Ontario product Jeff Malott concluded his fourth impactful season in Winnipeg as a member of the Moose.
For the third straight season he was over the 20 goal mark (22) and he set a new career high for assists (30) and points (52). And the numbers probably should be a lot higher given his presence in front of the net to take away a goalies eyes. Countless teammates scored goals that likely do not beat the netminder without the big 6’5 frame of Malott screening in front.
The other big impact by Malott was the benefit he provided to Jets 2022 1st rounder Brad Lambert who played alongside him for almost the entirety of the season. The two formed quite a partnership during the 2023-24 season with the veteran Canadian looking out for the young Finn and helping him become an impactful player in the AHL.
In late December he scored his eighth goal of the season which moved him into the Top 10 on the All-Time list for Manitoba. And he also hosted this hilarious Christmas video. By late January he hit another milestone playing in his 200th AHL game. He also picked up his first hat trick as a pro in early March. He was also the winner of the Three Stars Award earing the most votes this season.
Malott is a UFA and based on his end of season media availability might be wearing a new uniform next season. If it is the end of the line for him in Manitoba he was another good college free agent signee by Winnipeg. He was signed out of NCAA Cornell by the Moose to an AHL deal back in April of 2020. He began his time in pro playing four games in the ECHL with the Florida Everblades before he joined Manitoba for one of the most unique seasons of pro hockey in this province with the Moose playing in the bubble against the other Canadian AHL teams and most of those games were played out at the IcePlex. He earned himself his first NHL deal for the 2021-22 season which saw him making his Winnipeg Jets debut in Chicago. The team obviously liked what they saw as he earned another NHL deal, this time a two-year deal with Winnipeg.
We spoke to him about the past season, his development this season, an area of growth, seeing Lambert/Chibrikov make their NHL debuts, his impact on the Manitoba organization, being a leader in the room, team culture and more.
