To continue our look at the Manitoba Moose, we shift our attention to the bounty of forward prospects coach Mark Morrison had at his disposal in 2023-24. But before we get into the higher end players like Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, and Chaz Lucius, let’s review the veteran leadership on the Moose (over 25 yrs old).
The most impactful on the scoresheet of the veterans this season is winger Jeff Malott. The 6’3′ 204 lb forward is sitting in second place with 44 points and is tied at the top of Manitoba’s goal scorers (19). In his third full campaign with the Moose, the Burlington, ON native has delivered consistent performances: 23 G/41 Pts in 62 games as a rookie, 23 G/44 Pts in 71 games as a sophomore, & 19 G/44 Pts in 62 games this year (0.71 pts/gm). Malott is not as adept at fighting as his MMA brother, but he isn’t afraid to drop the gloves when required. It is better for Manitoba to keep him on the ice though, as he makes it hard for defenders around the crease and has a knack for scoring PP goals (23 over the past 3 yrs). Not the fastest skater, but the 27 yr old plays well enough in his own end to be one of a handful of forwards with a positive plus-minus rating (+6). Another key figure up front is Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, who started the season with Manitoba (5 pts in 10 gms) before being called up to the Winnipeg Jets. The speedy winger spent 26 games with the big club (5 pts) before Kevin Cheveldayoff got fortunate enough to slip him through waivers in early February. The 26 yr old Swede became a big part of the Moose’s offense after his return to the AHL, with 18 points in his next 22 contests to give him a 0.72 pts per game rating. AJF has netted 10 goals in 32 games with a solid 14.1% shooting percentage and has been a big part of Manitoba’s second half resurgence.
An off-season addition by the Winnipeg Jets, Jeffrey Viel was brought in to add some toughness to the AHL squad and he has certainly done that (team leading 119 PIMs). The 27 yr old winger has been fairly consistent over his previous 5 AHL seasons and typically put up 30 pts in around 60 games. This season has been no different, as the 6’2″ 205 lb forward has put up a career-high 32 pts in 60 matches with the Moose. Viel is also challenging for his best goal total in a season, with his 14 markers being only one behind last season’s 15 with the San Jose Barracudas. Up next is a long-time Manitoba Moose, but the 25 yr old has really stepped up his game in the past two. Kristian Reichel was coming off a career-best 24 pts last season, but he had a painful start to the season (1 pt in 18 games). However, after that he has exploded offensively, putting up a his best goal scoring season (17, tied for 2nd for MB forwards) and now sits with 31 pts in 62 games. The Czech forward has contributed in all aspects of the game, with 3 PPG, 2 SHG, 1 GWG, 1 SO goal, and a 13.2% shooting percentage. Our final two veterans are Dominic Toninato and Nicholas Jones. The first we are all aware of from his brief stints with the Winnipeg Jets over the years and Toninato has provided offense for the Moose in the past (35 pts in 50 games last year), but it hasn’t gone as well this season for the 30 yr old, partially due to injuries (13 pts in 29 gms). Jones has been under contract with Manitoba for 4 of his 6 AHL campaigns and has typically been involved in their “energy” lines. A career-best 34 pts in 60 games two seasons ago was an anomaly, but the 28 yr old minor-leaguer has chipped in 6 goals & 10 assists in 47 matches.
We now get to players who can truly be considered prospects, as they all are under the age of 23. Parker Ford is exactly that age and is entering the 2nd year of an entry level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. The 5’9″ forward went undrafted after playing with Providence College in the NCAA and used his sparkplug energy to get 4 points in 8 games late last season. Ford has found himself on Manitoba’s version of the Lowry line and has produced well, putting up 15 goals (4 on PP) & 35 points in his rookie campaign (0.56 pts/gm). Up next are a pair of European forwards in Daniel Torgersson and Henri Nikkanen, 2nd round and 4th round selections respectively. Torgersson had shown flashes of his promise in his rookie season (20 pts in 69 gms), but this season has been a disappointment (8 pts in 46 gms). With great size (6’3″ 220 lbs) and decent speed, he often finds himself in prime scoring areas but he may have even worse hands than Adam Lowry & Mason Appleton. Nikkanen’s first season with Manitoba showed that he was an effective shut-down center, but offense proved difficult (16 pts in 66 gms). This year started off the same, with the Finnish center being shut out in his first 35 games. However, whatever he did at the start of March needs to be consistently repeated, as the 6’4″ 215 lb center flipped a switch and put up 4 goals & 10 points in his last 13 contests.
Finally we get to the most intriguing prospects on the farm team, starting off with 21 yr old Nikita Chibrikov. The Russian is in his 1st season in North America and while there are definitely some holes in his defensive game, his offensive talents have clearly been visible. Currently tied for 3rd on the team for goals (17) and points (42), Nikita is also sitting in a tie for 9th in AHL rookie scoring. The 5’10” winger has a decent 12.4 shooting percentage this year, which he uses effectively with the man-advantage (7 PPG) and to open up scoring (leads Moose with 4 first goals of the game). An excellent skater with great vision (tied for 2nd in assists), the Moscow native will have to work on his 2-way play if he has hopes to make the leap to the NHL. Another Moscow-born player is Danil Zhilkin, a 3rd round selection by the Jets in 2022. The 20 yr old hasn’t thrived in his first professional season after being near a point per game player in his final two Junior campaigns. Despite being familiar with the North American game from his time in the OHL, Danny has had his share of “rookie mistakes” this season. There have been spurts of offense (5 pts in a 8 game period), but he is currently mired in a 22 span without a point. His 7 pts in 44 contests doesn’t bring much hope that he will turn out to be an NHLer, but his 3.3% shooting percentage on a decent amount of shots points to a bit of bad puck luck too.
The 18th selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Chaz Lucius’ development has certainly not gone ideally. Suffering through numerous long-term injuries despite being only 20 yrs old has definitely thrown obstacles in his route to reaching his top potential, but when the kid is on the ice and healthy every sign tells me he is a future NHLer. After getting a taste with Manitoba last season (5 pts in 12 gms), the young center exploded in the WHL (15 pts in 6 gms) before having his season end due to injury. Unfortunately, 2023-24 followed a similar pattern and Chaz only dressed for 17 games with the Moose before another injury required surgery. However, in that short span, the 6’1″ center showed me that he could play at the professional level. His 0.76 pts per game doesn’t blow you away, but it stands up to what a lot of current NHLers did at the same age (tied with the much higher drafted Shane Wright). A defensively responsible center with great passing abilities (11 of 13 of his points were assists). And leaving the best for last, we finally get to 19 yr old Brad Lambert, the 30th pick of the 2022 draft. The 6’1″ center also had a small stint with Manitoba last year (3 pts in 14 gms), but it wasn’t until he started to play in the WHL that his offense appeared (38 pts in 26 regular season & 26 pts in 17 playoff). The right-handed Finn has kept that up this season, as he is 8 pts off the AHL’s top rookie scorer (Logan Stankoven’s 57 pts in 47 gms). Lambo’s 0.88 pts/gm puts him up with the AHL’s best seasons by a player that started the year at the age of 19, so I don’t think anyone should complain about his 19 goals (tied for team lead), 30 assists (1st on team), and 49 pts (1st on team). Lambert hasn’t been all flash either, his plus-minus rating (+1) is tied for 4th for Manitoba forwards and he has shown quality 2-way play in a top six role.
If you want to look at the Manitoba Moose’s top 15 scorers stats in further detail, check theAHL.com’s table below:
Before I wrap things up completely, I thought I would try to give you a guesstimate about how I think some of Winnipeg’s top prospects may turn out by comparing them to current or former Jets.
Starting off at the top, while Brad Lambert and Nikolaj Ehlers are not exactly alike, their speed and puck carrying abilities often allows them to gain the offensive zones for their clubs. I believe that Lambert has a better scoring touch, while Ehlers has better edge work that allows him to cut back more effectively. Both forwards are great at setting up their linemates and I believe both are or will be top six NHL forwards. Having another center option in Lambo at the top of their lineup will be great for Winnipeg, as will having another right handed scorer on the squad.
The other 1st round forward prospect on the Moose is Chaz Lucius and I don’t think I have to stretch a comparison too much by using Sean Monahan as my example. All signs point to Monahan being a better goal scorer, but they both play a responsible game from the pivot position and are able to take advantage of their linemates talents. Without face-off stats being available to common fans, I am not sure Lucius can match that talent, but he didn’t look lost at the dot. If the young American can stay healthy, the Jets may have another top 6 forward option that can distribute the puck to his goal scoring teammates.
A much harder comparison is next when it comes to defenseman Ville Heinola. I recently read someone comparing him to Sami Niku, but that is totally off base. The Finn is much better in his defensive end when compared to a pure one-way talent like Niku, but I also can’t stretch as high as an elite skater & two-way defender like Josh Morrissey. Ville can’t match the edge work and creativity of Josh, but he does excel as a powerplay quarterback and puck distributor. That kind of leaves me grudgingly going to Neal Pionk. While I don’t think it is an apt match, other than both being better offensively, since I am not sure Pionk would have made the NHL as a lefty. I do believe that an NHL team can make use of what Heinola has to offer effectively, but I am not sure the Winnipeg Jets’ current systems are built for him. Perhaps his best chance is to move on, but with Brenden Dillon and Logan Stanley needing contracts in the off-season, who knows what will happen.
Nikita Chibrikov also is a difficult one to match up with another Winnipeg Jet. At the top end of his ceiling, I think I could see him develop into some version of Brad Marchand, but in the context of this exercise perhaps a more likely option is Nic Petan. Both Chibrikov & Petan are great with the man-advantage, but I have hopes the former turns into a better 2-way player. His size will never be an asset, so he has his work cut out for him if he wants to break in with Winnipeg.
Some other quick comparisons include Parker Ford turning into the next Mikey Eyssimont, defensemen Simon Lundmark perhaps evolving into Dylan DeMelo, the Moose’s Jeff Malott & Kyle Capobianco being AHL versions of Gabriel Vilardi & Josh Morrissey, Henri Nikkanen morphing into Adam Lowry, and Danny Zhilkin becoming very Andrew Copp-like.
Hope you enjoyed your trip through the Winnipeg Jets’ farm team with me. The Manitoba Moose are back in action tonight on the west coast as they continue their fight for the post-season. Would love to hear your comments on my comparisons and if you can come up with any of your own.
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