Flames now sworn enemy of former diehard fan Morrissey

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This article was published 09/12/2016 (3272 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Today will be special for Winnipeg Jets rookie defenceman Josh Morrissey.

The 21-year-old, who is originally from Calgary, will be playing his first regular-season NHL game at the Scotiabank Saddledome in his hometown.

“It’s something you kind of dream of your whole life and it’s sort of one of those big milestones, I guess,” Morrissey said Friday before the Jets left for Alberta, where their weekend plans include a date with the Oilers in Edmonton Sunday night.

“Just like a young kid in Winnipeg grows up idolizing the Jets… I mean, I was that same kid in Calgary. You know, Jarome Iginla and through the Stanley Cup run (in 2005) and all that. It’s always a pleasure to go to games and have the jersey, so it’s going to be fun to play at home play against that team.”

Morrissey’s transformation from an unproven first-round draft pick to a dependable top-four defenceman often paired with the mercurial Dustin Byfuglien has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2016-17 season, so far.

Head coach Paul Maurice is pleased with the progress of his youngest players, a development that has altered his expectations for the team.

“I think we’re a better team in our room than we thought the day before training camp opened,” Maurice said.

“Patrik Laine, at 18, is scoring goals at the very least, and he’s improving every day. But players like (Andrew) Copp and (Brandon) Tanev and Josh Morrissey, we didn’t have them as developed in our minds coming into the season.

“Josh Morrissey, especially, has just been a spectacular player for us. Great story as a rookie. So I think that we are potentially a better hockey club than we thought at the start.”

Morrissey said he’s still adjusting to the day-to-day grind of life in the bigs.

“(I’m) learning how to recover better,” said Morrissey, who has a goal and four points while averaging 18:22 of ice time through 30 games. “Obviously, in a schedule like this it’s so busy, you have to be able to recover fast. Those things you gain only by experience, trial and error.”

Connor on the farm

The Jets have shipped rookie winger Kyle Connor to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Connor, who turned 20 Friday, had not played since Nov. 29 against the New Jersey Devils. He had logged only 3:03 and 4:39 in his last two starts and the writing was on the wall for the former University of Michigan star. He had one goal and four points in 19 games this season.

“I think it’s gonna be good for him to experience the American League,” said veteran Jets forward Mathieu Perreault. “I’ve been there. It’s makes you realize what you have up here. You come out of college and straight to the NHL, you don’t really feel the grind of what it is to be in the minors, riding the bus, obviously different paycheques.”

Maurice also saw the benefit of some seasoning in the minors.

“Time on ice and time with the puck,” said Maurice. “He needs to get out and he needs to play 20 minutes (a game). He needs to touch the puck and develop along the lines of the game we know he’s going to play here.

“It would have happened earlier had we not been nicked up… he’s gotta be in the top nine and not be in a checking role.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @sawa14