Not a ton going on with the Winnipeg Jets this weekend as they have a bit of a break between pre-season contests. The True North franchise will be back in action on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, but in the meantime here is something to fill that hockey void.
Manitoba Moose training camp opens…
While the camp officially opens today, the on-ice stuff doesn’t get going until Monday at the Hockey For All Centre in Winnipeg. The arena is open to the public, so if you are interested here is the opening week schedule:
So far the official Manitoba Moose site doesn’t have a full list of attendees, but once Chaz Lucius & the rest of the players get underway I will try to keep you up-to-date on the happenings in the minors.
Winnipeg Jets make some more cuts….
This Sunday morning saw Winnipeg’s coaching staff slightly reducing the training camp roster as they sent 5 more players back to other teams. That leaves the Jets with 36 players officially in camp, but we are all aware that defensemen Ville Heinola & Logan Stanley won’t be available for the next month so that number is really 34.
A couple former 1st round selections in Brayden Yager and Colby Barlow were among the cuts, as the young prospects will return to their Junior squads for the 2024-25 campaign. After putting up 95 pts in 57 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Yager will look to once again be a dominant force in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Barlow is coming off 58 points in 50 games with the Owen Sound Attack and will join that franchise unless he ends up getting his wish to be moved to another Ontario Hockey League (OHL) team with better championship potential. I thought Yager played very well in his exhibition games for a 19 yr old and his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone will be a huge benefit for Winnipeg in the future. Barlow was less impactful in driving play, but did show off his ability to fire pucks by sniping a nice goal in the pre-season.
The other three players that had the “talk” with head coach Scott Arniel today will all be heading to the minors to help the Moose in the American Hockey League (AHL). Undrafted 24 yr old Parker Ford is coming off a 18 goal & 41 point season with the Moose last year and once again will be a key contributor for Winnipeg’s minor league affiliate. Daniel Torgersson is a former 2nd round selection that has struggled to find his offensive touch in the AHL through two seasons, but he is at the age where prospects often take a big step (22 yrs old). The 6’3″ Swede had a few impressive performances at the Young Stars Classic, so hopefully he can continue that with Manitoba and take a leap in his development.
The final player to receive the “axe” was Dominic DiVincentiis as the Jets trimmed down to 4 goaltenders in camp. The 20 yr old ended his Junior career with the North Bay Battalion with a disappointing season as he wasn’t at the top of his game to start the year, then had to suffer through injuries early & late in the campaign. The good news is that Dom’s numbers were among the OHL’s elite tenders when he was healthy in the second half of the regular season. I am not 100% what the plan is for DiVincentiis in his first professional season, but he will join the Manitoba Moose training camp to help the staff make that determination. Most likely he follows Thomas Milic’s path and begins 2024-25 with the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Norfolk Admirals.
Here are the players remaining at Winnipeg’s training camp….
Forwards (19): Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, Nikolaj Ehlers, Cole Perfetti, Vladislav Namestnikov, Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter, Mason Appleton, Morgan Barron, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, David Gustafsson, Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Dominic Toninato, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, & Mason Shaw.
Defensemen (11): Josh Morrissey, Dylan DeMelo, Dylan Samberg, Neal Pionk, Colin Miller, Elias Salomonsson, Haydn Fleury, Dylan Coghlan, Simon Lundmark, Dmitry Kuzmin, & Tyrel Bauer.
Goalies (4): Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kahkonen, Eric Comrie, & Thomas Milic.
Injured (2): defensemen Ville Heinola & Logan Stanley.
Terrible news for Laine…..
Very unfortunate break for former Jet Patrik Laine last night during the Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs exhibition game. The 2nd overall selection was looking for a new start after his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t go as planned, but now seems likely set to miss a chunk of time (possibly as long as the entire season, depending on the extent of the damage). Tough luck Patrik…best of luck with your recovery.
While I didn’t think the Leaf defender was at fault for the injury to Laine, even if he was it doesn’t justify the meat-headed antics of the Habs’ Arber Xjekaj in the game. Grabbing someone who is an unwilling combatant in a fight and starting to pummel them is the definition of assault (whether you remove your gloves or not) and should have no place in today’s NHL. So what does the incompetent Department of Player Safety do about it?? They bring down the hammer with a mighty……well, maybe miniscule or microscopic would be better words…fine ($3,385.42). That’ll get it out of the game.
Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this off-season.
