Lipon, a ‘feisty little player,’ headed back down to the Moose

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This article was published 05/10/2015 (3652 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By now, three seasons into the rollercoaster ride of the pro hockey grind, J.C. Lipon knows enough to know what Sunday night’s text message portended.

The message was straightforward: Jets coaches wanted to meet with him in the morning. Right away, the 22-year-old winger knew he was headed back down.

“Yesterday, I kind of got to lick my sorrows, or whatever you say,” Lipon shrugged on Monday, after practicing with the Manitoba Moose. “But this morning I was fine, I was prepared for the meeting and it was all positive for the most part, with Paul Maurice there. I’m happy to be down with the guys again.”

Still, he added, getting so deep in Jets camp is ample motivation. He made it through the whole preseason, splayed out some opponents, and scored a pretty goal against Edmonton. On Monday, Blake Wheeler called him a “feisty little player” who’s going to “just drive people nuts,” so yeah, Lipon left his calling card.

Close, so close, but no cigar. It’s closer still now that the Jets and their farm club are working in the same barns, and that new integration cushions the disappointment of somewhat. Besides, Lipon’s goal this year was to finish camp with “no regrets,” and on Monday at the MTS Iceplex, that’s where it stood.

“It’s really nice for me to know I can play at that level,” he said. “Playing in the last two exhibition games, those are pretty much NHL games and NHL rosters. To know I can keep up with them and contribute, it’s a positive for me.”

So now, back to the AHL. Ah well, it’s just one more trip in the life of JC Lipon, a player who always seems to get where he’s going, just the long way ‘round.

It took him three tries at the NHL draft before the Jets snagged him 91st overall in 2013, remember. Before that, he wasn’t drafted to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, but pushed his way on as a free agent. He was a surprise too at the 2013 World Juniors, a longshot at Canada’s selection camp who proceeded to crash and flash and almost will his way onto a stacked team.

That’s just sort of how he does things. When the Jets signed him to a pro deal, Lipon had few illusions about making the NHL roster right away; “sometimes,” he said on Monday, “you’ve got to wait your turn.” So he saddled up to go to work in St. John’s, where he boosted his speed and sharpened his defensive acumen.

What’s most telling about his prowess: Moose coach Keith McCambridge was thoroughly unsurprised by how long Lipon lasted with the big club.

“He’s made some huge strides,” McCambridge said, after putting his squad through their paces. “The way that he practices, his habits in practice, the way he translates that into the game… he’s also added to his resume, becoming a strong penalty killer. He looked at an area he can get his foot in the door.

“So no, I’m not surprised. He’s a top-end young man with regards to his on- and off-ice habits, also… I’m real proud of where he is right now.”

Well, where Lipon is right now is back on the farm, although this year the Regina boy gets to play a little closer to home. That has its perks — his girlfriend was able to surprise him by showing up at the first Edmonton game, and his grandparents were also there to see his goal. (In case you were wondering: yes, Lipon’s parents have their prerequisite number of Roughriders season tickets.)

There will be more hockey highlights to come, and Lipon hopes to light the way. The Moose have a handful of true pro rookies this year, on what is all over a very young team. In his third season, Lipon is angling to shoulder more of the leadership role, and McCambridge is just fine with him filling that niche.

“Your first two years, you’re kind of soaking in everything,” Lipon said. “Now that you’ve seen it all, know what the league has to offer and how big of a grind it is, I think I can rub off on some of the younger guys. Just from me preaching hard work, that’s how I’ve gotten here. And that’s what a team needs to win.”

Ah yes, the winning. For Lipon, there’s no doubt the hope of a call-up (or with the shared venues, is that a call-over?) will be lingering. But Lipon is also jonesing for a “fun” year with the Moose, he said, and after the club failed to make AHL playoffs last year he’s anxious to play games with meaning.

“Last year we had a struggle, but in my rookie year we went all the way to the Calder Cup,” he said. “Summer’s too long when you don’t make the playoffs.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca