Excited to join a first-place team Jets’ newest blue-liner Schenn strikes fear into opposing players By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:44 PM CDT Monday, Mar. 10, 2025

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/03/2025 (591 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

First, he was greeted at the airport late Sunday night by Mark Scheifele, who acted as chauffeur and concierge.

Next was meeting the rest of his new teammates Monday morning and taking an hourlong twirl with several of them at Canada Life Centre.

Last — and we suspect certainly least — was a personal welcome from Mother Nature in the form of an Alberta clipper that introduced him to a true Winnipeg whiteout.

So, Luke Schenn, how do you like the first few hours in your new hockey home?

“Everyone has been very welcoming, and it is exciting for the new chapter,” Schenn said as he stood before a pack of new media faces at the downtown rink. “It’s been a crazy transition but coming to a first-place team is exciting and a great group of guys.”

Schenn, who was obtained from the Pittsburgh Penguins last Friday in exchange for a pair of draft picks, is expected to make his Jets debut on Tuesday against the New York Rangers.

You’d think a 35-year-old who has played 1,057 career NHL games and won a pair of Stanley Cups has experienced just about everything the sport has to offer, but apparently that’s not the case.

“Every time I think I have got things figured out, a little stability, or where I think I can predict the future a little bit, that is when things go a little sideways,” said the married father of three young children. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week, traded twice within a day-and-a half, the whole thing has been a little overwhelming, I would say.”

“It has been a whirlwind of a week, a crazy journey in my career and this is another unexpected chapter.”– newest Winnipeg Jet Luke Schenn

Last Wednesday, Schenn was still a member of the Nashville Predators, playing a second season with what was his eighth NHL organization. Then came the deal that sent him and teammate Tommy Novak to Pittsburgh in exchange for Michael Bunting and a draft pick.

Schenn joined the Penguins on Thursday in Las Vegas, where they were scheduled to play. However, he didn’t get too comfortable after chatting with GM Kyle Dubas, who informed him a flip to another team was possible.

“The only guy I met face-to-face was (Sidney) Crosby and talked to him for a little bit in the morning,” said Schenn. “You don’t want to go there and shake everyone’s hand and meet everyone and get your gear, but that is another story in itself that I don’t need to get into right now.”

A real page-turner, it sounds like. After learning he was on the move again to Winnipeg, the Jets told him to take the weekend to catch his breath, spend some time with his family (back in Nashville) and then join them in time for this week’s homestand.

“For as long as I have played, and I’ve had a lot of teammates, I’ve never played with anyone from this organization,” said Schenn, who is now staying with Scheifele at his home along with Brandon Tanev, who was acquired in a separate trade with Seattle last Friday.

“I know Scheifele and (Josh) Morrissey through mutual buddies. With the coaching staff I played for Scott Arniel years ago at the world championships, I had Davis Payne in Los Angeles and Dean Chynoweth in Toronto. It has been a whirlwind of a week, a crazy journey in my career and this is another unexpected chapter.”

Officially this makes 10 different teams for Schenn, including his 36 hours or so in Pittsburgh. The Saskatoon native, who started his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs after they selected him fifth overall in 2008, is looking forward to helping a hungry club go on what he hopes will be a long playoff run in a hockey-crazed Canadian market.

“There are no holes in the lineup,” he said. “They are a deep team, a big team, skilled and fast with unbelievable goaltending. Obviously, you just want to see where you fit in. On a personal level, I do have a bit of playoff experience and I will just try to help out wherever I can.”

Schenn, a right-shot, figures to at least start on the third pair but head coach Arniel didn’t rule out using him in more high-leverage situations. It’s not clear who he might debut with.

Logan Stanley has been locked into the third pair on the left side for most of the year, while Haydn Fleury and Ville Heinola are other options. Colin Miller would seem to be the odd man out given that he’s been on the right side of the third pairing but moving him (or Schenn) over to the left could also be an option.

“He’s a warrior. A proven winner. A great piece to add to our team,” Miller said Monday.

Tuesday’s morning skate will be the first tell.

“Winning two Cups and getting the experiences that he’s gotten, that’s stuff that we need.”– Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel

“I remember watching him in Toronto, he was playing with (Morgan) Rielly. I’m not saying he’s going up to play with Josh Morrissey, but at the end of the day he’s played in a lot of different scenarios in his career,” said Arniel.

Schenn brings plenty of qualities the Jets were looking for — size, physicality, shot-blocking and penalty-killing experience and championship pedigree, having won it all in 2020 and 2021 while a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Winning two Cups and getting the experiences that he’s gotten, that’s stuff that we need,” said Arniel. “He’s a team-first guy that brings it every night and brings it hard. He has an edge to him. A penalty killer, does a lot of the grunt work that those type of players bring, and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

Arniel said Schenn is also the type of player that some opponents will balk at going to the front of the net because they know it’s going to be painful.

“He’s got a reputation of being kind of mean in that area,” he said.

Schenn has 47 career playoff games on his resume and is excited to start adding to that total, especially with a Jets team that has enjoyed plenty of regular-season success but hasn’t been able to duplicate it in the post-season.

It’s not going to be easy.

“Teams are so wound up in the first round and you look how good the Central division is right now. There are no weaknesses,” said Schenn.

“When it comes down to the playoffs, there’s a lot of things that go into it. Mentally, it’s probably the biggest part of it and it turns into a man’s game out there. That’s the biggest thing and it’s all about defending and that’s how you win. That’s how you win in this league and every battle counts. Every, puck play counts and it’s just, there’s a lot of things that go into it.”

Schenn has traditionally worn No. 2 in his career, but Dylan DeMelo already owns that in Winnipeg. No. 22 is also taken by Mason Appleton, so Schenn elected to go with No. 5, which he wore in junior with the Kelowna Rockets.

“It’s getting to know the personalities and the stories shared and that’s one of the biggest things for me. And the closer you get to one another, the more you get tighter on the ice.”– Luke Schenn

“I jokingly texted Brenden Dillon. He’s a buddy, and I asked for his blessing to wear his old number. He was good with it,” he said.

Schenn shouldn’t take long to make himself at home, noting he’s had plenty of experience meeting new teammates and likes to take the initiative by organizing dinners and bonding sessions while on the road.

“You’re getting all the guys together off the ice and not even talking hockey sometimes. Just kind of getting together and having some laughs. I’ve always thought that’s been really important,” he said.

“It’s getting to know the personalities and the stories shared and that’s one of the biggest things for me. And the closer you get to one another, the more you get tighter on the ice. You want to do whatever it takes for the guy next to you in that room.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg