Yes, we are only three days into the Winnipeg Jets 2024-25 training camp, yet the players have just over 24 hours before the puck drops on their first pre-season exhibition game. Two practices and a pre-game skate…not exactly a ton of time to get the Jets used to things before the action gets underway. And while there wasn’t a ton of roster turnover this summer, there are still plenty of new things to adjust to. Like a new guy behind the bench….yeah, Scott Arniel was there before but you have to believe there will be at least some adjustments by the new coach to the system Winnipeg used at 5 on 5 under Rick Bowness. Then there are completely new special teams coaches…while that is certainly good news after the sub-par performances by the team under the old guys, it will at the minimum require slight changes in how they defend/attack and at the maximum a whole new concept to learn. Then there is the fact that there are potentially spots open on the NHL roster for some of the Jets’ young prospects to grab. Yes, Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Ville Heinola, & Elias Salomonsson have attended camps before…but never when there was the potential of an NHL role this close.
So, with all that going on, what can we glean from the media reports about the first 3 days of training camp? Well, here are some of the things people who were in attendance at Winnipeg’s practice facility wrote about…
TRAINING CAMP TIDBITS:
- Cole Perfetti contract situation is still unresolved and with a flurry of signings (Seider, Raymond, Mercer, etc) in the recent days, only the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins have significant Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) on the sideline without a contract. While I would say the B’s have the bigger worry if the situation drags on, it doesn’t do the Jets or Perfetti any good if the talented young forward misses a large chunk of camp (or, dread the thought, into the regular season). As Karlos alluded to in the comments on the previous article…wouldn’t two years @ $3.5M be acceptable to both?
- Scott Arniel saying to not read too much into the lines to start training camp. The new head coach advised that the early pre-season games will start off youthful as the coaching staff works toward the opening day roster. As a result of that, he wanted the young prospects to work together early on to gain chemistry for those contests. Things will change as the team progresses from 53 players down to a maximum of 23. That brings me to another tidbit about our team’s new bench boss, as the coach has said that it would be his preference to carry only 22 players on the NHL roster since it is easier to keep everyone involved that way. With only 1 defenseman and 1 forward in the press-box each game, it makes it simpler to ensure that all the players are seeing enough NHL action to remain game-ready.
- Connor Hellebuyck wants 2 & a half games once the pre-season games start, but since he would like to face more experienced opponents Bucky’s appearances probably won’t be until games 3 to 6. I guess that gives the coaching staff 3.5 games to assess whether Kaapo Kahkonen or Eric Comrie will be backing up Hellebuyck this season. However, it is possible Winnipeg could carry 3 NHL goaltenders if Arniel is only going to use 20 of 23 spots for skaters.
- Yet more bad luck for Ville Heinola, who had some swelling in his surgically repaired ankle after the first day of training camp. The media reports were that the young Finnish defenseman was looking very impressive, so for the team to find out he now has an infection likely related to the hardware in his ankle is very unfortunate. Arniel said that the team will re-assess the situation after a week, but indicated that it is not a day-to-day thing and was “more serious than they first thought“. Now, I am certainly not a medical professional and the online information I have read about the subject seems to be mostly relating to infections occurring shortly after the surgery…but it seems to me that if anti-biotics don’t resolve the inflammation/infection in the next week, the next best option would be to have another surgical procedure to remove the hardware & the infection. At least, Heinola’s bone should be completely healed so any hardware isn’t really serving a purpose anymore, but obviously it would delay him getting back on the ice. Hoping for the best….cause the kid has a breakout season in him that I am waiting to see.
- Other news on the medical front include defenseman Simon Lundmark missing one practice after blocking a shot and forward Henri Nikkanen out since the start of camp with some illness.
Well, that is all I have dug out of the numerous articles that I have read since training camp started on Wednesday. Haven’t had the time to check out all the interviews over at IllegalCurve, but since hockey players don’t tend to reveal much to the media I probably didn’t miss a whole lot.
We are now just a day away from the Winnipeg Jets opening up their pre-season schedule against the Minnesota Wild. The True North franchise will only face three of their NHL rivals in the six exhibition contests, with the Edmonton Oilers & Calgary Flames joining our American neighbour’s to the south. So you can save the dates on your calendars, here is how ESPN has the franchise’s pre-season schedule looking:
Unfortunately when it comes to television coverage, the Jets aren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens. So maybe we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to watch 4 of Winnipeg’s matches on TV via TSN or Sportsnet. Here is the list of games that will be available through those channels, this time courtesy of TSN:
I believe September 22nd’s game in Edmonton and the 27th contest versus Minnesota will be available to stream through the Winnipeg Jets official site, but I will also make sure that Arctic Ice Hockey provides a recap for those unable to find the time in your busy lives.
Arctic Ice Hockey will have a game preview for tomorrow’s clash against the Wild once the lineups are known, so ensure you come back Saturday to see which players will have a chance to leave a good or bad impression on the coaching staff first. I’ll end with a way too early….Go Jets!!!
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