Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-prospect-eyes-world-juniors

Jets prospect eyes World Juniors

By Paul Friesen

One prospect earned an invitation to Team Canada’s selection camp for the World Juniors.

Towering defenceman Logan Stanley, the Jets first-round draft pick, 18th overall, in 2016 will be one of 10 players trying to win seven spots on the blue line.

“It’s really special to be recognized by your country and have an opportunity to compete for a gold medal,” Stanley told the Waterloo Record, Wednesday.

Stanley has already reached junior career highs in goals (seven) and points (22) through 28 games with the of the OHL.

The 6-foot-7, 231-pounder is also on pace for a career high in minutes, with 56.

“We need Logan to come in and be that big presence,” Team Canada head scout Brad McEwen said. “His skill set is quite capable of playing fast and getting pucks up ice… but we’re really looking for him to bring that edge, bring that length he has, and he’s been doing that.”

McEwen described Stanley’s game as “fairly consistent” this .

“His team has had some success the first half. And the times we’ve seem him we haven’t been disappointed in his game. He’s trending the right way.

“Obviously he’s a young guy, and everybody, when they come into this process and they get to camp, need to identify or define how they are as a player and play to your skill set.”

It’s Stanley’s first crack at a national team since he was part of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in 2014.

Stanley helped the win the Memorial Cup last season.

In the summer he was traded to Kitchener, who were 18-10-2, good for second in their conference, going into Wednesday night. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-working-at-biggest-issue-tuesdays- loss-a-blip-on-radar-when-it-comes-to-defending

Jets working at biggest issue: Tuesday’s loss a blip on radar when it comes to defending

By Ken Wiebe

FORT LAUDERDALE – The to-do list for the Winnipeg Jets coming into this season was a long one.

But after 28 games of the 2017-18 NHL season, the item at the top of that list has definitely been addressed – though it remains a work in progress.

When it comes to the issue of defending, the Jets are much improved – even after a 5-1 beat- down to the .

Going into Thursday’s game against the at BT&T Center, the Jets find themselves fifth in the NHL in goals against per game (2.62), a noticeable drop from where they were last season (3.10 per game, 27th in NHL).

Improved goaltending from the tandem of Connor Hellebuyck and Steve Mason has played an enormous role on that front, since the Jets were near the bottom of the NHL in both team goals- against average and team save % last season.

Hellebuyck has been nothing short of extraordinary, though his numbers have shown some of the expected regression after starting out with a .940 save %.

“It’s shifted over the season,” said Jets head coach . “Early on, our goaltenders were really important and when we were still trying to find our game, they were really solid. The goaltending has been consistent, but in the last four or five weeks, we’ve been a better team in front of them and maybe even some nights when (the goalies) weren’t at their A game, we’ve been good enough to give them a chance to win.”

The Jets talked about the need to sacrifice a bit offensively in order to achieve that , but as it turns out, goals haven’t been that tough to come by.

While cutting down the goals allowed, the Jets have still been able to fill the net on a regular basis, averaging 3.44 goals per game.

“In training camp, that was our mindset – defending first,” said Jets defenceman Jacob Trouba. “We’ve done a pretty good job. I wouldn’t put it on one group of players, it’s a team effort.”

Discipline was another issue the Jets looked to clean up and by taking fewer minor penalties, the penalty-killing units haven’t been as taxed.

The result has been a tidier team game, with several notable exceptions.

Like Tuesday, when the Jets opened up their collective game after falling behind 3-1 and gave up a clear-cut breakaway to Darren Helm and then a three-on-one rush that ended with a goal from the slot by David Booth.

For the most part, the Jets have limited the odd-man rushes and backdoor tap-ins that were so prevalent in the two blowout losses to open the season.

“Our focus has been on trying to eliminate the glaring two-on-ones and breakaway chances that we’ve given up to our goaltenders in the past,” said Jets Blake Wheeler. “Goalies are no different than players, if they’re taking two-on-ones and backdoor tap-ins, they’re human. Their confidence is going to struggle, so we’re trying to eliminate that stuff and help our goalies be confident.

“For me, (Hellebuyck) and Mason have been outstanding for us this year. And that’s the biggest change for the turnaround. They’ve been just excellent. There have been games where we had no business winning or no business being a part of. They’ve stolen a couple of points for us and you need that if you want to be one of the top teams, you need that type of goaltending.”

Having above league-averaging goaltending provides an obvious benefit for a franchise learning how to win on a consistent basis, but it goes deeper than that.

Knowing that there won’t be many softies against has allowed the Jets to play free.

Last season, it seemed like whenever a mistake was made in the defensive zone or even the neutral zone, the had a tendency of finding its way to the back of the net.

That’s no longer the case

And while a team doesn’t want to make a habit of relying on its goalie too much, having faith in the men between the pipes is an essential ingredient to having success.

That’s why the Jets have been able to get off to a strong start and are hanging out in the high- rent district of both the Western Conference and overall standings.

“When you’re not used to winning, you go into games not knowing what to expect and not knowing what it’s going to look like,” said Wheeler. “But when you start to get on a roll and to know where everyone is supposed to be every night, that’s where you have confidence. Even in the games where things don’t go your way or you have a tough night, you know you’re going to come back the next day and it’s going to be there. That’s what makes it fun coming to the rink every day, knowing that everyone is on board and ultimately, you know what’s expected out of everyone.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-and-panthers

Five keys to Jets and Panthers

By Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Jets at Florida Panthers

6:30 pm CT, BT&T Center, TV: TSN3. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP vs Aaron Ekblad These teammates with the Barrie Colts in the Hockey League for two seasons will be going head-to-head on Thursday, since Scheifele anchors the Jets top line and Ekblad is often tasked with playing against the opposition’s top line, averages nearly 24 minutes per game and plays in all situations.

KEYS TO THE GAME Redemption time? Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t at his sharpest on Tuesday, but he had plenty of company on that front and was not the primary reason his team came up short against the Detroit Red Wings. Hellebuyck gave up five goals in a game for the fourth time this season. In the prior three starts that followed, Hellebuyck allowed a total of three goals.

Guess who is back Since talking about his latest lack of confidence, Jets winger has produced three goals and four points in three games. The Finnish forward is up to 14 goals and 22 points on the season, with nine of the markers and 11 points coming with the man-advantage. Laine is up to 50 goals in 101 NHL games.

Killing (plenty of) time Since giving up two power-play goals in a 3-2 overtime loss to the last Wednesday, the Jets have successfully killed off 14 consecutive shorthanded situations – including a pair of five-on-threes against the Red Wings. The strong work has vaulted the Jets into 15th spot in the NHL in penalty-killing efficiency.

Back to the scene Jets defenceman Dmitry Kulikov played one of his best games on Tuesday, logging 17-plus minutes and recording two shots on goal, two hits and two blocked shots. He’s got fond memories from his seven seasons with the Panthers, who made him a first-round selection, 14th overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft.

Prime time for Reimer With Roberto Luongo on the shelf with a leg injury, Morweena product James Reimer steps back into the spotlight in the crease for the Panthers. Reimer is off to a slow start to the season, with a 4-6-3 record, a 3.67 goals-against average and .892 save % in 14 appearances. But he was excellent with the Panthers last season, going 18-16-5 with a 2.53 goals against average and .920 save % in 42 games.

NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/news/mark-schefele-blake-wheeler-leading-winnipeg-jets/c- 293746096?tid=280751000

Scheifele, Wheeler pushing each other, Jets to new heights Linemates on pace for best NHL seasons, powering Winnipeg into NHL's elite by Nicholas J. Cotsonika @cotsonika / NHL.com Columnist

Blake Wheeler laughed as he described his old stick. It had a low lie and heel curve. The blade was so straight and flat that it looked like a pizza peel, the big spatula used to slide pizzas in and out of brick ovens.

His new stick has a higher lie and toe curve.

"You ask Scheif about curves and he'll talk to you for a year," Wheeler said, smiling.

Scheif is Mark Scheifele, Wheeler's Winnipeg Jets linemate and a hockey nerd. The more you talk about the details, the more you understand why Wheeler and Scheifele are among the NHL scoring leaders and each is on pace to shatter career highs.

Wheeler, 31, has 36 points, four off the League lead entering play Wednesday, including 29 assists, most in the League. Scheifele, 24, has 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists). They have complementary skill sets and have pushed each other for years.

"They work at it," said coach Paul Maurice, whose team is 17-7-4 entering Winnipeg's game at the Florida Panthers on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-F, TSN3, NHL.TV). "They work at all of it. Both of those guys spend an awful lot of time on the ice working. … They watch video together to find those holes. They put an awful lot of time into their craft."

Maurice put Wheeler and Scheifele together after taking over the Jets during the 2013-14 season. At the time, Wheeler was a six-year NHL veteran, a right wing with speed who liked to pass first. Scheifele was in his first full NHL season and had a great at center. Each was right-handed, so Wheeler could feed Scheifele for one-timers.

"I think the example I tried to put forth for him was, the thing that's going to separate him, were his legs," Wheeler said. "He's an elite skater. He and I, if we're moving, it makes it tough, because we both move well. We both can play heavy. There's not a lot of east and west in our game. I think when we're playing well, it's north-south."

By 2015-16, Wheeler had 78 points (26 goals, 52 assists), tied for sixth in the NHL. But he was inspired by Scheifele, the kind of guy who dissected games on his iPad and worked with member Adam Oates in the summer. Scheifele had gone from 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 2013-14 to 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 2014-15 to 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) that season.

"I just knew there was more there, and watching the progression Sheif made, a light went off for me that I can get better," Wheeler said. "I think as long as you have that mindset, no matter how old you are, you can keep improving every year."

Wheeler started working with Oates, who suggested the changes to his stick. Wheeler always could create with his skating, but now he stood more upright with the puck and could create more in tight.

"What it really helps with is your vision," Wheeler said. "You never have to look where the puck is. When it's a little bit closer to your body, it allows you to let guys come closer to you and creates separation for other guys. But ultimately, the biggest thing for me is just having that extra second. When I get the puck, I don't have to look for it. I don't have to wonder what the next move is. I know I've got it in my wheelhouse. I know I have it cocked and ready. It's helped me find guys a little bit quicker than maybe I have in the past."

Wheeler had 74 points (26 goals, 48 assists) last season. The difference this season is his assists. He's on pace for 85, 33 more than his NHL career high, and 105 points, 27 more than his NHL career best. He has 14 assists on the power play, two off the NHL career high he set last season.

"The biggest thing about him is, he's willing to change his game," Scheifele said. "He's an older player. He's a guy that's succeeded in this League. Every summer, he wants to learn more. He wants to get better. He wants to figure out what works better, what's going to give him the highest chance to succeed. That's something that I respect huge about him, that he wants to be the best."

Scheifele set NHL career highs last season with 32 goals, 50 assists and 82 points, ranking seventh in scoring. He's on pace for 41 goals, 58 assists and 99 points this season. He has six power-play goals, one shy of the NHL career high he set in 2015-16 and matched last season.

"There's nobody that invests in themselves more than Mark Scheifele in the NHL," Wheeler said. "There's not an outlet that he hasn't reached out to. There's not a trick he hasn't tried. So for me playing with him, I've got to try to keep up, right? He's pushed me to work on my game more the last two offseasons than I ever have. It's made me a better player, and I think it makes us a better twosome."

TSN.ca https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/maurice-sticking-to-patient-plan-in-winnipeg-1.936481

Maurice sticking to patient plan in Winnipeg

By Declan Schroeder

The old adage is “an elephant never forgets,” but whoever says that has never met Paul Maurice.

Speaking with TSN 1050 on the first two games of the Jets’ season, contests in which they were thumped 7-2 and 6-3 respectively and caused Jets fans to fear the plane had crash landed, Maurice showed an impressive memory of the proceedings that indicated they were integral.

“I know exactly who blew the zone on that third goal,” Maurice said as an example of his recollection of the Jets’ home opener against the Maple Leafs. “It was Matty Perreault who was caught down low and lost d-zone coverage.”

Maurice remembers the details because he considers those first two losses “important.” He described their play in those games as “a hangover from years past,” where the team had a tendency to loosen up and lose structure when they were behind.

“Now they’re just kind of into a real good level of grind here where they just go out and have a pretty good idea of how we’re going to play, and if it’s not going our way, there’s not a lot of panic in our game.”

The newfound mettle this iteration of the Jets possesses has been on display lately, they fell behind 2-0 to Minnesota and 2-1 to Vegas but didn’t stray from their game plan. They reigned victorious in both, 7-2 and 7-4.

The Jets’ success this year can be largely attributed to their embarrassing wealth of young talent. High end, homegrown guys Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Jacob Trouba, and Connor Hellebuyck are big nightly contributors.

It’s all coming together now, but it has taken years and a whole bundle of patience and trust in the process.

“There’s a real strong plan to all of this,” Maurice said, continuing that he and GM wanted to “play the kids.”

“That was the plan going into the last two years,” Maurice explained. “We played them. They didn’t get benched when they made a mistake. They didn’t get a free ride, but they played and they played a lot of minutes.”

Maurice said the development of young players may not have been as apparent last year, as the team had a “brutal” schedule and was “devastated by injuries. Nonetheless, the budding players last year are now beginning to blossom.

Maurice is pleased with the way things are trending, but he isn’t about to stray from the strategy the organization’s set out. He continues to preach patience.

“We’ve still have a ways to go and it’s just time, right? All the things we did last year in terms of playing these kids, we’re doing it again this year. We’re playing them more, a little harder structure on them, maybe squeezing them a little harder.”

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/cotsonika-wheeler-and-scheifele-feed-off-each-other- 1.936678

Cotsonika: Wheeler and Scheifele feed off each other

NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika chats with Hustler and Rick Ralph on the dynamic pairing of Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, how they make each other better, their individual strengths, Wheeler’s brand new stick and how it’s improved different aspects of his game, and if his torrid pace is sustainable. https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/green-jets-weren-t-ready-for-detroit-1.936547

Green: Jets weren't ready for Detroit

TSN 1290 hockey analyst and former NHL defenseman Josh Green joins Kevin Olszewski to break down the Jets 5-1 loss to Detroit, the inconsistency of goalie interference calls, if the Jets were prepared to face the Red Wings, how much stock players put in the standings, and if the Jets’ penalty kill being too passive.