Training camps in the NHL to prepare for the 2022/23 season will begin in mid-September. Beginning August 1, NHL.com will take a closer look at one team in the league each day in the 32 in 32 series. The two-part inventory includes key personnel changes, key players, strengths and weaknesses, and playoff chances.
In today’s issue: Winnipeg Jets
A new era begins for the Winnipeg Jets with the 2022/23 season: Paul Maurice, who had worked quite successfully as a coach for eight years, resigned in the previous season. Now Rick Bowness takes over as coach and has to overcome some challenges in his first season.
key players
Video: Connors Top 5 Tore in 2021/22
Up front, the top 5 strikers act Kyle Connor, Mark ScheifelePierre-Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers as the jet engine of the jets. In particular, Connor and Scheifele are to be worked out as the ultimate key players. The 25-year-old American Connor is a lightning-fast and creative two-way forward who put a career year on hold last season and started with 93 points (47-46-93) from 79 games. The 29-year-old Canadian Scheifele is a physically strong and complete center forward who likes to go where it hurts and as a reward has recorded 70 points (29-41-70) in 67 games.
The 27-year-old Canadian acts on the defensive Josh Morrissey as defense chief. Since his first full NHL season in 2016-17, no other Jets defenseman has accumulated more scoring points than Morrissey. It is the linchpin of Winnipeg’s Blue Line.
Video: Scheifele’s top 5 goals in 2021/22
The regular goalkeeper also plays a leading role Connor Hellebuyck. The 29-year-old American has played consistently well for years with a catch rate of at least 91 percent and is the Jets’ safer backing.
Strengthen
Winnipeg is a team that comes through their physique. On average, the Jets are likely to have the largest grown team in the NHL for the new season. In defense, players are like Logan Stanley (2.00 meters tall, weighs 105 kilograms) and Brenden Dillon (1.93 meters, 102 kilograms) two cornerstones. But Wheeler (1.95 meters, 102 kilograms), Scheifele (1.90 meters, 94 kilograms), Dubois (1.91 meters, 99 kilograms), Adam Lowry (1.95 meters, 95 kilograms) or Morgan Barron (1.93 meters, 100 kilograms) a lot of physique and power. Playing on Winnipeg should be correspondingly unpleasant. In addition, the squad in defense is deep.
potential for improvement
The Jets still need a high-quality attacker to complete the top-six forwards. If no candidate can be found, Talent should Cole Perfetti (20) Get a chance to prove yourself. At depth, Winnipeg would do well with more secondary scoring to boost team productivity. The special teams also have a lot of room for improvement with a success rate of 21.1 percent in the power play (rank 17) and only 75 percent in penalty killing (rank 29).
[Ähnliches: Bowness wird neuer Trainer der Winnipeg Jets]
Players from DACH
With Leon Gawanke, the Jets also have a German defender in the organization. The 23-year-old Berliner was a restricted free agent in the summer, but he agreed to a new one-year contract with Winnipeg. Gawanke has everything he needs to make the NHL breakthrough but is still awaiting the call-up. The 1.86 meter tall and 90 kilogram right-handed shooter is a mobile attacking defender and a dangerous blueliner who has also developed his defensive game in recent years. In the preseason, the international scored 36 points (10-26-36) in 65 AHL games for farm team Manitoba Moose. Gawanke’s hour will come soon – either with the Jets or with another NHL club.
Promising Talents
Winnipeg has a talent pool to draw from who already had pro experience with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL. The most promising prospect is Cole Perfetti (20), a forward with good vision and technique. Kristian Reichel (24), the cousin of the German Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks), and power forward Morgan Barron (23) are also quite capable of an NHL place for the new season.
playoff chances
The Jets are not facing an easy season: Paul Stastny’s departure weighs heavily and has not yet been replaced with an external signing. Whether the 2022/23 season will be successful for Winnipeg also depends on the impact of the young players and the coaching effect of the new coach Rick Bowness. In addition, the Jets in the Central Division have strong competition. Winnipeg will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year.
