After missing the better part of the 2016-17 OHL season due to a knee injury, Winnipeg Jets’ prospect Logan Stanley has been given the green light to compete at the 2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup for his host Windsor Spitfires club.
Stanley, who was selected 18th overall by the Jets in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, has been out of the Spitfires line-up since January and was only cleared to resume practicing in April. As such, his will be the 6’7 blueliners’ first game action in roughly four months.
Touted for his size, the knock on Stanley entering the draft last summer was twofold: Firstly, his skating stride was in need of improvement to compete at the NHL level. This is a common knock on many players coming up through the ranks of Junior Hockey and one that can be corrected in the majority of cases. The second, and more glaring knock, was his lack of point production through his 2014-15 and 2015-16 OHL campaigns. Over the span of 123 games played, Stanley had registered only 5 goals and a total of 21 points, which, statistically, often aren’t synonymous with first round talent. Be that as it may, Jets brass were clearly enamored with his 6’7” and 230 pound frame and felt that, given time, he fit their vision of an NHL defenseman.
Stanley began finding his groove this season after a slow start, logging 4 goals and 13 assists through 35 games, good enough for a 0.485 point per game clip. While Stanley wasn’t setting the OHL on fire offensively, he at least saw an uptick in total point production. In December, he was notably left off the Canadian U20 World Junior roster that placed silver before suffering his injury weeks later.
Now following a long sojourn in the press box, the rear-pivot is set to return on the CHL’s grandest stage. Windsor is set to open their tournament tonight against the QMJHL Champion Saint John Sea Dogs at 6:00 pm EST. Given Jets’ fans captivation with the team, it’s likely many will tune in to see one of their top prospects return to action over the course of this week-long tournament.
