Four on-ice practice days and two preseason games have given us fresh clues and new insight into the Winnipeg Jets’ top prospects, fresh faces and battles for spots on the opening-night roster.
Based on what we’ve seen at practice and in Winnipeg’s two exhibition games, these are the Jets at all levels of the depth chart making a name for themselves at training camp — plus a few key question marks and players for whom it’s better to show patience than to keep building the hype.
Here’s what we’re seeing after two preseason games, with a small round of cuts on the immediate horizon.
Making bigger and better cases
Nikita Chibrikov and Brad Lambert
Nikita Chibrikov’s wrist shot is a rocket. His footspeed isn’t that. His feistiness is often undersold, although I think the market has caught up to that fact after his Young Stars curmudgeonliness. He’s more than “just” a pain to play against, though: Chibrikov has been absolute money at both blue lines throughout camp and showed great work on entries and exits again on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
What do I mean?
On Chibrikov’s first shift, he made a tough play to get the Jets out of their zone with possession, spinning off his check and passing to his defenceman for an outlet. Chibrikov then bolted up the ice, picked up a return pass at the red line and timed an entry pass perfectly, leading to a shot for Dylan Samberg.
At the end of a shift early in the second period, Chibrikov was under pressure in the neutral zone. He kept his head up, stickhandled the puck away from a check and set up an entry that led to shots by Connor Levis, Jacob Julien, Tyrel Bauer and Alex Iafallo in a 30-second flurry. It was one of Winnipeg’s most dangerous shifts of the game and it wouldn’t have happened if the 21-year-old forward hadn’t kept his head up in the neutral zone.
There’s a part of me that wonders if talking about entries and exits is boring. There’s another, more stubborn part of me that thinks entries and exits are among the most important parts of hockey. They don’t make highlight reels but they help decide where the game gets played; players who are consistently great at them drive play for their teams, leading to more shots, goals and wins.
Chibrikov also made a third-period cut to the net and then dropped into the slot for a one-timer opportunity. It was a perfectly timed play that he fanned on. If he can make the most of those opportunities at an NHL level, he’s a top-six player. If he helps drive possession and chips in more occasional offence, I think there’s still a top-nine player in him. Sometimes I’m reminded of Mikey Eyssimont and sometimes Vladislav Namestnikov. Either way, the 5-foot-9 Chibrikov punches well above his weight as an NHL prospect.
Lambert didn’t take over Saturday’s game the way the hype machine says he should. Instead, he made several effective plays that led to scoring chances for Gabriel Vilardi and Iafallo. He found time and space in the offensive zone, getting onto pucks and then keeping his head up to make use of his linemates. Don’t mistake the lack of essay on this subject for a sign it’s not crucial; in fact, I think combining his speed and puck skill with a better read of the game that makes better use of his linemates is exactly the ingredient that rounds out Lambert’s offensive game into a sustainable, NHL-level meal. I’m not sure he makes the Jets out of camp; whether it happens on Oct. 9 or sometime afterward, I still think this is the year Lambert makes the jump.
Thrust into the spotlight
Haydn Fleury
Haydn Fleury’s pregnant wife, Jaid, woke him up at about 10:45 p.m. on Friday: It was time to go to the hospital. Her contractions had begun earlier in the day but now it was go-time, so the couple hustled to the hospital, where their son Ledger Duke Fleury was born at 1:07 a.m. Saturday.
The Fleury family got a couple of hours of sleep from 3:00 to 5:30 a.m. when Ledger woke up. Shortly after that came the call from Jets head coach Scott Arniel: Fleury had a decision to make. He could play Saturday in Winnipeg, Sunday in Edmonton or take the weekend off altogether and get into his first preseason game on Wednesday.
“I’d barely gotten the options out of my mouth and he said ‘I want to play tonight,’” Arniel said of the call.
There are logistical reasons why it was the best play. Jaid was scheduled to be released from the hospital on Sunday; Haydn wanted to be there to take her home instead of in Edmonton for a game. Jaid had her mom with her, so Haydn wasn’t leaving her alone to play in the game. There are practical, career-based reasons, too — Fleury hadn’t played a game since an injury sustained last April, while Ville Heinola’s ankle infection has opened the door to an NHL roster spot.
There was also a bit of classic hockey player mysticism.
“I thought it would be cool to play on the day my son was born,” Fleury said. “It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Ledger is the couple’s second child, his first name a tribute to the actor Heath Ledger and his middle name an homage to the Duke Blue Devils basketball team. His birth made Fleury’s Jets debut a fatigued effort, more dedication than dominance. Even then, Fleury was effective, partnering with Colin Miller to control the flow of play against less-than-NHL competition. Winnipeg doubled up on Minnesota in shots (13-7) and goals (2-1) when the duo was on the ice, offering hope that they could be a solid third pair when the intensity of competition ramps up.
The 6-foot-4 left-hander chose Winnipeg in the first place, in no small part because the Jets and Moose share a city. That decision could lead him to an NHL job.
“I have two kids now, and I don’t want to be away from them,” Fleury said. “Family comes first to me. I really want to be around my kids as much as I can. That was a huge decision in it. Having friends and my wife having friends in this city, her just coming off a pregnancy, I think the support system is huge.”
Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow and Kevin He
Brayden Yager is an above average skater, an above average shooter, an above average passer and — on at least one occasion Saturday — an above average puck thief. Against the Wild, one of Yager’s backtracks along the boards in the offensive zone ended a Minnesota breakout and put the puck on Morgan Barron’s stick for a scoring chance that went off the side of the net. Arniel was impressed with Yager’s work off the puck, too, which will bode well for Yager’s long-term future. For now, though, the NHL pace is a bit beyond him, with a few offensive opportunities taken away from him before he made up his mind about a play. Overall, Yager has made a good first impression and I’d expect his WHL stardom to reach another level this season.
Colby Barlow doesn’t drive play — not at this level, anyway, and that’s fine for a 19-year-old OHL star. He doesn’t have Chibrikov’s awareness at the blue lines or Yager’s propensity for puck thievery. On one occasion, he was drilled to the ice by Wild defenceman Carson Lambos. Barlow misfired on a one-timer pass from Chibrikov that I expect he’d have buried in the OHL. He did make a clever power-play fake, putting a slap pass towards Yager for a backdoor attempt but it was into Yager’s feet. In the end, little of that mattered though: Barlow pounced on a puck following a scrambled offensive zone draw and wired a rocket past Jesper Wallstedt that highlighted his biggest strength. It’s possible that Barlow adds a play-driving dimension to his game by the time he’s an NHL player; he’ll probably help drive wins with that shot alone.
Kevin He isn’t in the mix for an NHL job and I have spilled enough ink about his feisty play and competitive disposition. I think he’s done himself a lot of favours in the long run — and he also made this great play on Dominic Toninato’s goal against Edmonton.
Kevin He factored on Dominic Toninato’s goal to help the @NHLJets even the score.
In June, He became the second player born in China to be selected in an #NHLDraft (109th overall in 2024), joining Andong Song (172nd overall in 2015). #NHLStats
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) September 23, 2024
That’s a hard, well-angled forecheck, a steal and a perfect pass for Toninato’s goal.
Eric Comrie vs. Kaapo Kahkonen for the backup job
Based on past performance, there seems to be a clear depth chart in Winnipeg’s net: Connor Hellebuyck, Kaapo Kahkonen, Eric Comrie, Thomas Milic, and Domenic DiVincentiis. Based on one preseason game each, Comrie has a better training camp resume than Kahkonen. Could Comrie’s calm, confident-looking 25-save performance in a 3-2 OT loss help him catch up after Kahkonen’s 23-save night in a 5-2 loss to the Wild?
I think it’s too soon and the sample is too small. Kahkonen was in tough with some of the Jets’ poor PK work on Saturday. We also understand that small samples lead to bad goaltending conclusions. Hellebuyck’s five games against Colorado are not likely to predict his long-term performance, for example.
Keep an eye on this, though. Comrie is doing his part to turn this into a proper race.
“The special word here is compete,” he told reporters in Edmonton on Sunday. “I’m just going to make sure I compete as hard as I can and do everything I can to make the decision as hard as I can.”
Caution is the name of the game
Elias Salomonsson
Elias Salomonsson is Winnipeg’s top defensive prospect, likely well clear of the injured Heinola. This can lead to an expectation that he’ll dominate preseason competition — something he simply hasn’t done, whether at the Young Stars tournament or in his two weekend games. The sense I have is that he’s playing things a bit safe, choosing to chip pucks off the glass and out instead of making the calm, controlled plays that will be his hallmark.
I also think Salomonsson is a player whose game depends heavily on his hockey IQ and the level of his reads. The timing and angles are different between the SHL and NHL; I think it’s natural to assume he’ll show much better after half a season or so of AHL time than early at camp. It’s also possible that he looks more impressive as cuts get made and some of the chaos is removed from the preseason game. He was on the ice for Edmonton’s first goal on Sunday but was in position; he had his man at the Jets blue line.
Chaz Lucius
Chaz Lucius is skating in a regular jersey, a full participant at Jets camp after playing at the Young Stars tournament in Penticton. That’s the good news. The tough news is that Lucius has missed key developmental time due to three consecutive season-ending injuries. It shows, both in the form of rust (Lucius is a creative, incisive offensive player when he’s at his best but perhaps a step behind at this camp) and playing time. He’s yet to play in a preseason game — a fate shared with surefire Jets like Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey and with surefire minor league players like Henri Nikkanen and DiVincentiis.
I think the organization is taking a long-term view of his recovery to full health, too. He’s a smart, skilled player but the rust seems evident to me. A best-case scenario sees the 21-year-old play a healthy AHL season, navigating its rigours, and making it to the 2025 Jets camp in full health. He’s been productive when healthy but needs patience and a long runway to re-establish himself as a top NHL prospect.
Neal Pionk
“There’s no dumbbell that’s going to fix whatever happened in the playoffs,” Neal Pionk said in a one-on-one conversation last week.
Our conversation was about the Jets’ commitment to getting “5 to 10 percent better” and the soul-searching that comes with it. Pionk had already spoken to needing a mental reset over the course of the summer. He didn’t share his training secrets, choosing instead to focus the conversation on his mindset entering a big season for the Jets.
“For myself, it’s the mindset. There’s no special drill on the ice that’s going to fix everything overnight,” Pionk said.
It’s no secret that this season will turn in part on Pionk’s ability to re-establish himself as a bona fide top-four defenceman. His best seasons in that regard were his first ones in Winnipeg: 2019-20, partnered with Dimitry Kulikov, and 2020-21, alongside Derek Forbort. That’s when he signed the four-year, $5.875 million AAV contract that hasn’t always gone the way he’d hoped. Pionk was injured against Toronto in December 2021, taking Jason Spezza’s knee to his head. He was injured again against Dallas early in 2022-23, blocking a shot that broke his foot.
He didn’t know it was broken until an MRI confirmed the source of his pain a week later.
“I was playing on it so the trainer gave me a choice. I said, ‘As long as I can skate, I’ll play,’” Pionk said. “I don’t want to blow it out of proportion, because so many other guys are playing with that kind of stuff. It’s not a ‘poor me’ kind of thing.”
The eye test in those seasons did suggest injury. I speculated about a foot injury multiple times, including in writing for The Athletic, because Pionk’s mobility appeared to have taken a hit. He’s at his best when he gaps tightly and protects his blue line with aggression, breaking plays up before they turn into long D-zone shifts and net-front battles. This depends on mobility — forwards, backwards and laterally — and Pionk’s was failing him during those seasons (to the point where it’s stunning that his coaching staff gave him the second-most minutes on that 2022-23 Jets team, broken foot and all).
Pionk is back to full health and has a calm confidence about himself and his team entering this season. I’d hesitate to say he’s having an obviously dynamic training camp in the way that Morrissey did prior to taking a massive step forward two years ago. I think Pionk’s battle to establish himself as a top-four defenceman, particularly with Samberg likely bumped up instead of veteran Brenden Dillon, will be just that: a battle.
Still, he has a good mindset and has taken care of everything he can in terms of preparation for the season. I expect the Jets to want to sign him, although the $5.875 million annual cost of his current deal seems beyond the level of performance he’s delivered to this point, injuries and all.
I asked Pionk about his approach to his contract season — especially because 2020-21, his last contract year, was probably his most effective year.
“You just play the game. The contract will sort itself out. That’s why you hire an agent. You can’t overthink it. You can’t lose sleep about it. You just play your game and everything will fix itself in the end,” Pionk said. “I would love to play here. I would love to win here. I’m going into my sixth season now. Our daughter was born here. We have a house here. It’s six and a half hours away from home for both of us. Our parents come up all the time. Our friends and family come up all the time. We feel like we’re home here.”
(Photo: James Carey Lauder / Imagn Images)
