Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/jets-fly-through-some-turbulence-but- flight-17-18-on-schedule-to-land-in-playoffs-465516713.html

Jets fly through some turbulence, but flight '17-'18 on schedule to land in playoffs

By: Paul Wiecek

It could have gone badly, really badly.

Having lost four of their previous five games and having just gotten spanked 5-1 at home by Chicago last Thursday, a worrying December swoon was in danger of turning into a death spiral as the headed into a stretch that saw them play three games in four nights against the two best teams in the Western Conference.

But instead of going very wrong for the Jets the last few days, it went very right instead, as they posted impressive wins over division rivals St. Louis at home Sunday and Nashville on the road Tuesday to go along with a 48-shot shutout loss to the Blues on the road Saturday that might just be the most impressive loss Jets 2.0 has ever recorded.

Put it all together and I cannot help but wonder whether months from now we will all look back on these last three games as the moment these surprising 2017-18 Winnipeg Jets transitioned from pretenders to bona fide contenders.

We already knew this was a formidable team that could win when it was healthy. And we already knew this was a streaky team that could post wins in bunches, including seven in a row at home until that loss to Chicago last week.

But what we didn’t know until these last few days is how this group would respond when suddenly the roster wasn’t so healthy and the wins weren’t coming so easily anymore.

What, we wondered, would they be like when — to borrow a phrase from sniper Patrik Laine — hockey was hard again?

The answer, it turns out, is these Jets just get harder.

If the test of a great team is its ability to overcome adversity, this squad just passed with flying colours.

Limping out of St. Louis Saturday night with nothing to show for a fantastic effort in a 2-0 loss, it would have been easy to have gotten demoralized and roll over against the Blues in the rematch at home less than 24 hours later.

Instead, the Jets posted their best performance of the season in a dominating 4-0 victory. Or rather, it was the Jets' best performance of the season until it was surpassed just two nights later in a gutsy 6-4 win in Nashville.

Captain Blake Wheeler called it "a huge win." Free Press colleague Mike Sawatzky, on the ground in Nashville, called it "their biggest victory of the 2017-18 season."

They were both right.

It might be December, but that game looked a lot like playoff hockey to me. And the Jets played exactly the kind of hockey that it’s going to take to win when they finally return to the playoffs in the spring: a gritty, physical, relentless thing that saw Winnipeg surrender leads on three different occasions only to come back again each time and finally notch the winner with less than two minutes to play.

There was something perfectly fitting that this one was decided on a game-winner that was both ugly — I’m still not sure it was, technically speaking, even a shot — and scored by one of the Jets' grinders, Brandon Tanev.

Those are exactly the kinds of goals and kinds of players who have been winning Stanley Cup playoff games since they were played outdoors. And it was made all the more noteworthy by the fact it came against a Nashville team that demonstrated with a remarkable playoff run last season that they know how to win those kinds of games.

While St. Louis got off to the fast start this season, it’s the Predators who have been the class of the Western Conference for the past month. The Preds were 8-1-1 in their previous 10 games and had been beaten just twice at home in regulation heading into Tuesday night's contest.

You want a measuring-stick game? They look a whole lot like that. And when the buzzer sounded to end the affair, there was no longer any question that these Jets measure up pretty well with the very best teams in their conference.

Thank goodness. Because it just so happens that the very best teams in the Western Conference also happen to be the teams the Jets share the Central Division with.

The Central has always been tough, but it is absurdly so this season. All seven teams currently have better-than .500 records, and it tells you all you need to know about the neighbourhood the Jets play in that five of the seven Central teams — Nashville St. Louis, Winnipeg, Chicago and Minnesota — would be in the playoffs if the season ended Tuesday night, with a sixth (Dallas) next up for a wild-card spot.

And it says a lot about the Jets that with the results of the past couple of games, Winnipeg is now 7-3-1 this year against Central teams. If the road to the Stanley Cup final this season runs on Central Time, the Jets have established that they can keep time with the best of them.

Look, none of this gets any easier. There’s still road games this week against the Bruins and the Islanders and with Christmas coming (and a three-day NHL break), the challenge for Jets head coach Paul Maurice will be to keep his team of youngsters focused on what’s in front of them this week instead of what might be under the tree Monday morning.

But it’s also as good a time as any for the rest of us to reflect on the unexpected gift to this city's hockey fans that the Jets have been this season.

If you saw this coming — and by "this" I mean one point out of first place in the Western Conference, 35 games into their schedule — then I hope you wagered the mortgage on it, because you’d have gotten spectacular odds.

Let’s be honest: at the start of the season, only the most optimistic fans were even predicting the team would make the playoffs.

But flash forward a couple of remarkable months, including the last few impressive days, and the question is no longer whether the Jets will make the post-season — only a collapse of epic proportions would scuttle that now — but how far they will go.

The last few days have given us a meaningful glimpse of what this team might look like come playoff time.

In a week where things could have gone very badly, the Jets looked good. Really good. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/overtime-not-easy-time-for-jets- 465491543.html

Overtime not an easy time for Jets Despite seemingly having the roster to excel at it, team still having troubles in the extra frame

By: Mike Sawatzky

BOSTON — Their vaunted squadron of top-six forwards is feared across the league and they have an aggressive, mobile defence corps.

And so, it would seem natural to expect that the Winnipeg Jets would be among the NHL’s most effective overtime teams, capable of fully exploiting three-on-three hockey in extra time.

But so far in 2017-18, the numbers haven’t added up.

In six overtime games, Winnipeg has lost five times. It’s small consolation for the Jets they prevailed the only time they survived OT, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 16.

But some of their OT failures are due to other circumstances; namely, penalties.

"We’ve had three (games) go against us three-on-three, the other two were short-handed," said Jets head coach Paul Maurice prior to Tuesday’s 6-4 victory over the Nashville Predators. "The three that went against us we had full control of the puck and we’re trying to make a real high- end play and it gets knocked down. And that’s three-on-three.

"Each team is going to decide how much risk is in their game and we’ll put out nine guys that think they’ve got enough, that they can make those plays and we let them. We’re open to the offensive idea and it’s stung us a couple of times, but we’re not going to stand three guys in front of the net."

Left-winger Nikolaj Ehlers loves the wide-open style of three-on-three, but he’s also wary of the risks. Changing more than one player on the fly at any one time, he believes, is probably not advisable.

"You can prepare for it, but I mean it’s three-on-three, there’s so much stuff happening that you never know what’s going to happen," he said. "You can be on the ice for a minute and a half and not touch the puck because you don’t want to force it and try to jump on someone, and it’s a three-on-two the other way. It’s not easy but it’s a lot of fun."

Since three-on-three overtime was installed prior to the 2015-16 season, NHL teams are devoting more practice time and video review to three-on-three play, but more prep work doesn’t always result in better finishes in OT.

When injuries depleted his forward ranks earlier in the season, Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau opted to use two sets of defencemen during overtime.

"It’s pretty hard if we’re playing Winnipeg, to know that (Blake) Wheeler’s going to wind up or Ehlers is going to wind up and they want to give them the puck because they’re so fast," Boudreau said. "They try to set (Patrik) Laine up for the one-timer, I mean, that’s probably why it would be better to have two D out there: they would know how to play that part and take you to a shootout."

The unpredictability of three-on-three seems guaranteed to drive coaches crazy.

"Right now we’re looking at film and making sure you do the right things when you’re out there and shoot pucks when the opportunities are there," Nashville Predators associate coach Kevin McCarthy said. "A lot of it, too, is making sure you don’t give up those outnumbered situations."

Easy to say, almost impossible to do. Overtime tends to be wide open and crowd pleasing, with both teams eager for a quick-strike .

"It’s hard to coach after the first scoring attempt because that usually ends up, if it’s a two-on- one, then it’s another two-on-one and another two-on-one and you just hope the guys you have out there are good enough to be able to do this," Boudreau said. "And if you’ve got guys who can skate on defence, you’d rather have a defenceman back there on a two-on-one against than a forward. So that’s probably one of the reasons I went to it at that point."

Predators centre Kyle Turris believes overtime can be enjoyable, while also achieving the intended effect of reducing the number of games decided by a shootout.

"I find it a lot of fun. I wouldn’t say there’s fear. Whoever’s in control of the puck is at a great advantage," Turris said. "You hold onto the puck as long as you can, tire the other guys out and buy time to find a hole or for them to make a mistake. You have to keep going back and back, just hold onto the puck."

Falling short in OT

Oct. 26: Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel scores 1:07 into OT to give the Penguins a 2-1 win at PPG Paints Arena.

Oct. 27: Columbus’s Josh Anderson scores 2:38 into OT to lift the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 win at Nationwide Arena.

Nov. 4: Montreal’s Max Pacioretty scores on the power play 3:07 into OT to give the Canadiens a 5-4 win at Bell MTS Place.

Nov. 29: Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon scores on the power play 59 seconds into OT to give the Avalanche a 3-2 win at Pepsi Center.

Dec. 9: Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point scores 36 seconds into OT to give the Lightning a 4-3 win at Amalie Arena. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/vincent-credits-team-for- success-465573013.html

Vincent credits team for success Moose coach earns spot behind AHL all-star bench

By: Mike McIntyre

He’s at the helm of the hottest team in professional hockey, one that hasn’t lost in regulation in more than a month. That incredible 13-0-1 run — and 17-1-1 stretching back to the start of November — has put the Moose on top of the and earned him all-star game coaching honours later this season.

So it’s only natural to wonder if isn’t doing the same thing as many of his players these days, and wondering how all this success might impact his future. After all, the goal of pretty much everyone at this level is to take the next step and find full-time work in the .

Vincent didn’t shy away from the question Wednesday, answering it with the kind of clarity and honesty that has earned him a reputation as a strong communicator with his players.

"Well, of course I do. But I don’t really think about it. I remember a conversation I had with a midget coach four or five years ago. He had a few opportunities to go coach at the major-junior level. And I said, ‘Listen, if you can find an organization where you fit and you can be yourself, and working for the right people, and good people, you’re going to be in a very good place.’ And that’s where I am today. I’m working for a great organization, for amazing people," Vincent said.

"So, yeah, do I want to go back to the NHL as a head coach? Absolutely. But if it doesn’t happen, I’d be happy to be here for the next 15 years of my life."

Of course, history suggests that if Vincent and his crew continue their winning ways, he likely won’t have to wait long for opportunity to come knocking. The NHL coaching carousel is built on a "What have you done for me lately?" mentality that typically sees several jobs open up every year. And Vincent is certainly building an impressive resumé this season.

Just don’t expect him to go around bragging about it.

"It means our team has been playing well," he said when asked what the all-star coaching honour means to him.

"When you get an individual reward, it’s never because of you individually. It’s because of the way we’ve been drafting, it’s because of the way the players have been playing, it’s because of how the assistant coaches are coaching. I’m really excited to go there to represent the organization. But at the end of the day, the players are playing extremely well, we’ve won some games and that’s why I’m there."

Vincent checks off many of the important qualities general managers are seeking. The 46-year- old former junior player is experienced with young talent, having spent 12 years coaching and managing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with Cape Breton and Montreal. He was named the league’s best GM in 2007, and the top coach in 2008.

Vincent, a native of Laval, Que., also has five years of NHL experience with the Jets, beginning with their inaugural season after the relocation from Atlanta under then-head coach Claude Noel, and later with current head man Paul Maurice.

He was appointed Moose bench boss before the start of last season. The team was coming off a disastrous return to Winnipeg from St. John’s (where they were the IceCaps) under then- coach Keith McCambridge, ending the season with a 26-41-9 record.

"It’s been huge. To be there, to experience the NHL. It’s a different world, it’s a different animal," Vincent said.

He signalled out current and former coaches and assistants, along with players such as Chris Thorburn, Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler and Bryan Little for helping him in his journey.

It wasn’t the debut he was hoping for last year, as the Moose made only slight improvements and finished the year at 29-37-10 — once again well out of the playoff picture. But in hindsight, it appears many of the seeds were planted for future success, as the organization brought in an extremely young roster for Vincent to work with.

Vincent admits he did plenty of pondering over the summer about what kind of changes he could make to improve his squad. But one of the biggest, he said, was doing something that you learn early in your coaching career: sometimes the best move is, simply, being patient. In this case, that meant allowing many of the young Jets prospects to bloom.

"I think a coach is like a GPS in your car. We know where they want to go, and we’re there to help them achieve their goals," he said. "One thing I’ve learned over the years, there’s always a better way. There’s always a way to improve. When things are not going well as a team or you’re not winning games, especially at this level, you have to keep things in perspective."

Vincent said one of the biggest challenges he faced with such a young group last season was keeping a positive mindset, something he doesn’t have to concern himself with this season.

"I’ve said it, and I’m going to repeat myself until I die, but you’re never as good as you think you are, and you’re never as bad as you think you are," he said. "Now we’re in a good place, and we’re playing extremely well. One part of it is our team chemistry. Because it’s so strong, the players are taking a lot of responsibilities on how they prepare for a game, how they prepare for a practice. It makes my job a little bit different. But I don’t think I coach differently."

More than anything, the way so many first- and second-year players are thriving under his guidance shows the future appears to be in very good hands.

"One thing that was interesting that I found out in junior is that learning how to win is a different animal. Having that experience is helping today. But I can’t say I had a group that is that tight and is playing and staying humble the way they are right now," he said. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/moose-players-taking- teams-success-in-stride-465536593.html

Moose players stay low-key during team's success Moose not about to too their own horn

By: Mike McIntyre

If there’s any strutting or chest-puffing going on these days, members of the are keeping it behind closed doors.

Because to hear the players talk, you’d have a hard time picking up on the fact they’re currently the cream of the American Hockey League crop.

"Whenever you have success like this, you don’t let it go unnoticed. At the same time, we know the game is humbling and it can really change in a matter of one or two games. So we’re just trying to keep our heads screwed on tight and stay strong and finish up these last two games before the break," second-year pro Jack Roslovic said Wednesday following his team’s practice.

Manitoba (21-5-3) hasn’t lost in regulation in a franchise-record 14 straight games (13-0-1), and will look to extend that when they host the San Antonio Rampage tonight and Friday at Bell MTS Place. The Rampage (16-10-2) squad is the Colorado Avalanche’s farm team.

"It’s been great. You just go home, there’s way less negative. When you lose, everybody’s on edge," said captain Patrice Cormier, who has already matched the 13 goals he scored in 69 games last year in just 28 this season. "But then it’s a double-edged sword. You don’t want to get too over-confident — you want to stay humble. But it’s way nicer, in the room, practices, the vibe has been real good. It’s fun to be winning and to make Winnipeg proud."

Roslovic sits third in AHL scoring, with 14 goals and 16 assists through 29 games. Rookie teammate Mason Appleton is tied for eighth, with nine goals and 18 assists, while veteran forward Buddy Robinson is tied for 11th, with 12 goals and 14 helpers.

"This is a development league, for the most part. But I think this whole dressing room here is looking to win," Roslovic said.

The 20-year-old said he’s not spending any time worrying about when he might earn a call-up to the Winnipeg Jets, who are flying pretty high themselves these days.

"You just try to keep it in the present. There’s nothing much you can do about it besides play your game. I’m looking to win down here right now."

Roslovic has been using his time in the minors to round out his game, as he’s played both centre and on the wing this season, and is a major part of a penalty-killing unit that ranks No. 2 in the AHL, along with the league’s third-best power play.

"I was familiar with the PK a little bit last year, but I’m getting to be a PK regular. So I think adding those tools to your toolbox can never hurt you," he said.

● ● ●

Moose goalie Eric Comrie has been ruled out of action until after Christmas.

Comrie was injured last Friday in a 7-3 win over the Belleville Senators, in his first game back after being up with the Jets for a couple weeks filling in for Steve Mason.

He finished the game, but didn’t dress for the Moose victories against the Marlies on Saturday and Sunday in Toronto. Jamie Phillips was summoned from the ECHL to back up Michael Hutchinson.

The team hasn’t disclosed exactly what Comrie’s ailment is, although it seems to have stemmed from a collision in the crease, where a Belleville player fell on him.

"We feel pretty positive that after the Christmas break he’ll be good to go," head coach Pascal Vincent said Wednesday.

Forward Nic Petan missed practice with an illness, but is expected to be in the lineup tonight. Defenceman Jake Kulevich, who has been out of action since Nov. 21, is also expected to make his return.

● ● ●

After a slow start to the season, Moose crowds are starting to grow. Manitoba is currently 14th in AHL attendance, with an average of 5,559 fans over the team’s 12 regular-season games. That number got a boost, as more than 8,200 were in the seats for their last home game Dec. 10.

The Moose averaged 5,656 fans last season, which was a sharp drop from the 7,285 average in their return to Winnipeg a year earlier.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/one-time-bruin-blake-wheeler-doing- everything-right-with-jets

One-time Bruin Blake Wheeler doing everything right with Jets

By Ted Wyman

BOSTON — It almost looked like Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler needed a hand from his teammates just to get over the boards at the end of his last shift.

He had just played a brilliant defensive shift with the Jets protecting a one-goal lead. He twice prevented Nashville Predators big boomer P.K. Subban from shooting by getting in the lane and when the defenceman finally unleashed, Wheeler threw his body in front of the puck.

For good measure he scooped up a loose puck and fired it 190 feet into the empty net to seal a 6-4 win in a playoff-like contest at Bridgestone Arena.

It was just another example of the kind of sacrifice Wheeler and his teammates are willing to make to be successful this season.

He wasn’t alone.

Left-winger also had a big block in the final minute and defenceman Josh Morrissey had seven blocks in the game.

“There was willingness from our guys to block shots and that was a critical part of us keeping that game right,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

Adam Lowry played 16 hard minutes, centring a third-line that scored the Jets first goal for the second straight game (both times by Lowry) and provided the game-winner by Brandon Tanev with 1:26 left in the game.

Lowry also went 12-for-22 in the faceoff circle against a team full of draw specialists and had a brilliant back-check to take away a sure goal from Preds’ winger Craig Smith.

This team has clearly bought in and it all starts with the captain.

Wheeler, at age 31, has been on a mission this season. Before the season began, he was talking about how this had to be the year for the Jets to make the playoffs and so far he’s done everything in his power to make it happen.

He has 41 points, which puts him fifth in the NHL in scoring, but he’s done so much more. His work ethic, leadership on and off the ice, and durability — he has missed a grand total of three games in the last five seasons — are setting great examples for a team full of talented young players.

Around the NHL, Wheeler is regularly talked about as being perhaps the most underrated player in the league.

It’s incredible how far he has come since the days when he toiled with the Boston Bruins and was regarded by some as a disappointment.

Though he scored 50 goals and had 110 points through two-and-a-half seasons in Boston, Wheeler didn’t really show star qualities. You’d be hard-pressed to find people in Boston who saw a future top-10 scorer and team captain.

The Bruins, who will host the Jets on Thursday night at the TD Garden, certainly saw him as expendable.

All that changed when he was traded to Atlanta late in the 2010-11 season. It cost him a chance to win a Stanley Cup as the Bruins went on to win a championship that season, but it allowed Wheeler to flourish, develop a complete game and become a leader of men.

He’s been at his finest this season and the Jets have followed. The last three games against key division opponents St. Louis and Nashville have been nasty physical affairs with post- season intensity and the Jets came away with two wins and a “should have won” along with a multitude of bumps and bruises.

Tuesday’s win over Nashville was a game where both teams made some mistakes but the Jets did a better job of overcoming theirs.

The words that came to mind to describe the Jets play were gritty and resilient. There were plenty of opportunities for them to get down — starting with an own-goal by Tyler Myers — but they didn’t.

The suggestion was made that it was a season-defining win.

That could turn out to be true, but that grit they showed was nothing new.

“How about those last two against St. Louis?” Wheeler said.

The point is, these players are getting used to battling, to throwing everything at the opposition net and throwing themselves in front of everything directed toward theirs.

It doesn’t hurt when the young guns — Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine — account for three goals. Nor that Connor Hellebuyck is often outplaying his counterpart in goal.

But you don’t win without heart and determination and a relentless work ethic.

You don’t win without being willing to sacrifice your body.

You don’t win without a leader who is willing to do it all.

MAURICE’S MOVE TO SWITCH UP CONNOR AND EHLERS PAYS OFF Paul Maurice played a hunch and it worked out perfectly.

The Winnipeg Jets head coach didn’t like what he saw from either of the left-wingers on his top two lines, so he switched them up.

Essentially, Kyle Connor was not doing enough and Nikolaj Ehlers was trying to do too much.

After Maurice moved Connor onto a line with Bryan Little and Patrik Laine and moved Ehlers onto a unit with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, both lines produced goals.

First Laine scored, then Ehlers scored twice.

“Sometimes it goes for you,” Maurice said. “Sometimes Kyle was looking for his linemates and that’s so natural when you play with two veteran guys like Scheif and Wheeler. And Nikky feels at times he needs to drive that line all the time, with his speed coming through the neutral zone. In a game like that, that play is not there, so just a little switch. Nikky has had so much time with those two guys, there’s not an adjustment for that line and they played well after that.”

Ehlers said the change was just what he needed at that point.

“I wasn’t too happy with my first period and changing the lines gave me a little boost,” he said after scoring his 16th and 17th goals of the season, which ties him for the team lead with Laine. “I said ‘Just go out there and play the game, simple, hard,’ and it worked. It feels good contributing with two goals. It always feels good scoring.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-bruins-matchup-that- features-plenty-of-young-star-power

Five keys to Jets-Bruins matchup that features plenty of young star power

By Ted Wyman

Winnipeg Jets at Boston Bruins

6 p.m., TD Garden. TV: TSN3, Radio: TSN1290

FIVE KEYS TO THE GAME YOUNG STAR POWER The Jets are led in goal-scoring by 21-year-old Nikolaj Ehlers and 19-year-old Patrik Laine, both with 17 tallies. The Bruins leading goal scorer (15) and point-getter (31) is 21-year-old winger David Pastrnak. These young players can make so much happen. Pastrnak had a 12-game point streak snapped on Tuesday but is every bit as dangerous as the two youthful Jets stars.

PUCKS TO THE NET The Jets have been throwing everything at their opponents’ nets in the last three games, averaging 43 shots per game. It has made life miserable for the opposing goaltenders and the Jets want to keep on doing it. It certainly worked for winger Brandon Tanev as he threw a puck on net and wound up scoring the winning goal with 1:26 left on Tuesday night in Nashville.

SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE Both teams are sitting in third place in their respective divisions and are riding two-game winning streaks. The Bruins have 39 points in 32 games, while the Jets have 45 points in 35 games. It’s hard to imagine the Jets keeping up the playoff-like intensity they had in wins over division rivals Nashville and St. Louis, but they can also play the finesse game and are fourth in the league in goals scored at 3.34 per game.

TIGHTEN UP While they won on Tuesday, the Jets won’t love the fact that they gave up four goals to the Predators. Goals might not be terribly easy to come by against the Bruins, who are seventh in the league in goals against at 2.69 per game. The Jets are 12th at 2.80. The Bruins, who have been getting solid play from rookie rearguard Charlie McAvoy, are close to getting regular D- man Adam McQuaid back from a broken leg as well.

NET RESULTS Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 30 of 34 shots he faced in Nashville and looked mostly solid, but there’s a chance the Jets could give Steve Mason the start in Boston. He was solid in his last start, making 28 saves in a 2-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues, and is likely to see some action before the Christmas break. Tuukka Rask remains the No. 1 goalie in Boston, but Anton Khudobin is coming off a shutout against Buffalo on Tuesday.

THE BIG MATCHUP PATRICE BERGERON vs. MARK SCHEIFELE Bergeron is a four-time Selke Award winner as the league’s best defensive forward and he also happens to play on the Bruins top offensive line. That means, Scheifele and his linemates Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers (we think) will see a lot of Bergeron on Tuesday night. His line can shut a team down and beat them at the other end. Scheifele has just a goal and two assists in his last five games and is looking for an offensive breakout. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-late-draft-pick-surprising-with- moose

Jets' late draft pick surprising with Moose

By Paul Friesen

Ask Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent if he’s had any pleasant surprises this AHL season, and he cuts straight to the chase.

“Appleton, for sure,” Vincent said. “Because we had no expectations for him.”

That would be centre-turned-winger Mason Appleton, an unheralded, sixth-round draft pick in 2015.

While a pair of glittering, first-round picks from that draft — Kyle Connor (with the Jets) and top Moose scorer Jack Roslovic — draw most of the attention, Appleton has been quiet gold, going about his business to become one of the top rookies in the AHL.

Going into Thursday’s home game against San Antonio, the 6-foot-2, 201-pounder from Green Bay sat 10th, overall, in league scoring, with 27 points (9-18).

He was second in the rookie race, ahead of notable first- and second-rounders Dylan Strome, Nick Merkley (both Arizona Coyotes) and Daniel Sprong (Pittsburgh).

And while he may be oozing with confidence, it seems the soon-to-be, 22-year-old has even surprised himself.

“A little bit, yeah,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “I wasn’t too sure what to expect, coming into the year. It’s a little different than college. It’s a lot more hockey. But I’m doing a good job with that.”

Michigan State University is where Appleton began to blossom, after the Jets took him with the 168th pick in 2015, his second year of draft eligibility.

He was going to be MSU coach and former Jet Danton Cole’s captain this season, his junior year, but decided in the summer to turn pro, instead.

Team MVP in his second year at MSU, Appleton was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection, and that might reveal his best asset.

“One of my biggest attributes is my brain,” Appleton said. “If you’ve got a good brain you can make plays at any level, as long as you’re moving. I’ve got to keep my feet driving… and then from there I can let my brain take over.”

Watching Appleton’s college highlight tape, you can’t help but notice some of the subtle, cerebral ways he scored goals, by out-thinking opposing goalies.

Vincent likes the unsubtle part of his game, too. The other side of the brain, you might say: the emotional, competitive side.

“When I think about Mason Appleton, I think about his compete level,” the coach said. “I think about his hockey sense and his ability to adjust his game. He plays heavy minutes. His ability to win battles, one-on-one, drive the net – he’s really good at driving the net and finding the open ice.”

Not exactly a power forward, perhaps. But a solid, two-way one.

“And he’s consistent in his effort,” Vincent continued. “Mature, intelligent. He’s got this confidence in himself that is good. A positive confidence. He knows he can get the job done, and he’s doing it.”

You could probably throw “unselfish” in there, too.

Playing alongside Roslovic, who’s third in league scoring, and the gifted Nic Petan, Appleton knows his role.

“Playing with two skilled guys I just try to keep stuff simple,” he said. “And make sure they can benefit from having the puck on their stick a little more.”

Roslovic says after watching Appleton in training camp, he’s not surprised at how he’s produced.

Keeping it up might be a challenge, physically.

“I played 35 games last year — and we’re almost at that mark already this year,” Appleton said. “You’ve got to do everything you can to keep your body fresh. All those cold tubs, foam rolls, all those things… and sleep’s obviously real important, too.”

Appleton could turn out to be the sleeper of the 2015 draft, if he makes it to the NHL.

“I’m a lot different player than I was then,” he said. “I don’t even think of it than I’m a sixth- rounder anymore. You earn everything you get here.”

That’s apparent by the fact he’s playing on a line with two of Manitoba’s top offensive players.

Where he sits on the Jets call-up list isn’t clear.

His left brain tells him to be patient.

“We all want to be in the NHL as quick as we can,” Appleton said. “Everyone’s timeline is different. It’s not something I’m focused on. But, yeah, if that opportunity ever comes, I’m hopefully going to jump on it and do the best I can.

“But for now I’m getting better every day at this level.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/moose-coach-recalculating-life-on-the- farm

Moose coach recalculating life on the farm

By Paul Friesen

Manitoba Moose coach Pascal Vincent loving life in the AHL. Chris Procaylo Sun/Postmedia Network

This is new territory for the Manitoba Moose and their head coach, Pascal Vincent.

But Vincent is reluctant to take much of the credit for having the Moose atop the AHL standings with a 21-5-3 record.

“A coach is like a GPS in your car,” he said, Wednesday. “We know where they want to go. And we’re there to help them achieve their goals.”

Safe to say everyone in the Jets organization is recalculating the goals for the farm team.

“I know we’re winning now, and it’s great, it’s awesome,” Vincent said. “That’s what we want to build, a winning culture. But the mission stays the same. We’re here to develop players.”

A former head coach in the Quebec Major Junior League, Vincent says he’s never had a group quite like this year’s.

“I can’t say I had a group that is that tight and that are playing and staying humble the way they are right now,” he said. “It’s a huge factor. And that’s a factor that you can’t have any stats on paper or anything.”

Vincent was selected as one of the coaches for the AHL all-star game.

A Jets assistant for five years before he took over the Moose, he’d like to return to the NHL, eventually.

“But I don’t think about it. Working for this team is amazing,” he said. “Do I want to go back in the NHL as a head coach? Absolutely. But if it doesn’t happen… I’d be happy to be here for the next 15 years of my life, really.”

Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2017/12/20/sticking-with-the-kids-starts-to-pay-off-for- jets.html

Over The Boards: Sticking with the kids starting to pay off for Jets Winnipeg following the same trail as the youth-heavy Maple Leafs.

By KEVIN MCGRAN Sports Reporter

Much like the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Winnipeg Jets committed to playing their young players last year.

And while the accolades flew league-wide for Toronto’s management team and coaching staff when the Leafs earned an unlikely playoff berth, the same wasn’t true in Winnipeg. Head coach Paul Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff took a fair bit of heat when the Jets failed to make the post-season.

The strategy — give the players ice time and let them learn from their mistakes rather than punish them — is paying dividends this season.

The Jets, to this point, are Canada’s best team.

“There’s a maturity that comes with going through the rigours of the National Hockey League,” Cheveldayoff told the Star in a phone interview. “Lots of our young players got opportunities last year and are better for them.”

The Jets have an intriguing core of young players, with an overall roster average of 26.2 years, well under the 27.7 league average. Patrik Laine is their youngest, still 19, and is tied for the team lead with 17 goals. Nikolai Ehlers is 21 and also has 17 goals. Kyle Connor (19 points) is 21, and emerging defenceman Josh Morrissey (five goals, nine assists) is 22.

At 24, Mark Scheifele (15 goals, 22 assists) looks as if he’s hitting his stride as he enters the prime of his career. Older free-agent signings like defenceman Dmitry Kulikov (27), winger Matt Hendricks (36) and goalie Steve Mason (29) have balanced out the maturity level.

It wasn’t exactly by design that the Jets went with youth.

“They were the best option,” Cheveldayoff said. “Josh Morrissey is a great example of opportunity-taken-and-ran-with. Ehlers, Laine are still very young players. Connor is a rookie this year.

“There’s still a lot of growth in their game. With young players, where they start is not where they finish in the regular season. There is tremendous potential for a lot of growth.”

The Leafs and Jets aren’t the only teams to have committed to youth. The Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes are in that group too. Winnipeg and Toronto seem to be further ahead in large part because of goaltending.

The Leafs’ Frederik Andersen is among the league’s top goalies in most statistics across the board. The Jets stumbled early in the season when Mason struggled, but sprung to life when Connor Hellebuyck — just 24 —found his groove.

“It’s an integral position, a very technical position,” Cheveldayoff said. “For a hockey team to have success, you need strength in that position.”

The commitment to youth doesn’t always work if the goaltending isn’t up to snuff.

The Hurricanes have an average age 26.2, two 21-year-old defencemen — Noah Hanifin and Haydn Fleury — and an emerging star forward in 20-year-old Sebastian Aho. The ’Canes brought in goalie Scott Darling from Chicago to take over from Cam Ward, but neither Darling nor Ward has gotten the job done in net. The same is true in Buffalo and Arizona, as well as Edmonton, though Cam Talbot is showing signs of life again with the Oilers.

“You want to be able to play your guys, and they are going to make mistakes, and if they do, they have to know you have their back and you’re going to put them back out there,” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. “The goaltender is the great eraser. He can erase all those mistakes so they don’t show up on video the next day.

“Goaltending is so good right now, not only do you have to have a good goaltender, you really — if you want to be an upper-echelon team — you have to have a great goaltender. The teams that have it are very fortunate.”

Cheveldayoff’s Jets are getting that kind of goaltending, though Cheveldayoff isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.

“It’s a long season,” he said. “We’re looking at it game by game. It’s a tough league. You certainly take the points, or you grind it out, or do whatever you can. And you learn from every game.”

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/31-thoughts-arena-deal-massive-victory-islanders/

31 Thoughts: Arena deal a massive victory for Islanders

By Elliotte Friedman

6. Winnipeg sent out a note last week indicating Shawn Matthias’s availability. Their success has made it difficult for him to get into the lineup; just two appearances in five weeks. He is an unrestricted free agent this summer.

22. With all of Winnipeg’s tremendous young talent, one non-Jet exec came back from overseas with high marks for 2017 24th-overall selection Kristian Vesalainen. The 18-year-old has 19 points in 26 games for Hameenliina in the Finnish Elite League. Almost a point per game in this league at age 18 is very hard. Carolina’s Sebastian Aho did it two years ago. Other than that, it’s rare.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/wheeler-roslovic-is-ready-to-play-in-the-nhl-1.949523

Wheeler: Roslovic is ready to play in the NHL

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic discusses his rankings of the Winnipeg Jets prospects. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/watters-jets-are-built-to-win-1.949514

Watters: Jets are built to win

Bill Waters joins Rick Ralph and Darrin Bauming on the Afternoon Ride. They discuss the Jets win over Nashville and what the ceiling is for the Winnipeg Hockey Club. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/tanev-we-want-to-be-a-line-that-can-be-trusted-in-a- defensive-zone-1.949517

Tanev: We want to be a line that can be trusted in a defensive zone

Winnipeg Jets forward Brandon Tanev joins Rick Ralph and Darrin Bauming on the Afternoon Ride. They discuss Tanev's game winning goal vs. Nashville and how his line with Andrew Copp & Adam Lowry has gelled this season.