Another month gone by, and another year. We take a look at how our potential future Winnipeg Jets have fared in the American Hockey League and across the ocean for the month of December.
AHL
The IceCaps continue to struggle; they posted a 3-5-1 record for the month of December. Their struggles seem to arise from all facets: scoring, defending, goaltending, special teams…
Josh Weissbock posted an update on the AHL's underlying metrics:
2008 2nd Round (Acquired: 2009 Trade): C Eric O`Dell; 32 GP, 12G, 10A, 22 PTS, -9, 26 PIM, 94 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 9 | 5 | 2 | 7 | -3 | 8 | 35 |
O`Dell leads the IceCaps in goal scoring after a fairly productive month in that category. O`Dell's shot production seems consistent with last season but his shooting percentage is still at a career low.
Still, goal scoring hasn't been the biggest factor in his point production fall off. The major culprit has been assists. Most of the IceCaps have been struggling to score early on, and the team is lacking in scoring depth. This has hurt O'Dell's boxscore totals.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 7 | 0.375 | 0.313 | 0.688 | 2.94 | 12.8% |
| 2013-14 | 6 | 0.405 | 0.595 | 1.000 | 2.95 | 13.7% |
| 2012-13 | 5 | 0.492 | 0.441 | 0.932 | 2.44 | 20.1% |
| 2011-12 | 4 | 0.308 | 0.256 | 0.564 | 1.64 | 18.8% |
2008 2nd Round (Acquired: 2010 Trade): C Patrice Cormier; 21 GP, 5G, 5A, 10 PTS, -8, 32 PIM, 33 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 11 | 5 |
Not much has changed for Cormier since we last visited his numbers. Cormier has put up less shots than games played and posted more penalty minutes than either. He did pot a goal.
Despite a fairly dry month, Cormier's goal scoring pace has recovered from last year's shooting percentage dip. Hopefully his shot production will improve with it.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 7 | 0.238 | 0.238 | 0.476 | 1.57 | 15.2% |
| 2013-14 | 6 | 0.148 | 0.279 | 0.426 | 1.74 | 8.5% |
| 2012-13 | 5 | 0.200 | 0.114 | 0.314 | 1.43 | 14.0% |
| 2011-12 | 4 | 0.321 | 0.268 | 0.589 | 1.77 | 18.2% |
| 2010-11 | 3 | 0.182 | 0.273 | 0.455 | 1.36 | 13.3% |
2009 2nd Round: LW Carl Klingberg; 35 GP, 10G, 10A, 20 PTS, +0, 33 PIM, 110 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | +4 | 4 | 31 |
Klingberg continued his streak in scoring three goals each month, although his assist totals were his lowest. The young winger has produced shots on net like no other IceCap. It does not look like we should expect a bump in shooting percentage, but it is possible.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | 0.286 | 0.286 | 0.571 | 3.14 | 9.1% |
| 2013-14 | 5 | 0.338 | 0.308 | 0.646 | 2.74 | 12.4% |
| 2012-13 | 4 | 0.167 | 0.182 | 0.348 | 2.05 | 8.1% |
| 2011-12-01 | 3 | 0.227 | 0.333 | 0.561 | 2.38 | 9.6% |
2009 4th Round: LD Ben Chiarot; 24 GP, 4G, 5A, 9 PTS, +0, 21 PIM, 64 SOG
Chiarot was called up to the Jets after severely improving his shots per game this season… and looks like he may be fitting in well. His underlying metrics as a Winnipeg Jet have been above average, but there is always the possibility that playing with Dustin Byfuglien effect. It is a severely small sample with out Byfuglien (23 minutess), but so far Chiarot averages a 53.2 Corsi percentage with Byfuglien and a 34.1 Corsi percentage without.
| Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 6 | 0.167 | 0.208 | 0.375 | 2.67 | 6.3% |
| 5 | 0.092 | 0.215 | 0.308 | 1.43 | 6.5% |
| 4 | 0.016 | 0.180 | 0.197 | 1.05 | 1.6% |
2010 3rd Round: LD Julian Melchiori; 35 GP, 0G, 3A, 3 PTS, -6, 21 PIM, 27 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 8 | 8 |
Much like Klingberg has been consistently scoring three goals a month, Melchiori has consistently produced an assist each month. Melchiori's shot production improved ever so slightly this month, but it is still quite low.
While known more and respected for his defensive acumen, Melchiori will need to create a lot more offense if he's going to succeed in moving up like the older Chiarot.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | 0.000 | 0.086 | 0.086 | 0.77 | 0.0% |
| 2013-14 | 4 | 0.020 | 0.200 | 0.220 | 1.08 | 1.9% |
| 2012-13 | 3 | 0.019 | 0.135 | 0.154 | 0.87 | 2.2% |
2010 7th Round: RW Patrick Holland; 7 GP, 0G, 0A, 0 PTS, -2, 4 PIM, 1 SOG
Holland has been injured since October. While Eric Tangradi has yet to lead the Montreal Canadiens in scoring, the Jets have not gained much in value from Peter Budaj and Patrick Holland.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.14 | 0.0% |
| 2013-14 | 4 | 0.105 | 0.193 | 0.298 | 1.42 | 7.4% |
| 2012-13 | 3 | 0.145 | 0.261 | 0.406 | 1.90 | 7.6% |
2013: 7th Round (2010 Eligible): RD Brenden Kichton; 31 GP, 3G, 7A, 10 PTS, -12, 16 PIM, 49 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -4 | 6 | 16 |
Kichton’s goal scoring rate has dropped a bit from last season but the real loss has been in assists. The loss in goal production from Andrew Gordon and Jarome Samson has really hurt Kichton. Kichton’s increased shot production however is a positive sign.
Unfortunately though the defender recently suffered a broken jaw and will be out for some time.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | 0.097 | 0.226 | 0.323 | 1.58 | 6.1% |
| 2013-14 | 4 | 0.132 | 0.500 | 0.632 | 1.49 | 8.8% |
2013 3rd Round (2011 Eligible): RW J.C. Lipon; 34 GP, 1G, 9A, 10 PTS, -18, 88 PIM, 65 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -10 | 15 | 11 |
When the goal scorers are not scoring, the passers are not picking up assists. What's also been hurting for the tenacious and young winger is a terribly low shooting percentage. This will not persist so long as Lipon continues creating chances.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 4 | 0.029 | 0.265 | 0.294 | 1.91 | 1.5% |
| 2013-14 | 3 | 0.125 | 0.444 | 0.569 | 1.56 | 8.0% |
2011 5th Round: RW Austen Brassard; 34 GP, 1G, 5A, 6 PTS, -4, 25 PIM, 35 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 9 | 8 |
Hey look, a goal! Brassard succeeded in getting the proverbial monkey off his back, with plenty of room for more shooting percentage regression. The whole team could do with a lot more percentage regression.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 4 | 0.029 | 0.147 | 0.176 | 1.03 | 2.9% |
| 2013-14 | 3 | 0.103 | 0.069 | 0.172 | 0.83 | 12.5% |
2010 3rd Round: RW Scott Kosmachuk; 32 GP, 6G, 4A, 10 PTS, -14, 37 PIM, 52 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 2 | 14 |
Kosmachuk is one of the few players to finally receive a few bounces going their way. He only potted one goal in December, but has already accumulated three goals in four shots and two games to start off January. Glad to see some more signs of positivity from the Jets farm team.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 3 | 0.188 | 0.125 | 0.313 | 1.63 | 11.5% |
2010 3rd Round: G Connor Hellebuyck; 24 GP, 779 SA, 0.923 Sv%, 13W-9L-2OTL
| Month | GP | SA | SV | SV% |
| December | 7 | 218 | 198 | 0.908 |
Hellebuyck had a bit of a rough month, saving less than 90% of shots against for five games… after only having four similar games in the two months prior. With the low save percentage came a losing 3-4-0 record. Still, Hellebuyck remains as one of the AHL better goaltenders in terms of save percentage.
| Year | Rel Draft | GP | SA | SV | SV% |
| 2014-15 | 3 | 24 | 779 | 719 | 0.923 |
2010 6th Round: C Ryan Olsen; 34GP, 2G, 3A, 5 PTS, -14, 28 PIM, 26 SOG
| Month | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | SOG |
| December | 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -13 | 24 | 6 |
There are rumours that the Jets may send Olsen down to the WHL to join a stacked Kelowna Rockets roster in its quest for the cup. Olsen's low scoring numbers makes the rumour to seem entirely likely, although it is still questionable how probable.
| Year | Rel Draft | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 3 | 0.059 | 0.088 | 0.147 | 0.82 | 7.1% |
ECHL
Undrafted, 2008 Eligible (Acquired: 2013 RFA): G Juho Olkinuora; 23 GP, 696 SA, 0.911 SV%, 12-7-2
| Month | GP | SA | SV | SV% |
| December | 11 | 333 | 301 | 0.904 |
Olkinuora struggled in December much like Hellebuyck. Unlike the IceCaps though, the Ontario Reign do have an alternative choice. For some reason though they have been riding Olkinuora as opposed to Joe Cannata (0.926, 7-3-0).
Olkinuora has faced just four less shots than last season, but has improved to allowing 13 less goals against.
| Year | Rel Draft | GP | SA | SV | SV% |
| 2014-15 | 7 | 23 | 696 | 634 | 0.911 |
| 2013-14 | 6 | 27 | 700 | 621 | 0.887 |
Europe
2010 1st Round: C Alexander Burmistrov; 41 GP, 9G, 16A, 25 PTS, +6, 34 PIM, 66 SOG, 16:33 Avg TOI, 52.9% FO%
Some fans naturally get defensive about Burmistrov due to history. Still he has played well which is good for a Jet prospect. Burmistrov is the second highest scorer on the second best team in the second best league in the world. Players from the KHL retain a larger percentage of their points per game than any other league. His assist production has faltered somewhat, although league scoring rates are down in the KHL.
| Year | Rel Draft | Level | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | KHL | 0.220 | 0.390 | 0.610 | 1.61 | 13.6% |
| 2013-14 | 4 | KHL | 0.185 | 0.519 | 0.704 | 2.15 | 8.6% |
2010 4th Round: LW Ivan Telegin; 18 GP, 2G, 0A, 2 PTS, +1, 27 PIM, 25 SOG, 11:05 Avg TOI
While Burmistrov plays on the KHL's second best team, Telegin struggles to get ice time on the best team in the league. Telegin received 25 minutes for a kneeing penalty. Other than that, not much has happened since we last met.
| Year | Rel Draft | Level | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 5 | KHL | 0.125 | 0.000 | 0.125 | 1.56 | 8.0% |
2013 7th Round: RD Marcus Karlstrom; 26 GP, 0G, 2A, 2 PTS, -4, 4 PIM, 9 SOG
Karlstrom has only played one game in the Allsvenskan since last month, where he posted two shots on net and two penalty minutes.
Being an offensive defenseman struggling to score, the team sent Karlstrom down a tier and loned him to Visby/Roma. In the two games Karlstrom has played, he has picked up a goal and two assists.
| Year | Rel Draft | Level | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP |
| 2014-15 | 2 | Allsvenskan | 0.000 | 0.077 | 0.077 |
| 2013-14 | 1 | SWE U20 | 0.318 | 0.455 | 0.773 |
| 2012-13 | 0 | SWE U18 | 0.467 | 1.000 | 1.467 |
2014 6th Round: C Pavel Kraskovsky; 26 GP, 5G, 15A, 20 PTS, +12, 28 PIM, 75 SOG, 50.2 FO%
Kraskovsky has only played two games since last month. The only real change was 12 penalty minutes gained from one of the two games.
| Year | Rel Draft | Level | G/GP | A/GP | Pts/GP | Shots/GP | Sh% |
| 2014-15 | 1 | MHL | 0.192 | 0.577 | 0.769 | 2.88 | 6.7% |
| 2013-14 | 0 | MHL | 0.256 | 0.436 | 0.692 | 2.08 | 12.3% |
