Appleton the picture of consistency Healthy and confident, Jets checking forward looks to increase offensive output By: Ken Wiebe Posted: 5:06 PM CST Monday, Nov. 20, 2023

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This article was published 20/11/2023 (975 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TAMPA — Mason Appleton always knew he could augment his game by providing an additional offensive element.

The Winnipeg forward has put the pieces together so far this season, shining on a line with Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter that is often counted on to set the tone for the Jets (10-5-2), who open a three-game road trip Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With a combination of full health and confidence, Appleton already has six goals in 17 games to eclipse his total (five) from last season when he was limited to 41 games. His 13 points have him well on his way to setting career bests in all offensive categories.

“I’ve always felt that I have that part of my game. When I’m healthy, it can show,” said Appleton.

“I’ve been really happy with how I’ve been feeling off the start. I give a lot of credit to the guys I’m playing with, too. It seems like we’re all contributing on every goal we’ve scored as a line. We’ve scored some nice goals, we’ve scored some greasy ones, too.

“Hopefully, we can keep that rolling because if you look at a third line, those are the lines that can separate a team (from the competition). In the playoffs, that’s a line that can really help you win.

“I find that we’ve done our job to date, but there’s room we can definitely get better in. We’re a hard line to play against and we pride ourselves on that. Hopefully, we can keep ‘er going.”

Getting on the board in just the second game of the season allowed Appleton to get a good feeling about where things might be headed and he’s flourished since returning to the line with Lowry after a brief cameo on the top line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor.

“You’re not trying to make more risky plays. It’s just that you see things a little more clearly and you’re not so predetermined in your read, that I just have to bang this in and the only way I’m going to get it back is to out-battle that guy.”–Mason Appleton

“I don’t know, there’s a different feel to it. You don’t have to second guess as much,” said Appleton, on his comfort level. “You have a little more puck confidence and the game slows down, honestly. That’s the biggest thing, I would say.

“You’re not trying to make more risky plays. It’s just that you see things a little more clearly and you’re not so predetermined in your read, that I just have to bang this in and the only way I’m going to get it back is to out-battle that guy.

“You maybe skate it, hold onto it for an extra second before you make that next play. It’s things like that that grow once you gain more confidence and you’re playing at that level.”

The most important development for Appleton is that his increased offensive production hasn’t come at the expense of a dip in defensive play, as the Lowry line is often tasked with trying to contain the opposition’s top lines.

To date, the trio has outscored its opposition 9-4 during five-on-five play, according to Natural Stat Trick, and been responsible for creating 31 high-danger chances and surrendering 22 of them.

The trio of Lowry, Appleton and Niederreiter has been a force, feeding off each other’s strengths to create a synergy that is hard to find — and even tougher to defend against.

“It’s three guys with a similar mindset, that’s the biggest thing,” said Appleton.

“We all work our tails off for each other and we’re all very direct and reliable, so we know where each other (is) going to be at all times. Lows is someone I’ve played with for a lot of hockey, so I’ve always kind of known where he is on the ice. And I find Nino plays a very simple, direct game as well, so it’s easy to read off each other.

“We just pride ourselves on winning battles and priding ourselves on doing the little things that don’t always get recognized. When those compound, we create our offence.”

Jets associate coach Scott Arniel said it’s Appleton’s consistency that stands out during the first quarter of the season.

“Shift to shift and game to game, you know what you’re getting,” said Arniel. “He doesn’t try to be something (he’s not) or go outside his lane. He kind of stays within it and he gets all of his rewards from playing that style of hockey.”

Appleton, 28, had a breakthrough season in 2020-21, finding his offensive groove as he notched 12 goals and 25 points in 56 games — showing the offensive flair that was prevalent when he contributed 22 goals and 66 points in 76 games with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League when he was named AHL rookie of the year.

“They’re extremely different leagues, but it’s always something you can fall back on. It’s professional hockey and it’s debatable that it’s the second-best league in the world. I did put up points there and felt really good about my offensive game,” said Appleton, who was chosen by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Draft.

“Then the NHL starts and you kind of have to rebrand yourself and recreate what you are. Playing on (former head coach) Paul Maurice’s fourth line wasn’t always the easiest thing.

“I remember there were nights where you felt like you played a good game and then you only played six minutes. That’s just what it was and you’ve got to deal with it as you will — and you’ve got to keep getting better.”

“There’s a lot of other things I think I do well in this league and that’s kind of the backbone (of my game).”–Mason Appleton

These days, Appleton is looking to take his game to the next level.

“Exactly. It’s not easy,” said Appleton, when asked about the potential to grow into a 20-goal scorer.

“I feel like there’s a good amount of guys in that 20-to-30 point range and then that next step is that 40 or 50-point scorer and those guys are elite players and hard to come by,” said Appleton.

“If I could get to that, it would be unbelievable. But there’s a lot of other things I think I do well in this league and that’s kind of the backbone (of my game).

“Like I said before, it’s not always about offence for me, but chipping in offensively certainly helps.”

About the only complaint Appleton has is that the penalty kill needs to improve.

Going into Monday’s action, the Jets sit in a tie for 25th spot in the NHL with an efficiency rate of 74.1 per cent.

“It’s not one thing I can point out. It’s a couple of different little things that we haven’t been elite on, and that’s the difference when you’re playing these power plays,” said Appleton.

“But to your point of getting scored on late in the kill, it’s that one last clear, that one last rush entry denial, it’s just right there. You feel so good for a minute and 40 (seconds) and then you’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ You look at the clock with four seconds left and it goes in.

“It’s almost like it’s got to turn for us at some point, but we’ve got to be the ones to make it turn.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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