Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Jet prospect Scheifele joins IceCaps

By: Ed Tait

Posted: 04/19/2012 2:51 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 04/19/2012 3:49 PM | Updates

Mark Scheifele

Mark Scheifele’s crazy, all-over-the-map hockey season still has some life left.

The Winnipeg Jet prospect had his junior season with the Barrie Colts end Tuesday night in a Game 7 loss to the Ottawa 67s, but the first-round draft pick is headed to St. John’s to join the IceCaps in their push for a Calder Cup title. Scheifele, drafted seventh overall by the Jets last June, will join the IceCaps in Newfoundland.

St. John’s opens the playoffs Friday night in Syracuse against the Crunch for Game 1 of their best-of-five Eastern Conference quarterfinal (can be heard on TSN 1290). Scheifele would be available to the IceCaps for Games 3, 4 and 5 – if necessary – on The Rock.

"That’s going to be exciting. It’s another opportunity for me to improve my game," said Scheifele Thursday when reached by the Free Press.

"It’s been a great year. Getting picked by Winnipeg… going to the development camp for World Juniors last summer… going to Winnipeg and actually getting to play in seven games... it was obviously disappointing coming back to Barrie, but I had a great season with them. I got to play in the World Juniors and that was a great experience. It’s been a whirlwind year, but it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of cool people that are going to be friends for life now."

The Colts’ season ended this week when an injury-ravaged side was beaten in overtime by the 67s. Scheifele and fellow Jet prospect Ivan Telegin were spectacular for Barrie in the playoffs – Scheifele had five goals and seven assists in 13 games; Telegin five goals and nine assists.

"It’s definitely not the way I wanted the season to end," said Scheifele. "We easily could have went all the way if we were healthy, but we did get a lot of support of young guys and some of the guys that were getting second-line minutes at the end of the year were healthy scratches at the beginning of the year. It was good to see them succeed."

As for what happens after his stint with the IceCaps, Scheifele was very clear on his goals: Winnipeg or bust.

"That’s my main goal," Scheifele said. "Last year put a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth that I didn’t get to stick all year. But I’m definitely going to work my hardest this summer, give it my all to make the team and stay all year. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, putting on weight, getting stronger and improving my game a lot. But I’m definitely willing to put in all the work to make that happen."

Meanwhile, forward Ivan Telegin – also a Jets’ draft pick and a Colts’ teammate with Scheifele – will not be heading to St. John’s. Colts’ head coach Dale Hawerchuk said the speedy Russian was injured in the first period Game 7 against the 67s, tweaking his knee and needs time to recover.

Ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait

History

Updated on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:49 PM CDT: adds that Ivan Telegin will not be heading to St. John's

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.