Observations of Winnipeg Jets training camp to date

Another week of Winnipeg Jets training camp has come and gone. While the biggest news of the week saw Cole Perfetti re-sign on a two-year, $3.25M AAV contract, there was plenty of other news to take note of as we hit the tenth day of camp. 

Winnipeg Jets’ blue line depth is already being tested

The Jets lost Brenden Dillon in the offseason to the New Jersey Devils, and they bought out the last year of Nate Schmidt’s contract. With those two departures, the depth on the back end was primed to take a hit. 

Just a week and a half into camp, Ville Heinola underwent surgery on his ankle and is out for at least four weeks, and Logan Stanley is out for at least a month after surgery. 

For a unit that was already weaker in the depth department, two injuries to their sixth and seventh defenders could heavily affect things. Haydn Fleury is now the favourite to open the season on the third pairing alongside Colin Miller. 

It will be interesting to see the on-ice effect of the offseason departures and injury bug. The Jets won the William M. Jennings trophy last season for allowing just 199 goals while having the 22nd-ranked penalty kill in the league (77.1%). They were dominant when it came to five-on-five defence, and with the dwindling depth on the blue line, they have a tough task ahead of them to repeat that. 

Jets’ line combinations will likely start similar to last year

The Winnipeg Jets’ line combinations were a massive topic of discussion last year, with Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers being at the forefront of it. With the limited training camp skates and preseason games, it looks as though the Jets line combinations are primed to begin the season the same way they ended last year. 

It seems as though Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Gabriel Vilardi are going to start the year as the top line, despite their struggles at five-on-five last season. Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti will hold down the second line, whether or not Vladislav Namestnikov or Brad Lambert centre that line. Adam Lowry will continue to centre a line between Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton after their even-strength success last season. 

According to MoneyPuck.com, the trio of Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi had an expected goals percentage (xG%) of 35.7% last season, and were outscored by their opponents 13-11 at even-strength. While many Jets fans were hoping to see the trio of Ehlers-Scheifele-Vilardi to begin the season, it looks as though head coach Scott Arniel will begin the season with the same top line that Rick Bowness deployed in 2023-24. 

New look special teams 

Scott Arniel confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that both Connor and Scheifele are going to kill penalties this season, which we saw in action on Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers. 

As for the power play, Nikolaj Ehlers is going to get a look in the bumper/high-slot position on the top unit, a spot that Sean Monahan held down last season after joining the Jets mid-season. 

Ehlers expressed his desire to learn the position by watching players such as Brayden Point, Sam Reinhart, and Sebastian Aho, all players who find success in the high-slot position and are vital contributors to their power plays. 

Last season, despite finishing with 110 points, the Jets special teams cost them a handful of games. Arniel and the Jets coaching staff are aiming to revamp those units this season with the additions of skill players to the penalty kill, and Ehlers to the top power play unit. 

It was too early to tell on Wednesday night in preseason action, but both the Jets’ power play and penalty kill succeeded in limited minutes, with the man advantage featuring plenty of puck and player movement. 

Rapid Fire Takeaways

• Neal Pionk begins his preseason with a four point night

Jets defenceman Neal Pionk posted four points on Wednesday night (one goal, three assists) in the 6-1 win over the Oilers. The last time Pionk had a successful season in the Jets top-four was a contract year (2020-21), and it’s worth noting that he is facing that same challenge in 2024-25. As a pending UFA, Pionk is playing for his next contract, and so far in the preseason he has shown that he is ready to bounce back from a handful of down seasons. 

• Colin Miller’s shot will be a valuable asset this season

Colin Miller has scored two goals from the Jets blueline in preseason, and while he only appeared in five games in 2023-24, he has shown early on that his shot could be an asset for the Jets this season. 

Whether it’s from the third-pairing or the second power play unit, Miller is poised to have an impact offensively with the Jets defence core. His two goals in the preseason have shown off his incredible shot, and with defensive depth question marks arising in preseason, he will be relied upon to provide solid third-pairing minutes for Arniel’s coaching staff. 

• Cole Perfetti looks great in first preseason game

Cole Perfetti didn’t skip a beat in preseason game #1, on Friday night against the Minnesota Wild. Appears those skates with pro guys in Winnipeg when he was without a contract helped keep him ready.

Not only did he finish the game with a goal and an assist, but he showed off his passing and vision that Jets fans have become accustomed to over the past three seasons. 

Folks who follow the Jets might have had every right to be concerned about Perfetti’s conditioning and rust levels heading into the season after missing a week of training camp, but he showed on Friday evening in an 8-5 loss against the Wild that he’s more than ready to take another step forward this season.