Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/nhl/jets-captain-wheeler-named-nhls-first- star-of-the-week-habs-goalie-price-no-2-461866173.html\ Jets captain Wheeler named NHL's first star of the week; Habs goalie Price No. 2 By: The Canadian Press NEW YORK - Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler was named the NHL's first star of the week on Monday, with Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price and Dallas Stars centre Radek Faksa also earning honours. Wheeler led the league with two goals and eight assists, including a trio of three-point performances, to propel the Jets to a 3-0-1 week and the top of the Western Conference standings. The 31-year-old Plymouth, Minn., native leads the NHL with 28 assists and ranks fourth in the league with 35 points through 27 games this season. Price went 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and .950 save percentage to help the Canadiens (13-12-3) post a perfect week and extend their win streak to five games overall. The four-game win streak comes after he missed 10 games with a lower-body injury. Faksa had an NHL-best five goals and plus-7 rating in four games to power the Stars (16-10-1) to a 4-0-0 week. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/manitoba-moose/winnipeg-boasts-dynamic- hockey-duo-461983633.html\ Winnipeg boasts dynamic hockey duo Local squads tops in NHL, AHL standings By: Mike McIntyre These are heady days for hockey fans in Winnipeg, who have not one but two first-place clubs to cheer for. The Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose — who woke up Monday morning tied for the most points in the NHL and AHL, respectively — are in the midst of remarkable turnarounds for franchises that have but one measly playoff appearance between them in their eight combined seasons since returning to the city (1-in-6 for the Jets, 0-for-2 for the Moose) And it all begins at home. The Jets and Moose have turned Bell MTS Place into a virtual house of horrors for visitors, losing just three times in regulation in 23 games this season (17-3-3). With the 17-6-4 Jets hitting the road to begin a three-game trip tonight in Detroit, members of the 17-5-2 Moose took some time Monday to marvel at just how far they’ve collectively come. They’ll spend this week practising, before returning to action Saturday when they host the Milwaukee Admirals, looking to tie a franchise record with a 10th straight win. "It’s really great, obviously, when the organization has this much success. I think that Chevy (Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff) and management are pretty ecstatic right now," Moose forward Jack Roslovic, 20, told the Free Press. "And I can say a lot of guys in the organization are really ecstatic. Both teams doing this well is something we should all be proud of. It’s something this organization has been working on for a long time." The AHL’s player of the month for November, Roslovic is currently second in league scoring with 13 goals and 15 assists in 24 games. He said there is plenty of synergy and bonding going on right now, not only within each dressing room, but between them as well. Following Sunday’s 5-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, Jets forward Matt Hendricks met up with Roslovic and Brendan Lemieux of the Moose to talk shop. "He was just saying to keep on going, and we were telling him you guys are rolling, too. I think that we’re all really happy with what’s going on, and it really does show the depth of the organization," Roslovic said. Jets forward Patrik Laine has become a fixture at Moose home games this season, coming out regularly to support fellow Finn Sami Niku, who is in his rookie season with the Moose. "It’s nice. He can tell me how I played," Niku said last week after Laine watched the Moose take on the Cleveland Monsters. Roslovic speaks regularly with fellow second-year pro Kyle Connor, who began the season as his linemate with the Moose but has now been lighting it up with the Jets while playing on a top line with Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. He’s not at all surprised by his friend’s success on the biggest stage — and hopes to soon follow suit. "To be able to play with him, you get that little bit of jelling together to maybe be a line (again) one day," Roslovic said. Therein lies the rub. With the Jets going so well — and avoiding a rash of injuries — there hasn’t been the need to call on the Moose for much help this season. Lemieux, 21, did get a brief look with the Jets, opening many eyes with seven strong games before being returned to the Moose once the NHL team got healthy again. He said there’s no frustration on his part, but rather a desire to keep playing well on such a deep roster, knowing opportunity will likely knock again. "You still have a job to do. You still have to come to the rink and, obviously for me, to try and become a full-time NHL guy," Lemieux said. Lemieux said having an AHL team in the same city as the NHL squad — something only Winnipeg, Toronto and San Jose currently enjoy — is paying dividends. Prospects don’t feel as if they’re out of sight, out of mind. And winning, as both teams are doing right now, becomes infectious. "As a player on this team right now, guys are excited. We’re happy with where we’re at. We know there’s a lot to be gained and a lot of work to do. We’re trying to keep this going and we’re obviously happy with it," Lemieux said. Moose head coach Pascal Vincent, now in his second year with the team after spending his first five seasons in Winnipeg as an assistant with the Jets, appears to be taking a page out of Jets head coach Paul Maurice’s book by constantly preaching the "one-day-at-a-time" mantra. "The guys are in good place mentally right now. They understand the amount of work that has to be done on a daily basis and they buy into what we try to do. It’s really a focus on what we have to do today," Vincent said. The ultimate goal is to try to develop a winning culture, and Vincent said years of hard work appear to finally be paying off. He admitted Monday it’s unusual to have your NHL and AHL teams going so strong at the same time. "I’ve been here since Day 1 of the Jets. It was hard. It was hard on a daily basis to not win, and give to Winnipeg what we wanted. And to stick to the plan is a real credit. It goes to our scouts and our managers, and our people having that vision. Right now it’s paying off," Vincent said. "We know this game can humble you in no time. Right now we’re in a good place. But that’s today. There’s a lot of work to be done. We have to keep things in perspective here. But the results are showing the plan was right, and sticking to the vision of Chevy and his group is what we all believe in." Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/jets-living-in-the-moment-wheeler- named-first-star-numbers-on-the-rise-for-lainepower-play-is-red-hotconnor-and-mason-are- taking-the-trippetan-heating-up Jets living in the moment… Wheeler named first star …Numbers on the rise for Laine…Power play is red-hot…Connor and Mason are taking the trip…Petan heating up By Ken Wiebe DETROIT – Paul Maurice is becoming an expert at the art of deflection. With the Winnipeg Jets in the midst of the most successful run in franchise history, the head coach has been preaching the importance of simply staying in the moment. With expectations clearly on the rise with the Jets entering Monday tied for first overall in the NHL and in top spot of both the Western Conference and Central Division standings, Maurice has made a habit of not spending too much time – at least publicly – enjoying the wins. Well, not enjoying the wins would be a stretch, but Maurice isn’t about to let his group get complacent reading all of the glowing press clippings, as more national media members begin to pay closer attention to what’s going on in Winnipeg. Keeping an even keel is always an important part of the job, whether a team is flying high or trying to dig its way out of a hole. But after hearing Jets forward Mathieu Perreault call Sunday’s 5-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators one of the most dominant performances he’s seen in his NHL career – one that’s spanned nearly 450 games – it was a bit surprising to hear Maurice dismiss the latest triumph so easily. “It was a good win. We’ll absolutely leave this one here,” Maurice said Sunday night. “That wasn’t Ottawa’s best game. I’ve watched them play now. They’re capable of some better hockey. So it was just a 60-minute, two pointer. We forget this one as fast as we played it.” It’s a long season and Maurice realizes how quickly things can change, but this group is showing signs that the early success can be sustained over time, provided the Jets keep working on the things that have taken them to this point.