Defensive duos struggle during Game 1

Moose hopeful Nogier says there's not enough time to develop chemistry in short event

By: Mike Sawatzky Posted: 6:15 PM CDT Saturday, Sep. 17, 2016

PENTICTON, B.C. — Young defencemen are often victims of circumstance during the NHL pre-season.

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PENTICTON, B.C. — Young defencemen are often victims of circumstance during the NHL pre-season.

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This article was published 17/09/2016 (3286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PENTICTON, B.C. — Young defencemen are often victims of circumstance during the NHL pre-season.

Members of the Winnipeg Jets blue-line corps fell into that category during Friday’s 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames in the opener of the Young Stars Classic rookie tournament .

Sloppy exchanges and zone-clearing miscues were the order of the night but 20-year-old Nelson Nogier, a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2014, wasn’t getting too stressed about it.

Clint Trahan photo
Blue-liner Nelson Nogier’s goal is to play the upcoming season with the Manitoba Moose. The Jets say Nogier will be brought along slowly, but a return to the junior ranks would be a disappointment for the 20-year-old Saskatoon native. — Clint Trahan photo Blue-liner Nelson Nogier’s goal is to play the upcoming season with the Manitoba Moose. The Jets say Nogier will be brought along slowly, but a return to the junior ranks would be a disappointment for the 20-year-old Saskatoon native.

“There’s no chemistry among linemates yet,” said Nogier, who signed a three-year, entry-level deal with Winnipeg in the off-season. “It’s a short enough tournament you may not get that. It’s just a matter of making sure you adapt and learn as you go.”

Make no mistake, Nogier wants to stick in Winnipeg. Playing for the Jets’ AHL farm team is his primary goal and returning to the Western Hockey League for his overage season is something he’d rather avoid.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to play pro hockey this year,” he said. “The goal is to be with the Manitoba Moose.”

Nogier is the kind of big-bodied, smooth-skating defenceman NHL teams like to stockpile. The 6-3, 203-pound Saskatoon product scored 21 points, including four goals, and racked up 79 penalty minutes and a plus-27 rating in 69 games with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels last season.

“I think he’s got the tools to play this game at high pace,” said Moose head coach Pascal Vincent. “His defensive reads are good. It takes a little bit longer for defencemen to make it to the NHL.

“He’s a good prospect for us. He’s got the size, the physical ability but he’s also got the mind. He understands what we expect.”

Nogier is participating in his third Young Stars Classic as a member of the Jets. The coaching staff, he said, has been very supportive as the squad prepares for its second game of the tournament today against the Vancouver Canucks. Nogier will be brought along very slowly.

“We have expectations for him —that’s for sure,” said Vincent. “But we’re gonna start with the foundation, which is the first pass (out of the defensive zone) and playing well defensively.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14