As the NHL lockout continues, Arctic Ice Hockey will continue to focus on how the Winnipeg Jets‘ prospects are performing this season. In this feature, we will track the performance of the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects throughout the first weeks of the 2012-2013 NCAA hockey season. Enjoy!
Goaltenders
Connor Hellebuyck (UMass-Lowell) – If you asked Connor Hellebuyck how he imagined his NCAA debut would go, I doubt it would involve getting pulled after letting in five goals. Unfortunately for Hellebuyck though, that’s exactly what happened, as he allowed five goals on 28 shots in a 5-1 loss to Denver University. After a fairly solid first 40 minutes, Hellebuck allowed three goals – two on the power play, one at even strength – in just one minute and 51 seconds of game time before ceding the net to junior Doug Carr midway through the third period. With the backup goaltender spot very much up for grabs, Hellebuyck will likely need a stronger showing in his next outing to stay in the picture.
Jamie Phillips (Michigan Tech) – After getting some pre-season action in against Brock University, Jamie Phillips has yet to see the ice yet this season for the Michigan Tech Huskies, as senior Kevin Genoe and freshman Phoenix Copley have played all of the Huskies’ first four games this season. Rest assured though, nobody looks better in pre-game skates than Jamie Phillips.
Jason Kasdorf (RPI) – With last year's goaltending tandem of Bryce Merriam and Scott Diebold both returning, we knew that the multi-talented and multi-positional Kasdorf likely wouldn't be much of a factor in his freshman season at RPI. As expected, Kasdorf has yet to factor into a game yet. On a completely unrelated note, the number of banana peels on Scott Diebold's floor has increased 300% compared to this point last season.
Defensemen
Peter Stoykewych (Colorado College) – After a strong season opener against Clarkson University in which Stoykewych recorded five shots on goal and finished +2, Stoykewich picked up his first point of the season, a primary assist, on junior Alex Krushelnyski’s first period goal the next night. In addition, Stoykewych has played four games of penalty-free hockey, which must be some kind of a record for Jets prospects.
Aaron Harstad (Colorado College) – Stoykewych's teammate and fellow Winnipeg Jets prospect has had somewhat of a rocky start to the season. Through four games, he's played to a -4 rating despite Colorado College outscoring their opponents 17-13 thus far. On the bright side, Harstad's recorded two assists and 13 shots on goal through four games.
Brennan Serville (Michigan) – The Winnipeg Jets’ 3rd round pick in 2011, Serville has had a solid but unspectacular start to his sophomore season as the Michigan Wolverines have started the season 2-1. While Serville’s not expected to be an offensive juggernaut by any means, it would be nice to see more than just a meager five shots on goal, especially on a team that’s averaged just over 50 shots/game so far this season.
Jacob Trouba (Michigan) – Last but certainly not least, Winnipeg Jets’ 9th overall draft choice Jacoub Trouba started the season with a bang, recording a goal and assist in his first period of NCAA play. After adding another assist in his second game of the season and a goal in his third, Trouba is now riding a three game point streak as the Wolverines get set to host #3 Miami (Ohio) in their next game.
Forwards
Vinny Saponari (Northeastern University) – After racking up two assists in Northeastern's season opener against Merrimack, Saponari was quiet in Northeastern's two games against Boston College. The captain did, however, manage to rack up a 10 minute misconduct in Northeastern's 3-0 loss to Boston College, ensuring that he wasn't left entirely off the scoresheet.
Yasin Cisse (Boston University) – Entering his sophomore season, Cisse has yet to be much of a factor in BU’s first two games this season. Then again, so has the entire team, which has scored just five goals. I think it would be safe to say most people expect better out of the 13th ranked Terriers.
Tanner Lane (Nebraska-Omaha) – After playing to a -1 and generally being a non-factor in Nebraska-Omaha’s season-opening win over Northern Michigan, Tanner Lane has not dressed for the past three games. We said in our season previews that Lane may well be in for a rough adjustment in his first year of NCAA hockey. While it may be too soon to jump to conclusions, it looks like we may have been right in that prediction.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Quinnipac University) – After leading Bowling Green State University in scoring in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, many had high hopes for Jordan Samuels-Thomas' time at Quinnipac University. JST began his season theatrically, scoring the game winning goal with just 1:26 remaining in the third period of Quinnipac's 2-1 season-opening win over the No. 15 ranked University of Maine on October 6. Since then, he has failed to register a point in five straight games. Despite that, Samuels-Thomas ranks third on the team with 14 shots on goal. With just 10 goals total through six games though, Quinnipac could certainly use a boost from anyone, and some goals from Samuels-Thomas would certainly be welcome.
Note: Click the headings to sort the table by any category you choose.
| Name | School | GP | G | A | P | PIM |
| Jacob Trouba | U. of Michigan | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Yasin Cisse | Boston University | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Peter Stoykewych | Colorado College | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vinny Saponari | Northeastern University | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Jordan Samuels-Thomas | Quinnipiac University | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Tanner Lane | U. of Nebraska-Omaha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Harstad | Colorado College | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Brennan Serville | U. of Michigan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
