion after taking a deflected to the mask, head coach Paul Maurice revealed on Thursday. The incident happened during Tuesday’s morning skate, but symptoms didn’t surface until after Wednesday’s practice.

"He started feeling unusual," Maurice said. "It was a tip in front of the net, a shot along the ice that came up on him."

Hutchinson won his only start this season with the Jets, a 3-1 victory last week over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is now in concussion protocol.

Eric Comrie was recalled Thursday afternoon from the Manitoba Moose. He has just two NHL starts under his belt, including a 6-4 loss in Florida earlier this season. He is 15-8-2 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 25 games this year.

Winnipeg is already without goalie Steve Mason, who has missed the past 10 games after suffering his second concussion of the season. Just like Hutchinson, the damage was caused by friendly fire as a teammate hit him in the mask during a morning skate in Chicago on Jan. 12.

Mason recently resumed light skating on his own, but there is no timetable for his return. Medical officials are being extra cautious given his medical history.

"He’s in and out. So he’ll skate one day, they’ll keep him off the next. It’s just a real longer curve on second concussion in a short period of time," Maurice said.

Mason suffered the first concussion in late November when he was hit by a slapshot from the San Jose Sharks’ Jannik Hansen. That injury cost him seven games. Maurice was asked Thursday what it says about equipment and the velocity of shots that one team could lose two goalies to three separate concussions in a season — all caused by taking pucks off their masks.

"I think some of these are just unusual runs. You’ll go a long stretch and nobody gets an injury," he said. "I don’t know if there’s a theme to it. I remember watching Dominik Hasek practise and trying to stop pucks with his head, screaming at players to one-time it. He was leaning into the shots."

Maurice said the situation may affect his plan for No. 1 netminder , who was possibly going to get one of the next three games off. Now Maurice may have little choice but to keeping running with Hellebuyck, given the importance of these upcoming games, how tight the Central Division standings are and Comrie’s lack of NHL experience.

The Jets play the St. Louis Blues tonight, the New York Rangers Sunday afternoon and the on Tuesday.

It’s also possible general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff may start to work the phones in advance of the Feb. 26 trade deadline to look at bringing in another goaltender, given the current string of bad-luck injuries. Winnipeg has plenty of cap space, prospects and draft picks to dangle as bait, and this is too important of a position to just try to slap a bandage on.

In other injury news, forward Brendan Lemieux didn’t practise Thursday. Maurice said he was "a little bit banged up" during Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes and held out as a precaution. He won’t play against the Blues, which means the Jets have no extra healthy forwards at their disposal. They do have one extra skater in defenceman .

Forwards Matt Hendricks, Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev and Shawn Matthias are injured and not currently skating. Hendricks is considered to be the closest to returning, with Lowry likely right behind him. Both are listed as day-to-day. Tanev and Matthias are week-to-week. Top- pairing defenceman is also out with an ankle injury and is at least a month away from returning.

As a result of Hutchinson’s injury, Jamie Phillips — who began the season playing in the ECHL — is now the de facto starter for the Moose. Following Comrie’s recall, Manitoba signed Jake Hildebrand to a professional tryout.

Hildebrand, 24, has played in 36 ECHL games this season with the Tulsa Oilers, going 12-15-6 with a 3.28 GAA and .907 SV%. Manitoba finishes up a nine-game road trip this weekend with a pair of games in Cleveland before playing eight in a row starting Thursday at Bell MTS Place.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/to-be-honest-jets-didnt-expect-this

To be honest, Jets didn't expect this

By Paul Friesen

They wouldn’t have dared utter these words six weeks ago, but the Winnipeg Jets must have had their water bottles laced with truth serum, Thursday.

The captain and the head coach apparently both took long swigs of the stuff, acknowledging that when Mark Scheifele crumpled into the corner boards in a game against , Dec. 27, they never dreamed this team would go 11-2-3 without their No. 1 centre.

“To be honest, terrified isn’t the right word — I was concerned about how it would work,” Blake Wheeler said. “For me, you don’t want to come in (at centre) on a first-place team and have that go south.”

Wheeler, of course, was instrumental in the Jets not only treading water without Scheifele, but slicing through the current like sharks in the turbulent Central Division.

He says his success at centre wouldn’t have been possible without some teammates taking on bigger roles, and succeeding.

Bryan Little’s line, for instance, had to take on other teams’ top lines, and win, allowing Wheeler to get his feet under him in a new position.

“It allowed me to have some favourable matchups at home, hide us a little on the road, as much as we could,” Wheeler said. “And just build some confidence in what we were trying to do. What it did was make us hunker down a bit, defensively. You can see there’s been a buy-in, that maybe we’re going to have to sacrifice a little on one end of the ice to make it work, defensively.”

Coach Paul Maurice says no one sacrificed more than Wheeler.

The overall numbers suggest the captain’s production barely lagged at all: in the 16 games without Scheifele, Wheeler managed 16 points. And while he dropped from eighth to 12th in NHL scoring, his points-per-game pace dipped just a hair.

Look closer, though – he hasn’t scored a goal in 12 games and has just four assists in the last six games – and the coach’s point has some substance.

“He’s a Hart Trophy candidate for me this year — he has been that good,” Maurice said of Wheeler. “Almost all of our numbers got actually better, especially the defensive side of the puck. We’ve played some of our best hockey… he never cheated once.

“We survived this because of him and his leadership.”

Going .500 would have been surviving.

The Jets have thrived.

Going into Friday’s home game against division-rival St. Louis, they were on top of the Central with 73 points, one up on Nashville, although the Predators were making up one of their two games in hand, Thursday night.

The remarkable run, sans Scheifele, has surprised the coach, too.

“And we had Lowry in and out at that time,” Maurice said. “It surprises me… because we didn’t know. We thought Blake would do a good job in the middle. We’d seen it a few games. We knew he’d try real hard. But we didn’t know, and how could you, that he’d be as good as he was in the middle.

“You take two of the top three centres off any team — that record is good if everybody else is healthy, let alone that challenge.”

The challenge now is to not have one, big exhale with Scheifele back.

Maurice can’t see it. Not with players like Jacob Trouba, Adam Lowry, Matt Hendricks and Brandon Tanev still out and the competition for roles and ice time as high as it’s ever been.

Ditto, Wheeler.

“We’ve kept the ship afloat while he’s been out,” Wheeler said. “But I haven’t sensed any complacency in our team since the first day of the season. If anything, look around our room. We’re pretty beat up right now. Just because we have one guy back doesn’t mean we’re alright here.”

We’ll give the last word to Scheifele, who may or may not not have taken a sip from the same water bottles as his coach and captain.

“I had faith in this team,” Scheifele said. “We’ve been through a lot. And we’ve always taken a step forward no matter what’s happened.

“We have a good team. And that’s what good teams do.”

There’s plenty of truth in that. http://winnipegsun.com/news/local-news/ehlers-dishes-out-an-assist-with-skip-the-dishes

Open arms, chirps, welcome Scheifele back

By Paul Friesen

Players were joking that maybe Mark Scheifele should be kept out of the lineup because they’re winning without him.

The coach even joked he should be traded.

It’s all smiles when your No. 1 centre returns from a six-week absence and you’ve gained at least a point in 14 of 16 games without him.

“We’ve been saying, ‘Scheifs, maybe they should just keep you out until things go a little sideways,’ ” Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot said on the eve of Mark Scheifele’s return against the St. Louis Blues, Friday. “He’s one of the best players in the league, a big part of our room and a leader on the team. You put a guy like that back into a team that’s already winning, it’s even better.”

Scheifele will go back to his regular spot, moving Blake Wheeler back to the wing.

While Paul Maurice had hinted Wheeler could stay at centre – especially after he scored five goals in his first five games at the position, and 10 points in seven games – the coach has backed off that idea, for now.

“In order for me to consider it harder, we would have had to have a fairly healthy lineup on the wings as well,” Maurice said. “Blake going into the middle is a place we can go if we need to.”

Wheeler says he’s OK with that ongoing conversation, but for now he’s fired up to get back to being Scheifele’s right-hand man.

“Anytime I get a chance to play with 55, I’m going to take that opportunity,” he said. “We have a pretty special thing. I love being out there with him.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-snaps-hutchinson-out-roslovic- takes-new-role-in-stride-copp-an-option-at-centre

JETS SNAPS: Hutchinson out, Roslovic takes new role in stride, Copp an option at centre

By Paul Friesen

Paul Maurice simply calls it a run of bad luck.

But it could alter what the Winnipeg Jets are looking for as they approach the Feb. 26 trade deadline.

The Jets have lost their second backup goalie to a concussion, and once again it was friendly fire that took him out.

Michael Hutchinson has joined Steve Mason on the sidelines, going through the team’s concussion protocol after taking a shot off his mask earlier this week.

“Michael took a puck in the morning skate two days ago, and was fine,” head coach Maurice explained after Hutchinson missed practice, Thursday. “And then started to feel unusual after (Wednesday’s) skate. So he got tested. He has a concussion. He’s in the program.

“The one that got Hutch was a tip in front of the net. It was a shot along the ice that came up on him.”

Mason is still recovering from his second concussion of the season, suffered when a teammates’ shot caught his mask during a morning skate in Chicago, Jan. 12.

It’s unusual to have even one goalie suffer a concussion during a season, let alone two goalies on three different occasions, twice from teammates’ shots.

“Some of these are just unusual runs,” Maurice said. “You’ll go a long stretch and nobody gets an injury, and then you’re home, you’ve got lots of rest and you start racking up injuries. I don’t know that there’s a theme to it.”

The Jets have recalled Eric Comrie from the American League’s Manitoba Moose, and he’ll back up Connor Hellebuyck for Friday’s game against St. Louis.

With the Jets on a relatively light part of their schedule – they play just six games in the next 14 days and don’t have a back-to-back set until Feb. 23-24 – it could be a constant dose of Hellebuyck between the pipes.

“We’ve played one game in our last five, we’re going to get days off in there — it’s as good a schedule as you’ll ever find to run one guy,” Maurice said. “So we’re fortunate in that situation. We don’t have a back-to-back for a couple of weeks, and even then we’ve been home for almost a month, so we should be rested.”

That back-to-back comes just days before the deadline.

And while Maurice says it’s too soon to say the Jets will be shopping for a goalie, it’s also an unpredictable injury to deal with.

“I don’t think they’re going to be that significant,” he said. “But we don’t know.”

REDUCED ROLE FOR ROSLOVIC Mark Scheifele’s return means somebody has to give up ice time, and the most affected player appears to be rookie Jack Roslovic, who’ll go from the first line to the fourth and likely lose power-play time, as well.

“I hope I can be his calibre one day, here,” Roslovic said of Scheifele, taking the move in stride. “I’m going to work every day to be as good as him. I just want to gain the respect around the league that he has. But for right now that’s not my role. I’m going to do what they tell me to do and keep working hard.”

Roslovic has been playing with Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine. He’s expected to skate alongside Nic Petan and Marko Dano, Friday.

“It’s just reality,” he said. “You’ve got to stay in the now. Keep working hard and your time will come. You want to be there now. Now sometimes isn’t the right time. You’ve got to be willing to do the right things and be able to see the light ahead.”

Roslovic and other young players like Kyle Connor and, more recently, Petan, chipped in enough to help the Jets survive the loss of Scheifele.

The first-round pick in 2015 scored his first three NHL goals, all in the last five games.

“That’s not a bad stat,” Roslovic said. “But three goals doesn’t make a career right now. I’ve got better in me.”

COPP CATCHES COACH’S EYE While Wheeler’s play at centre gave Maurice something to think about, so has Andrew Copp’s time filling in for the injured Adam Lowry in the middle of the third line.

“Now at least we have some options,” Maurice said. “For a while we didn’t. We’ve got centre- icemen now.”

Copp’s plus-12 rating, tied with defenceman Tyler Myers for the best on the team, says it all about his two-way play, Maurice said.

“He seems to have embraced the role,” the coach said of the 23-year-old, third-year pro. “And understands you’re not going out just to check a line, you’re going out to play in the other team’s end against their best. So there’s very little room for risk in their game and how they move the puck.

“And a player that wants to put up numbers for that next contract sometimes struggles with that. He’s embraced it.”

THE LAST WORD “This lineup’s good and we’re going to have good players coming back at some point. So the fight’s on.” –Maurice on the internal competition that should keep driving players and warding off complacency. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/hutchinson-out-with-concussion-comrie- on-his-way

Hutchinson out with concussion, Comrie on his way

By Paul Friesen

The Winnipeg Jets have lost another backup goaltender to a concussion.

And once again, it was friendly fire that took him out.

Michael Hutchinson has joined Steve Mason on the sidelines, going through the team’s concussion protocol after taking a shot off his mask earlier this week.

“Michael took a puck in the morning skate two days ago, and was fine,” head coach Paul Maurice explained after Hutchinson missed practice today. “And then started to feel unusual after yesterday’s skate. So he got tested. He has a concussion. He’s in the program.

“The one that got Hutch was a tip in front of the net. It was a shot along the ice that came up on him. Some of these are just unusual runs.

With Steve Mason still recovering from his second concussion of the season — also from a teammates’ shot during a morning skate, in Chicago, Jan. 12 — the Jets have recalled Eric Comrie from the American League’s Manitoba Moose.

Comrie will back up Connor Hellebuyck when the Jets host the St. Louis Blues, Friday.

The game also marks the return of centre Mark Scheifele, who’ll skate between Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine on the top line.

That bumps rookie Jack Roslovic down to a fourth line, with Nic Petan and Marko Dano.

Roslovic has three goals in the last five games, helping the Jets run up an 11-2-3 record without Scheifele. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-gameday-vs-blues

Five keys to Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues

By Paul Friesen

Winnipeg Jets vs St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m., Bell MTS Place; TV: TSN-3; Radio: TSN1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

The Goalies With Steve Mason and now Michael Hutchinson sidelined with concussions, it’s Connor Hellebuyck’s crease for the foreseeable future in Winnipeg. At the other end, Carter Hutton, who started for the Blues Thursday against Colorado, has outshone Jake Allen in the Blues net this season. The two previous meetings between the teams have both resulted in shutouts – one for each. Both had identical save percentages of .917, going into Thursday night.

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME

The Scheifele/Wheeler reunion After 16 games on the shelf, Mark Scheifele returns to the Jets lineup, and nobody is happier than linemate Blake Wheeler, who hasn’t scored in 12 games. It shouldn’t take long for these two, playing alongside Patrik Laine, to rediscover their chemistry.

Back-to-back Blues While St. Louis hosted Colorado, Thursday night, this team is no slouch when playing a game on consecutive nights. In eight previous occasions this season, they’re 6-2-2, and an astounding 21-4-2 in their last 27 tries. The Jets can’t expect a worn-out team or one that’ll fade easily.

The opening 20 You’d be hard-pressed to find teams who rely so heavily on the first period. While the Jets are an impressive 19-1-2 when leading after 20 minutes, the Blues had yet to lose in regulation in that scenario (17-0-1). Those are eye-popping numbers that show an ability to shut an opponent down once these teams get a lead.

About that power-play Scheifele should boost the Jets power play, still ranked No. 2 in the league but with just three goals in its last 22 chances. The Blues have struggled all season with the man advantage, ranked 28th. If Winnipeg wins the special-teams battle, it’s halfway home.

Stopping Vlad With Scheifele back, we’re not sure which Jets line will get the assignment to shut down the Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko has 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in his last 13 games against the Jets, although he was goalless in his last five games, going into Thursday. Brayden Schenn shared the team goal lead (21) with Tarasenko, and led the Blues with 51 points.

Sporting News http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nhl/news/winnipeg-jets-michael-hutchinson-injury-news- concussion-practice/fbi7uysd2r5l1ouq7n3ggluxe

Jets' Hutchinson diagnosed with concussions as goalie injuries mount

By Evan Sporer

Winnipeg Jets goaltender has been diagnosed with a concussion, the second one sustained by a Jets goaltender and the third one this season. Head coach Paul Maurice revealed the injury news to reporters Thursday after Winnipeg practiced.

Hutchinson had been recalled by Winnipeg because regular backup Steve Mason had also sustained a concussion, which also occurred during a team practice. It was Mason's second diagnosed concussion in a two-month span, leaving the Jets with a goaltending need behind start Connor Hellebuyck.

Much like Mason's most recent concussion, Hutchinson's was sustained during a morning skate, on Tuesday, prior to the Jets game against the Arizona Coyotes (Hutchinson did not play that night). According to Maurice, the injury occurred when Hutchinson was hit in the mask by a deflected shot. And just like Mason's concussion, symptoms did not manifest until the next day after practice, when Hutchinson " ... started feeling unusual," Maurice said.

Maurice said that these two most recent concussions each were sustained during a team practice is not a cause for concern, or indicative of a pattern.

"Some of these are just unusual runs," he said. "You'll go a long stretch and nobody gets an injury. I don't know if there's a theme to it. I remember watching Dominik Hasek practice and trying to stop pucks with his head, screaming at players to one-time it. He was leaning into the shots."

While Hutchinson returned to the AHL for the All-Star break, and even played in the AHL All- Star Game, he started the Jets' first game coming out of their layoff to provide a respite for Hellbuyck, who participated in NHL All-Star Weekend. Hutchinson made his first and only start of the season and stopped 23 of 24 shots to lead the Jets to a 3-1 victory against the top team in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While he's spent the majority of the past three seasons in the NHL, Hutchinson has been in Manitoba with the Jets AHL club virtually all season this year, after the Jets signed Mason in the offseason. Hutchinson has excelled in that role though, selected an All-Star while helping lead the Moose to the best record in the Western Conference in second-best record in the AHL. Hutchinson ranked in the top-five in the AHL save-percentage (.942; second overall) and goals- against average (1.95; third).

With Hutchinson injured, the Jets recalled Eric Comrie to Winnipeg, while also placing forward Brandon Tanev and Matt Hendrick each on injured reserve retro Feb. 3. http://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nhl/news/winnipeg-jets-mark-scheifele-injury-update-news- friday-return-st-louis-blues/bimawd7z4so91v6po979rhzui

Mark Scheifele to return to Jets lineup Friday

By Evan Sporer

It was six weeks and one day ago that Winnipeg Jets then leading scorer Mark Scheifele crashed into the boards, sustaining an upper-body injury the team announced would keep him out of game action for 6-to-8 weeks.

Apparently, six weeks and two days to be exact.

Schiefele will return to the Winnipeg lineup on Friday when the Jets play host to the St. Louis Blues. Winnipeg could enter play Friday atop the Central Division; they're ahead of the Nashville Predators by one point, and Nashville plays the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Jets were able to keep maintain their footing in the division and then some without Scheifele, producing an 11-2-3 stretch of hockey.

"We have a good team," Scheifele said. "It takes a full team. That's what good teams do. There are injuries that happen all over the league, and our team did a good job of facing every injury.

"The team has been able to step up and gotten wins."

When he was healthy, Scheifele was on one of the most productive lines in the NHL with Jets captain Blake Wheeler. When Scheifele sustained his injury, Wheeler slid over to center in Scheifele's place, but was back on Scheifele's right wing at practice on Thursday, an indication of where he could play in his return on Friday against St. Louis. On the opposite wing was Patrik Laine.

"He's obviously one of our top players, and one of the top players in the league," Wheeler said. "I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to play with him again. He and I have developed a pretty good chemistry. Me, him and [Laine] have the makings of what could be a pretty good line, so we're excited about that."

The Jets had seen some line juggling in the early months of the season, where Laine spent some time with Bryan Little and Nikolaj Ehlers on the second line. Mathieu Perreault skated in that spot, while Laine moved up to skate with Scheifele and Wheeler, a spot that Kyle Connor had been in for a good chunk of time. (Connor skated on the third line at Winnipeg practice.)

"Right after Mark went down, a bunch of good things happened for us," head coach Paul Maurice said. "We've had a number of people have to play against the other team's best, and for us to win be better than they are. Now Mark comes back, so it's another option on the bench to run your lines, to even some minutes out a little bit."

When Scheifele sustained his injury, he had recorded 38 points in 38 games, and was 14th in the NHL in scoring (his linemate, Wheeler, had 42 points and sat in eighth). Scheifele finished seventh overall in the scoring race last season with 82 points, while Wheeler finished tied for 11th with 74.

Sportnet.ca https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-mark-scheifele-hurt-get-bored-pretty-easily/#//

Jets’ Mark Scheifele on being hurt: You get bored pretty easily

By Josh Beneteau

Mark Scheifele is close to returning to the Winnipeg Jets lineup and he can’t wait to get back on the ice.

“You’re not doing a whole lot, especially when it first happened,” Scheifele said Thursday on Prime Time Sports. “I wasn’t able to move around too much, I wasn’t able to do a whole lot so you get bored pretty easily.

“That’s a tough thing to go through, if you’re not doing anything and just sitting around bored all the time it can take away from some of the healing.”

Scheifele hasn’t played since suffering a shoulder injury on Dec. 27. He credited his teammates and family for helping him stay active during his recovery, especially early on when the pain in his shoulder made it hard to sleep.

“We have such a great group of guys,” he said. “I have a great family around me, I have great friends and if I didn’t have them it would have been a really hard to go through.”

Scheifele returned to the ice last week and this week participated in full practice. He skated alongside his old linemates Patrik Laine and Blake Wheeler, a pair he had a lot of success with before the injury.

A lot has been made recently of how well the Jets have played without Scheifele, especially since he’s considered one of their best offensive weapons. The team entered Thursday’s action atop the Central Division standings and has an 11-2-3 record in his absence.

The team has played so well in fact that head coach Paul Maurice jokingly suggested that they might not even need Scheifele.

After missing the playoffs last year, the Jets look like a real championship contender. While that may be surprising to outsiders, Scheifele said he’s known since training camp that this is a special group. But he’s also is aware of the growing expectations on his team that come with continuing to win.

“The biggest thing for our group this year is not letting us get to high or letting us get to low,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s all about what you put on the ice, and when you get on the ice you have to put that all behind you, all out of your mind, and do what you can to win.”

That push for the playoffs will get a big boost once Scheifele is back. And that return could come as early as Friday against the St. Louis Blues. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/scheifele-taking-idea-jets-stanley-cup-threat-stride/ (VIDEO LINK)

SCHEIFELE TAKING THE IDEA OF JETS BEING A STANLEY CUP THREAT IN STRIDE

Mark Scheifele joins Prime Time Sports to talk about sitting out some of the season with injury and the Winnipeg Jets being on a remarkable run this season.

NHLPA.com https://www.nhlpa.com/news/1-14953/hellebuycks-confidence-contagious

HELLEBUYCK'S CONFIDENCE CONTAGIOUS

BY: CHRIS LOMON

When things get frenetic inside the Winnipeg Jets blueline, knows he doesn't have to panic. Not with Helly on the case.

Currently in his third season between the NHL pipes, Connor Hellebuyck possesses the ability, proudly noted by his teammates, to instill confidence during moments that would typically elicit a much different response.

Whether it’s facing a barrage of high-percentage shots with the Jets down a man, staring down a one-timer, or readying himself for a breakaway chance, the 24-year-old goaltender always exudes composure.

“Helly's game is so solid in all areas, but something people might not see or be able to feel on TV is just how calm he is on the ice,” offered Morrissey, in his second full season with Winnipeg. “I think ‘calm’ is something that's used often when describing goalies, but I may have never played in front of such a poised, calm guy. It may not sound like it’s as important of a quality as some other goaltending attributes, but as a defenceman, having a guy like that behind you just makes the game easier.

“Rebounds are always put to the right spot out of harm’s way, pucks are always covered or caught and plays stopped before they could have even started, all by hockey sense,” he continued. “It's his poise that keeps our team calm when the other team is buzzing with momentum. What's amazing is his ability to look that same way every night, which is a true testament to his preparation and work ethic.”

Prior to the NHL, the six-foot-four, 207-pound Hellebuyck made his presence known in U.S. collegiate hockey with the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Over two NCAA seasons, he allowed just 84 goals in 53 games while backstopping his team to consecutive Hockey East championships. In 2014, he was selected as the inaugural Mike Richter Award recipient as the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division 1 ranks.

Selected in the fifth round (130th overall) by the Jets six years ago, the Michigan native won his NHL debut on Nov. 27, 2015, against the Minnesota Wild. It was the first of three straight wins (he allowed one goal in each game). Hellebuyck netted his first NHL shutout on Dec. 27, 2015, making 30 saves against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He won 13 games in 26 starts in his 2015-16 NHL rookie campaign and was named to Team North America for the 2016.

Prior to the start of the 2016-17 season, Hellebuyck was handed the starter’s role for the Jets. This season, he’s already set a slew of personal-best marks.

Not bad for a self-described “big and boring” goaltender who didn’t make the NHL Central Scouting's list of the top 36 North American netminders eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft.

“I think what is great about Helly, and our team as a whole, actually, is the fact we have so many guys with high-end talent that are always trying to get better and push each other to get better by driving the pace every day, whether that's in practice, in the gym or by something like watching video,” said Morrissey. “It's a great way that our team holds one another accountable, led by guys like Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. When you see those guys and others like Helly doing absolutely everything they can to get better and working their hardest, it makes the guy next to them want to do the same.”

And that’s precisely what Morrissey does.

“There are many things you could learn from Helly. He is probably one of the more mentally tough guys I've played with – nothing seems to faze him.”

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/with-scheifele-healthy-wheeler-returns-to-wing~1322715 (VIDEO LINK)

With Jets Scheifele healthy, Wheeler returns to wing

Mark Scheifele centred a line with Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine at Jets practice on Thursday, which means the Jets captain will likely move back to the wing, now that Scheifele's healthy.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/ates-ehlers-little-perreault-line-stepped-up-in-schiefele- s-absence-1.992830

Ates: Ehlers-Little-Perreault line stepped up in Schiefele's absence

Murat Ates of the Athletic speaks with Andrew Paterson and Darrin Bauming on the afternoon ride about Mark Scheifele's return to the lineup, how the Ehlers-Little-Perreault line has picked up the slack in Scheifele's absence and the attributes that have made them so successful. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/kennedy-roslovic-is-untouchable-for-jets-at-trade- deadline-1.992591

Kennedy: Roslovic is untouchable for Jets at trade deadline

Ryan Kennedy from The Hockey News joined host Kevin Olszewski to discuss the upcoming group of NHL hopefuls and which Jets prospects could attract other teams at the Trade Deadline. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/morrissey-we-spend-a-lot-of-time-with-each-other- away-from-the-rink-1.992374

Morrissey: We spend a lot of time with each other away from the rink

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey joined The Big Show for his weekly visit, discussing the Jets 4-3 win over Arizona, the current 10 game home-stand, dealing with injuries, the return of Mark Scheifele, the relationship between Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, playing with Tyler Myers and the tightness within the Winnipeg Jets locker room. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/at-centre-wing-and-the-dressing-room-wheeler-having-mvp- season/c-295752830

At centre, wing and the dressing room, Wheeler having MVP season "He's a Hart Trophy candidate for me this year" - Head Coach Paul Maurice by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - When the news broke the Winnipeg Jets would be without their No. 1 centre for up to two months, both captain and coach, admittedly, feared the worst.

"'Terrified' isn't the right word," a more relaxed Blake Wheeler said Thursday, "but I was concerned about how it would work."

Paul Maurice, Wheeler's 22 teammates and the many thousands of Jets fans glued to their phones awaiting the prognosis the following day had a similar mindset.

The team had just come off an electric home-ice win over the , were 10 games above .500 and were poised for a big second half in their quest for their first-ever division title.

Without Scheifele, though - the preeminent player in a growing stable of star talent - the long, arduous journey already seemed dire. Instead, they rattled off an 11-2-3 record and remain atop the Central Division standings here today, thanks in large part to the play of their All-Star captain, who moved to the middle and served admirably in Scheifele's absence.

"He's a Hart Trophy candidate for me this year," Maurice, who doesn't normally speak of those accolades, opined following practice. "He's been that good. To come out of position to a place you haven't played (much before) … Almost all of our numbers actually got better, and especially on the defensive side of the puck. I don't know if that's 100 per cent true on absolute goals for and against, but certainly in all the measures we have in what we give up in a game, we've played some of our best hockey of the year."

Offensively, Wheeler had five goals and 10 helpers to maintain a point-per-game pace over the past 15. At the other end, and with a host of new responsibilities and rookies on each of his wings, the Jets - as a group - tightened things up with their banged-up squad and saw little change in what was given up defensively, in both volume and quality.

According to Natural Stat Trick, only six times in the 15 games without Scheifele did Wheeler's high-danger scoring chance percentage rank below 50 per cent. Simply, this means in that nine of those 15 contests, Wheeler and his linemates were producing a higher volume of quality chances (shots below the hash marks and within a 10 to 15-foot radius around the goal crease) than they were giving up.

In those 15 games, Wheeler finished with a high-danger scoring chance for percentage (HDCF%) of 54.5.

"Right around the time Mark went down he was around third or fourth in scoring. It's important to these guys. They want to produce. He's dropped to 12th, but he never came out and he never cheated once," Maurice said. "He took on the captain's role on a team that had a bunch of injuries, got out to the kids, drove them; helped them.

"We survived this because of him and his leadership."

Wheeler, who praised pivots Bryan Little, Adam Lowry and Matt Hendricks for mentoring him on the fly, doesn't take credit. At all. It's not in his nature and never will be, despite that fiery intensity with which he plays.

Any success or lack thereof in this game, in his eyes, can never be attributed to any one player.

"I know that's the glaring change. I go to the middle and we go on this incredible run," Wheeler said. "I give all the credit to those guys for helping me, talking to me on the bench all the time, taking some of those heavy matchups so when we did get on a bit of a roll, we were able to take on a bit more and worgook our way into that role. It wasn't one guy. From (Connor Hellebuyck) on out, every guy had a piece of that."

Still, his individual contributions cannot be discounted. In 54 games this year, he has 14 goals and 58 points and is easily on pace to smash his previous career high of 78 points.

At 31, no less.

At the time of Scheifele's injury, Wheeler didn't have a number in mind when asked how many wins he thought the team would need stay afloat through January, but knew it was going to take everyone's best to accomplish that and even be in the fight here today.

What he did know was that the Jets were one of the league's top teams, and the very prospect of that being taken away was a frightening thought.

"You don't want to come in on a first-place team and have that go south," he said.

"We were just hoping to keep steady and keep ourselves in the fight so when (Scheifele) came back, we'd have the opportunity to meet some of our goals."

Well, here we are.

The division-leading Jets are 32-13-9 entering Friday's tilt with the St. Louis Blues, who sit third in the Central and trail Winnipeg by six points.

With Scheifele back in the fold, Wheeler will move back to his usual post on the right wing, while Patrik Laine will jump on the left side to form a familiar top unit.

"When Scheif got hurt and they moved me to centre, what we do is we look at not what's going to make me happy, or Scheif happy, or make us come to the rink and be excited. However I'm best utilized to help the team win, [I'm going to do that]. Today, we feel that me on the right wing and Scheif at centre gives us the best opportunity to win. That may change, and that's an ongoing conversation, but I've stuck to what I've said all along. …

"Any chance I get to play with 55, I'm going to take that opportunity. We have a pretty special thing and I love being out there with him."

- Ryan Dittrick, WinnipegJets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/wheelers-trial-at-centre-a-lesson-for-young-players/c-295764356

Wheeler's trial at centre a lesson for young players by Ryan Dittrick @ryandittrick / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - After the initial shock of losing top-line centre Mark Scheifele to a long-term injury wore off, many were left asking: What now?

The answer - in the short term, at least - was right there in front of them, and proved to be a good lesson for young players everywhere looking to make more of an impact.

Thirty-one-year-old Blake Wheeler has always been known as a versatile, everything-for-the- team-type player, but his history of having played all three forward positions in his prime development years was a game-changer in what could have been a fight for survival.

Wheeler, who broke into the league as a natural centre out of the University of Minnesota more than a decade ago, took over in the middle and was immediately thrust back into the spotlight as a two-way tactician while the Jets jockeyed their way at the top of the tight Central Division standings.

On his wings, rookie sensation Kyle Connor and the stud sophomore, a 2017 Calder finalist, Patrik Laine, whose combined 135 games of NHL experience joined the captain's 700-plus on one of the league's most unlikely No. 1 forward units.

(Later, Jack Roslovic joined on Wheeler's right side and faced a similar learning curve.)

The trio was not only expected to maintain, but lead the charge offensively and contribute at both ends of the ice to help fill the void left by their talented, 80-plus point pivot.

Lofty, indeed.

"If I can just be positive with him, try to build them up, try to make them feel good, we can have some success. We went out and had a good first game and gained a little confidence with each other, and that was huge," Wheeler said about a month ago, just weeks into the centre experiment.

There was little, if any, doubt they could dominate offensively if they could get the puck in the right spots in the other teams' end, but the biggest adjustment and learning curve came 200 feet south, where the Jets have committed themselves more than ever to a dependable defensive structure.

Teams at the pro level employ a variety of strategies to not only contain top-end talent in their own end, but to quickly and effectively break the puck out and create their own offence in transition.

For the Jets, the key to the breakout is the first forward back, or "F1."

That first forward has to position himself down low to either win a puck battle, retrieve the puck and make a play to the middle where the recipient of a pass can find a lane and gather speed through the neutral zone.

"If it's a winger, the centre has to adjust, read, pull back and position himself differently," Todd Woodcroft, a second-year assistant coach with the club, explained following practice in early January. "That's the single hardest thing to understand for a winger moving to the middle - when to recognize when to go and when to let their wingers go. … We're reading what the other team is giving us and we're seeing what pressure they're putting down. If either (Laine) or (Connor) is the first one to that battle, then Blake has to get himself into position to accept a pass either along the wall or in the middle of the ice. It's not always go, go, go."

Even so, and because of his unique and altogether world-class skill-set, Wheeler is often the first one back, anyway. His speed, physicality and sheer will to win puck battles makes him the perfect candidate, meaning his wingers are usually the ones in charge of accepting that first pass and making a play.

"The ability to take that puck off the wall and pop it to the middle, especially when you have someone down on top of you, that's a real hard skill," Woodcroft said

"Different players get different kinds of pressure, too. (Laine) will often have to come a bit lower because he'll draw pressure with him, and when that D comes down, the skill would be for him to take that puck off his toe and just pop it to the middle. It's a hard skill and anybody who's young and wants to be a player, it's a skill that I'd highly recommend you learn how to do. Even at this level, every day at the end of practice, we'll grab a couple guys and just practice that for a few minutes.

"How we work on this is we'll do some hard rims, we'll purposefully bounce pucks, we'll put them in their feet or six inches off the ground… It's all game situations, so you're not always getting a perfect pass. We want them to learn how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations."

Woodcroft has echoed that message throughout this career, pushing both pros and amateurs alike to get out of their comfort zone, add to their toolbox and increase their value to the team for reasons like this, in times of adversity.

'Don't be afraid to try something new.'

"You have to give credit to those guys for wanting to play that way. They've been given a responsibility and have taken that challenge head on," Wheeler said. "We went on the road and what was the first thing Edmonton did? They threw (Connor) McDavid out there at us. What's the first thing Colorado tries to do the next night? They tried to throw (Nathan) MacKinnon at us. … You're not going to get any tougher matchups than that in the league and those guys did an outstanding job - clean slates in both games.

"A lot of offensive guys just want to score all the time, but those guys have been great defensively and have helped me out a ton."

Laine, who remember is just 19, says playing with the captain has opened his eyes in more ways than one.

"His work ethic is incredible," he said of Wheeler. "He's always skating as fast as he can and he's winning all the battles. … On the bench, he always teaches me how to be better the next shift. You always want to sit close to him because he's such a positive guy and always has a different view of things on the ice. He knows a lot about this game, so I need to listen to him and try to learn."

It's good advice for any player, young or old.

"Unless you're an elite player coming to a new team, you're going to be slotted into different roles, so the ability to see the game as a centre, to see the game on the strong or weak side as a winger, those are all part of the puzzle to make you a more complete player," Woodcroft said.

"That makes you so valuable to your team on so many levels."

- Ryan Dittrick, WinnipegJets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/hutchinson-sidelined-with-a-concussion/c-295752022

Hutchinson sidelined with a concussion Maurice says injury occurred during morning skate prior to Coyotes game by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - While Mark Scheifele is expected to return from his upper-body injury tomorrow night against St. Louis, it wasn't all good news on the injury front on Thursday.

Goaltender Michael Hutchinson sustained a concussion in the morning skate two days ago.

The 27-year-old felt fine after the skate, and it wasn't until after Wednesday's practice that Hutchinson started feeling unusual.

"The one that got Hutch was a tip in front of the net. It was a shot along the ice that came up on him," said head coach Paul Maurice.

"I think some of these are just unusual runs. You'll go a long stretch and nobody gets an injury. Then you're home, you've got lots of rest, and you start racking up injuries. I don't know if there's a theme to it."

Hutchinson played in last month's AHL All-Star game thanks to his 0.942 save percentage and 15-2-4-1 record with the Manitoba Moose this season.

In his one NHL start this season, Hutchinson made 23 saves on 24 shots to help the Jets to a 3- 1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hutchinson joins Steve Mason as goaltenders with concussions this season. Mason has been skating on and off as he continues to recover from his second such injury this season.

"He'll skate one day, and we'll keep him off the next," said Maurice. "It's just a longer curve on second concussion in a short period of time."

As a result, Eric Comrie has been recalled from the Manitoba Moose. To make room on the roster, Brandon Tanev and Matt Hendricks have been placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 3.

The 22-year-old Comrie has made one NHL start this season, where he made 30 saves in a 6-4 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Maurice said he had planned to give All-Star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck a game off in either the second or third game of the upcoming three games in five days stretch.

"It wouldn't have been on fatigue. We've played one game in our last five, we're going to take days off in there. It's as good a schedule as you'll ever find to run one guy," said Maurice. "We're fortunate in that situation. We don't have a back-to-back in a couple weeks, and even then, we've been home for almost a month so we should be rested."

ICE CHIPS Hutchinson wasn't the only member of the Jets to stay off the ice Thursday.

Maurice said Brendan Lemieux was banged up in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Arizona, and while he practiced yesterday, the 21-year-old was kept off the ice today. He isn't expected to be in the line-up tomorrow against St. Louis.

Tyler Myers also didn't participate in practice, but Maurice said the defenceman is fine. https://www.nhl.com/jets/news/hutchinson-sidelined-with-a-concussion/c-295752022

Jets' depth key to withstanding Scheifele's injury Wheeler and Scheifele reunited as linemates ahead of 24-year-old's return by Mitchell Clinton @MitchellClinton / WinnipegJets.com

WINNIPEG - It's only been two days of practice, but Blake Wheeler has enjoyed the familiar feeling of having Mark Scheifele back on his line.

"Scheif isn't the kind of guy that's going to dip his toe into the water. He better not if we're playing together," said Wheeler with a grin. "We put a ton of pressure on ourselves to play a certain way and have a certain impact on every single game."

The Jets went 11-2-3 without Scheifele, and have been able to maintain their hold on the Central Division's top spot, heading into action Thursday night.

During that time, Wheeler slid from the wing into the centre spot, scoring five times and adding 11 assists to average a point-per-game.

"He's an unbelievable athlete and an unbelievable person. Those guys find a way to get it done, and he exceeded everyone's expectations," said Scheifele. "I'm sure when I went down he was working on face-offs and trying to figure it out. That's just the guy he is. He works hard at everything he does. He's a competitor at everything he does.

"He just wants to be the best he can be, and be the best for the team. He definitely has shown that over the last six weeks."

Now on the eve of game day, and Scheifele's return to the line-up after missing 16 games, Wheeler reflected on his emotions when the 24-year-old Scheifele sustained his injury on Dec. 27.

"Terrified isn't the right word, but I was concerned about how it would work," said Wheeler. "(I have) a lot of confidence in (Adam Lowry), and (Bryan Little) and Matty Hendricks in the middle. But for me, you don't want to come in on a first place team and have that go south. I don't think it had anything to do with me. Every single guy stepped up."

In his mind, the strong play of the Mathieu Perreault, Bryan Little, and Nikolaj Ehlers trio was one of the big reasons he could excel in his adjustment to centre.

The numbers back up the Jets captain's thoughts. All three forwards ranked in the NHL's top 20 in shot attempt percentage during the six-week span Scheifele was out: Perreault at 59.92 per cent (fourth), Ehlers at 58.67 per cent (10th), and Little at 57.26 per cent (20th).

He also credited the "outstanding" play of Lowry's line and Hendricks' trio, which allowed Wheeler's unit to get some favourable match-ups, especially on home ice.

"I'm not able to do that and gain confidence and be comfortable doing that if one of those lines plays bad," said Wheeler. "If one of those lines plays bad and all of a sudden we're forced to do something maybe we're not capable of doing, who knows what it looks like?

"I give all the credit to those guys for helping me. Talking to me on the bench all the time, taking some of those heavy match-ups so when we started getting on a role, and getting some confidence, we were able to take a little bit more ice time and work our way into that role. It wasn't one guy."

Wheeler's play in the middle of the ice gave head coach Paul Maurice some pause before putting the 31-year-old back on the wing.

But now Maurice has options depending on the situation.

"Blake going into the middle now is a place we can go if we need to," said Maurice.

"Those two guys have such good chemistry. Mark was definitely going into centre ice when he came back. I wouldn't change his position. It's there, but I don't think it's a place we need to go to right away.

"But if we have a guy that goes down in the middle, now at least we have some options. For a while we didn't. But Copp can go in and out, and there's always Perreault that can go to the middle. That's the last option for us, but we've got centre ice men now."

During the 16 games Scheifele was injured, Wheeler took 228 draws, winning 113 of them, for a 49.6 face-off win percentage - just a shade under three percentage points behind Scheifele's 52.3 per cent mark this season.

"If he starts struggling, I might jump in there for a couple just to help him out a bit," Wheeler said, adding the experience at centre will help him back in his usual right wing spot. "I think a couple times in practice today - Scheif and I - I took the middle for him and he took the wall, and we were able to keep our speed coming into the zone. Little things like that definitely help."

While Scheifele admits there will be some nerves for his return to the line-up, he knows he's only one of a number of Jets on the injured list. With Adam Lowry, Jacob Trouba, Matt Hendricks, Brandon Tanev, Shawn Matthias, Steve Mason, and now goaltender Michael Hutchinson (concussion) among the walking wounded, Scheifele knows the work is far from over.

"We have a lot of great players. A lot of guys were playing good, and it takes a full team. That's what good teams do," said Scheifele. "There are injuries that happen all over the league. Our team did a great job of facing every injury. Whether it was me, Trouba, Lows, whoever it is, the team has been able to step up and gotten wins. That makes everybody happy.