Jets players ready to compete for spot in opening game

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/09/2016 (3353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A total of 60 players will compete for the chance to crack the Winnipeg Jets 23-man opening-day roster.

The Jets announced their 2016 training camp lineup Wednesday, a day ahead of when camp formally gets underway with team physicals set for Thursday, and on-ice action kicking into full swing Friday morning beginning with testing. The list includes 34 forwards, 20 defenceman and six goaltenders, split into three separate groups that will take form for Saturday’s workouts.

Camp will last a total of 15 days between Sept. 23 and Oct. 8, with most sessions taking place at the MTS Iceplex, where fans are free to attend. The Jets will also play a total of seven pre-season games, including four tilts at the MTS Centre against the Calgary Flames (Tuesday, Sept. 27), Minnesota Wild (Thursday, Sept. 29), Edmonton Oilers (Friday, Sept 30) and Ottawa Senators (Monday, Oct. 3).

With the World Cup of Hockey tournament in Toronto still ongoing, a number of key pieces for the Jets will be absent for the start of camp, with the potential to miss as many as a couple of weeks (and three exhibition games) as the tournament final – a best-of-three series – could go as late as Oct. 1.

That list includes head coach Paul Maurice, who is an assistant coach for Team Europe; Americans Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien; Mark Schiefele, Jacob Trouba and Connor Hellebuyck, all of whom represent Team North America; 2016 second-overall pick Patrik Laine (Team Finland); and goaltender Ondrej Pavelec (Czech Republic).

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty others to keep an eye on in their absence, including a few new faces in 2015 first-round selections, forwards Kyle Connor (17th overall) and Jack Roslovic (25th overall), as well the Jets other first-round pick from this year in defenceman Logan Stanley.

Of the 60 players invited to camp, 52 are under contract or drafted by the Jets. The other eight include Jake Baker, Kevin Czuczman, Peter Stoykewych, Patrice Cormier and Jiri Fronk, all of whom have been signed to professional tryout contracts, while Matt Murphy, Tyson Wilson and Brandon Denham have been signed to amateur tryout contracts. All the above players with the exception of Murphy have been signed by the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for the 2016-17 season.

Group 1

Goaltenders

1 Eric Comrie

50 Jamie Phillips

Defencemen

8 Jacob Trouba*

33 Dustin Byfuglien*

36 Josh Morrissey

53 Jan Kostalek

57 Tyler Myers

64 Logan Stanley

70 Tyson Wilson

92 Jake Baker

Forwards

12 Drew Stafford

16 Shawn Matthias

18 Bryan Little

19 Nic Petan

29 Patrik Laine*

40 Joel Armia

41 Kyle Connor

67 Jordy Stallard

80 Michael Spacek

85 Mathieu Perreault

91 Alex Burmistrov

Group 2

Goaltenders

34 Michael Hutchinson

60 Mikhail Berdin

Defencemen

39 Toby Enstrom

47 Brian Strait

51 Luke Green

62 Nelson Nogier

71 Julian Melchiori

84 Peter Stoykewych

Forwards

9 Andrew Copp

13 Brandon Tanev

17 Adam Lowry

21 Quinton Howden

22 Chris Thorburn

28 Patrice Cormier

45 Jimmy Lodge

46 JC Lipon

65 Axel Blomqvist

68 Ryan Olsen

79 Brandon Denham

Group 3

Goaltenders

31 Ondrej Pavelec*

37 Connor Hellebuyck*

Defencemen

4 Paul Postma

5 Mark Stuart

7 Ben Chiarot

49 Kevin Czuczman

59 Brenden Kichton

87 Matt Murphy

Forwards

14 Anthony Peluso

26 Blake Wheeler*

27 Nik Ehlers

48 Brendan Lemieux

52 Jack Roslovic

55 Mark Scheifele*

56 Marko Dano

58 Jansen Harkins

72 Scott Kosmachuk

77 Chase De Leo

86 Jiri Fronk

89 Matteo Gennaro

 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton