From the mouths of rookies

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This article was published 04/10/2014 (4001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The team’s head coach has weighed in, at length, with his assessment of their performances.

And there’s not a Winnipeg Jets fan in existence who hasn’t formed an opinion on whether highly touted Jets rookies Nikolaj Ehlers, Nic Petan, Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry are NHL-ready.

But with just one pre-season game to be played — tonight at the MTS Centre against the Calgary Flames — and eight players still to be trimmed from the roster prior to the start of the team’s regular season next Thursday, it seemed like a good time Friday to ask the Jets young guns to do a little self-assessment of their own.

The question was simple, but pointed: Do you feel you’ve shown enough this pre-season to make the big club?

“I think I’ve done pretty well,” said Petan. “In six games, I think I’ve shown hard work and I’ve played my game as a smaller player and just done everything I can, I think.”

“I thought I’ve had some good moments and hopefully it’s enough,” said Morrissey. “I do feel good out there and the last three days in practice is the best I’ve felt yet. I feel comfortable and I haven’t been hesitant or nervous or afraid to make a play. I feel like I’ve grown a lot.”

“My goal here was to get better and take a step every single game and I think I’ve done that,” said Ehlers. “I’m really happy with where I am right now. And I think I’ve taken some big steps here.”

And then there was Lowry, who many observers think has had the best camp among the Jets rookies and made the best case to stick with the big club.

“I wanted to show I’m responsible defensively, I could win my one-on-one battles and I can use my size to my advantage. And up to this point, I’ve been happy with what I’ve done,” said Lowry.

The Jets need to trim their roster from 31 players currently (32, if you count forward Eric Tangradi, who was placed on waivers Friday) to 23 by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

That’s going to make for some hard decisions in the coming days for the Jets brain trust, who need help now, but also don’t want to jeopardize what looks to be a bright future by rushing any of their talented young prospects into the NHL too quickly.

Head coach Paul Maurice was asked Friday after his club’s practice if there’s anything his rookie prospects can do tonight that would make or break a decision on whether to keep them on with the big club for the start of the regular season.

“I guess there’s always that possibility — that a guy just lights something up,” replied Maurice. “But we’ll look at a block of games. You can’t make an NHL team off one exhibition game — that should be a league rule. So we’ll look at the block of games and see where they fit, which is just as important sometimes as where they’re at in their game.”

Morrissey said he’s feeling the anxiety as the clock ticks down to the moment he finds out whether his NHL dream is about to come true.

“For sure,” he said. “It’s exciting and it’s nerve-wracking. You work your whole life to play in the NHL.”

Petan says he’s trying not to think about what’s about to happen.

“I think you try not to really even think about it. I’m happy to be here right now and I’m just enjoying the moment.”

Ehlers was asked what area of his game he will work on if he doesn’t make the NHL team and gets sent back down in the coming days.

“It’s all the small things,” said Ehlers. “Where I have to stand in the defensive zone, what I have to do in the offensive zone, whether it’s chip it or cut into the middle around the D. I have to know all that kind of stuff. I just have to get better.”

While he’s had the most impressive training camp, Lowry said there’s also areas he can improve in his game, whether he gets sent down or not. “You can always improve the overall aspects of your game. I think my skating can continue to improve, I can continue to fill out my body and I can evolve offensively.

“There’s lot of room for development for me. And so if I end up going back down to St. John’s, that’s not the worst thing for me because I’d be allowed to play big minutes there. So I’m continuing to push for the big club, but either way I will be happy with what happens and continue to try and improve.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek