The winning formula on and off the ice

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This article was published 27/09/2017 (2907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers parted ways this past summer, they both knew it wouldn’t be long before they were back talking again. As the off-season rolled on, the number of Snapchats sent to one another also climbed. The updates were sporadic but followed a common trend, with the subject matter being mostly anything but hockey.

“More just, ‘Hey, what’s going on?” Ehlers said following Wednesday’s skate at Bell MTS Iceplex. “Or, ‘What kind of car do you have?’”

The Winnipeg Jets forwards clicked almost instantly in their first season together. Laine, a rookie after being selected second in the 2016 NHL Draft, and Ehlers, who was in just his second year, often worked closely with each other, perfecting small details of the game. Outside the rink they battled in front of the TV playing video games.

While their friendship blossomed off the ice, so, too, did their play on it. Laine scored a team-high 36 goals for the Jets, while Ehlers collected career highs in goals (25), assists (39) and points (64). Though they only played roughly 30 games on a line together, they both credit the kind of relationship they were able to build together — along with a number of their other friendships on the team — for their success.

“We all have some good chemistry together on and off the ice, so it doesn’t really matter who you play with, you still have that chemistry,” Ehlers said. “It’s not that big of a change to switch lines — not on this team.”

Chemistry is crucial for every team, but it’s even more important for a team as young as the Jets. Winnipeg had 20 players at or under the age of 25 play at least one game last season, with many in their first or second year in the league. While the Jets had some success in the offensive zone — finishing tied for sixth in the NHL last year with 249 goals — a lack of communication at the other end led to an average of 3.11 goals against per game (fourth worst in the NHL).

The Jets are expected to compete for a playoff spot this season after signing a number of free agents. They inked goalie Steve Mason for two years and shored up the left side of the defence by signing Dmitry Kulikov to a three-year deal. But while the additions were crucial to building a winner, making sure things gel quickly will be paramount in fulfilling any post-season aspirations.

On Wednesday, head coach Paul Maurice was asked what, if anything, his players or coaching staff could do to help improve that chemistry.

“More game-situation drills, which is really what we’ve tried to do here right from (the start of training) camp,” the Jets coach said. “Chemistry is that anticipation of what the other player is going to do. So the more time you spend together, the more you learn to anticipate.

“Then if their skill sets don’t match and they’re not complementary, then there’s no chemistry there. They can be two really good players that just don’t fit by the style of their game.”

Maurice has spent training camp trying to discover what fits best, including tinkering with line combinations at forward and pairings on defence. He said the goal is to find pairs on offence that work well together — Blake Wheeler and Mark Schiefele, Laine and Bryan Little, as examples — and from there, envision the different looks the lineup could take under varying circumstances. “It’s more important to have that chemistry on defence,” Maurice said. “The communication, how a guy moves, whether he’s going to the corner for the puck or to the front of that net… that’s really important.”

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Forward Nic Petan has spent the past two seasons trying to create a role for himself with the Jets, playing the equivalent of one full season (80 games) since cracking the opening-day roster in 2015. He’s not alone, as forwards Andrew Copp, Marko Dano, and Brandon Tanev have all played notable time with the Jets but are fighting for more. Others, including Brendan Lemieux, J.C. Lipon and Kyle Connor, are looking for their first real taste of NHL life.

Petan knows if he’s going to earn a permanent spot with the Jets, it will be because he can complement a line and not because of his individual skill set.

“Chemistry is going to be the first thing that takes you to playoffs,” he said. “If you’re just mixing in guys, there’s less of a chance of that. Where we’re at right now, the room is super close this year already. Chemistry off the ice with guys, chemistry on the ice — we are on the right path.”

It took a few years for defenceman Josh Morrissey to find his place. It wasn’t until last season, three years after he was drafted as the 13th-overall pick, that he skyrocketed up the depth chart after being nurtured by Dustin Byfuglien.

“Competing alongside someone in practice or in a game, I think that’s when you really feel that bond where you know that guy has your back and he’s working with you and try to get the win,” Morrissey said. “Then, outside the rink everyone talks about Patty (Laine) and Nikky (Ehlers) playing video games and stuff like that. We’re all just guys away from the rink where we hang out and that’s where a lot of those bonds are really made.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca