Jets assign Cormier to IceCaps

The Jets have sent centre Patrice Cormier to the AHL's St. John's IceCaps this morning.

Cormier, 24, played in two NHL pre-season games and suffered an eye injury in the second one. He had been on the injured list since then, but was cleared to play this week. He was placed on waivers Tuesday, cleared today, and was assigned to the IceCaps.

Cormier played nine games for the Jets last season, recording three assists.

He has 49 NHL games in his career.

Budaj re-assigned to IceCaps

Newly acquired goaltender Peter Budaj has cleared waivers and been re-assigned to the Winnipeg Jets AHL affiliate in St. John’s, the NHL team announced Tuesday morning.

Budaj joins Connor Hellebuyck as the goaltending tandem in St. John’s and the nine-year NHL veteran will also provide some goaltending insurance this season for the Jets, who will use Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson as their 1-2 goaltending tandem to start the regular season on Thursday.

Budaj was acquired by the Jets on Sunday in a trade that sent Eric Tangradi to the Montreal Canadiens.

Jets’ plans for Budaj on hold for a day

The Winnipeg Jets remain hopeful that newly acquired goaltender Peter Budaj can still provide them some valuable depth in net heading into the 2014-15 regular season.

Budaj, who was acquired from the Monteal Canadiens on Sunday in a trade involving forward Eric Tangradi, was placed on waivers by the Jets on Monday as a first step towards sending him down to the minors to start the season with Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate in St. John’s.

That can only happen, however, if no one claims the nine-year NHL veteran off waivers today, all of which puts the Jets plans for Budaj on hold for a day.

“It’s a real positive for us and we’ll see how today works out,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Monday after his team’s practice at the MTS Centre.

Marvelous Morrissey

CEDAR PARK, Texas -- If any hockey player is overworked in the 2013-14 season, his name could be Josh Morrissey.

Since last August when his competition year began, Sunday night's opener of the Calder Cup final was game No. 108 for the 19-year-old defenceman, the 2013 first-round pick of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets.

And yet here is the agile, young blue-liner as fired up and as effective as he's been all season, ready to help the St. John's IceCaps take a run at the AHL title.

"It's definitely been a battle," Morrissey said Sunday morning at Cedar Park Center, where the IceCaps met the Texas Stars for Game 1 of the final. "Any time you get to this point of the season, you've played a lot of hockey. There are some days you're pretty tired, but at the same time I've found myself able to get mentally prepared for the games. I've had enough practice preparing for games after 107, so I think I know how to do that now."

IceCaps have developed into an organizational success story for Jets

WHY are the St. John’s Ice Caps in the Calder Cup final starting Sunday? There are many reasons, two of which are the Winnipeg Jets’ top affiliate is neither micro-managed nor micro-focused on winning.

For a long time as the Manitoba Moose, True North, now the owners of the Jets, had winning as just about its only goal in the AHL. It was in an affiliation with the Vancouver Canucks but it was through an era that by and large there wasn’t an abundance of help from Vancouver.

The GM of the Moose and in that continuing role with the IceCaps is Craig Heisinger. As the Jets assistant GM, he now sits on the other side of the table, his priority what is good for the NHL team. But Heisinger also knows the what the relationship looks like from his former chair and so development has in no way overrun winning in this constant tug-of-war.

Heisinger and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, whose background includes a successful managing stint with both the IHL and AHL Chicago Wolves, would seem to be uniquely qualified to maximize and grow their assets from the AHL level.

Olsen sent to IceCaps

WINNIPEG -- Another junior who has finished his season has been sent to the AHL's St. John's IceCaps by the Winnipeg Jets.

Centre Ryan Olsen, whose WHL playoffs ended after the Kelowna Rockets' loss to the Portland Winter Hawks, has been assigned to the AHL team by the Jets.

Olsen, 20, was signed by the Jets over the winter. He was drafted in the sixth round, 160th, by Winnipeg in 2012.

Olsen had 71 games with the Rockets during 2013-14 and scored 30 goals, 34 assists for 64 points. In 14 WHL playoff games, he had seven points.

Jets reassign Comrie, Morrissey to St. John’s

Two of the brightest young stars in the Winnipeg Jets’ system are going to have their seasons extended in the American Hockey League.

As expected, the Jets have re-assigned goaltender Eric Comrie and defenceman Josh Morrissey from their Western Hockey League clubs to the St. John’s IceCaps.

The 18-year-old Comrie played in 60 games with the Tri-City Americans this season, going 26-25-9 while posting a 2.57 goals against average and .925 save percentage. The Edmonton product ranked second in the WHL for save percentage and saves (1,849), was third in games played and minutes (3,523) and sixth in goals against average.

As well, Comrie was the WHL’s top goaltender in January. He was drafted by the Jets in the second round (59th overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft.