On fire and on notice

CALGARY — Memo to Team Canada brass: Ignore Mark Scheifele at your own peril.

Two months ago, the veteran Winnipeg Jets centre arrived here in Calgary for an orientation camp as part of the selection process for Canada’s Winter Olympics team. Scheifele, who was left off the 4 Nations roster last February, was among 42 players invited this time around.

With the new NHL season underway, he’s already building a compelling case to be one of the 25 skaters headed to Milan in February. Scheifele is off to a scorching start, leading the Jets with six goals and nine points through five games — four of them wins.

He is, quite frankly, playing like a man possessed. He’ll look to keep it going Monday night when the Jets visit the Flames inside the Saddledome.

“You look at all the top centres in the league. It’s their hockey IQ, obviously their stickhandling, their skating, their shot. He has all of that. He always has,” Jets coach Scott Arniel remarked on Saturday morning when asked about the growth he’s seen from Scheifele.

“Now you throw in how much pride he takes in playing without the puck and that makes him a 200-foot player. For me, as a coach, it helps me not worry about if he’s going out against the MacKinnon’s or the Hintz’s or the McDavid’s, those type of guys. You’re real comfortable with both him and his linemates because of the buy-in.”

A few hours later, Scheifele went out and made some local hockey history, ripping a wicked one-timer past Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros just 2:29 into the game. The goal gave him 813 career points, to put him alone atop the franchise’s all-time scoring list.

What followed was a flood of emotion from the first draft pick of the 2.0 era, and from an appreciative fan base that has watched this once-gangly teenager from Ontario grow into a franchise cornerstone and favourite hockey son.

Scheifele’s milestone marker prompted a prolonged standing ovation, which he acknowledged during a television timeout by clapping his gloves and touching his heart.

“That was really special. The fans here are incredible. They give us so much extra motivation,” Scheifele said following the 4-1 victory by his team. “We really do have amazing fans. I am lucky to be a part of such a tremendous organization and tremendous community and I’m very honoured to be here.”

His teammates were just as animated, many literally jumping for joy on the bench.

“Just all the smiling faces of all the brothers I play with every day,” Scheifele said of what he saw.

“That was really special. The fans here are incredible. They give us so much extra motivation.”

“I think that’s the biggest thing. I’m really lucky to be a part of this group. I have a lot of amazing friends — lifelong friends — so to see all the smiling faces and getting hugs from the guys means more than the world to me.”

Scheifele fought to keep his emotions in check during his post-game appearance on Hockey Night in Canada, when host Sean Reynolds asked about his late father, Brad, who passed away in May.

“Just hope I’m making him proud. It’s tough not having him here and to be able to call him after this game, but I know he’s watching,” said Scheifele.

He also acknowledged the late, great Dale Hawerchuk — his former junior coach and mentor — who holds the original Jets franchise scoring record.

At 33, with six more years remaining on his contract, it seems only a matter of time before Scheifele surpasses “Ducky” in goals, assists, and points. He currently sits 37 goals, 79 assists and 116 points shy in each respective category.

In true Scheifele form, he was quick to dish out some assists to his teammates.

“An unbelievable pass by KC (Kyle Connor). He’s good, isn’t he?” Scheifele said of the feed that led to his record-breaking snipe.

“I’m tremendously honoured. I wouldn’t be here without the guys, especially the guy I went ahead of (Blake Wheeler). He helped me throughout my career and he also gave me a lot of tap-ins, so I’m very lucky about the guys I play with currently and that I played with in the past and I owe it all to them.”

To that end, a pre-recorded video message from Wheeler, who previously held the mark with 812 points, was played inside Canada Life Centre.

“The day we knew was coming has come,” Wheeler began.

“I remember in 2018, when I broke the record, we got back to the bench and you were congratulating me and I let you know that I was going to hold onto this one for you for a little bit. And now that time has come.”

There are likely plenty more accolades to come. Team Canada must submit its final Olympic roster by Dec. 31, and given Scheifele’s current form, it would be a surprise if he’s left off. He was already on standby for the 4 Nations as an injury replacement, and the Olympic team has two additional roster spots.

If he maintains his torrid pace, Scheifele could eclipse his previous career highs in goals (42, set in 2022-23), assists (50, in 2016-17) and points (87, last season). At this rate, he could approach the 1,000-point milestone by the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

A Stanley Cup remains his ultimate goal — and Winnipeg’s chances look pretty good with their No. 1 centre at the top of his game.

It brings to mind a bold prediction from former Jets coach Paul Maurice several years ago, made just before Scheifele signed the seven-year extension that will likely see him retire with the club that drafted him seventh overall in 2011.

“He has that (potential) to be a one-team player that wins Cups and is the captain of it at some point and gets a bronze statue in front of the building kind of guy,” said Maurice.

It would be a fitting conclusion to the Scheifele story, especially since Hawerchuk’s likeness already stands in True North Square.

“At the end of the day it’s all just very humbling,” said Scheifele. “I’m very honoured to be in the position I am and just very lucky.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg