A tough nut to crack

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This article was published 27/06/2017 (3010 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They are coming off impressive rookie campaigns and are knocking at the door for full-time work in the greatest hockey league in the world. But the immediate window of opportunity might have gotten a bit smaller for Kyle Connor and Jack Roslovic after the Winnipeg Jets emerged unscathed from last week’s expansion draft.

General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff managed to swing a pair of deals — first by getting defenceman Toby Enstrom to waive his no-trade clause, which allowed him to protect seven forwards instead of three, and then by sending the Vegas Golden Knights a higher draft pick that prevented them from taking a contracted player off his roster. If not for those moves, the Jets were likely to lose a talented forward in either Mathieu Perreault, Adam Lowry or Marko Dano.

All of which would have created a coveted job opening Connor and Roslovic would both seem well-suited to fill. 

“It’s tough. It’s going to be tough, obviously,” Roslovic said Tuesday when asked to assess the odds of cracking the main roster out of training camp this fall. Both he and Connor are participating in their third Jets summer development camp after being selected in the first round of the 2015 draft, then turning pro after big seasons in college.

They admit they’ve been keeping an eye on the roster situation in recent weeks.

“As a fan I like to watch that kind of stuff but I don’t really try to do much GM-ing in my house,” said Roslovic, who led the Manitoba Moose in scoring last season with 13 goals and 35 assists in 65 games. He also made his NHL debut by playing one late-season game with the Jets in his hometown of Columbus.

“I’m a fan of hockey. I was watching (the expansion draft). It was cool to see Vegas get a team. For me, I didn’t really think about (any fallout) that much. I just focus on what I can control, getting better and getting stronger in the off-season,” Connor said Tuesday. He began last year with the Jets but was dispatched to the Moose after scoring one goal and adding three assists in 19 games. He tore things up in the American Hockey League, scoring 25 times and adding 19 assists in 52 games. Connor then played in the final game of the year for the Jets, scoring his second NHL goal.

It’s possible the Jets could add another forward or two during free agency, which begins Saturday. That could create an even bigger logjam up front and ramp up the intensity and competition come training camp, which head coach Paul Maurice has repeatedly stated he wants to see.

Roslovic said he’s only focusing on what he can control, and his brief stint with the Jets helped make that clear.

“Just getting bigger, stronger, faster. It’s a cliché, but I really do need to get better. That one game really did help me with preparation for the summer. I got a taste and I got to really see what I have to run into for the next hopefully many years,” he said. “Whether I’m starting at centre or on the wing, I think it’s just being willing to do anything. I’ve got to go in there and work hard and see what happens.”

Connor said his time in the minors helped change his game last season, with more focus on being defensively aware and playing without the puck. He’s working on getting “that extra jump” in his step and believes where he ends up will take care of itself.

“I definitely learned a lot as a player, what it takes to play at that level and stay there,” he said. “I know what I need to do, just come in and have a good camp

Jimmy Roy, the Jets’ co-ordinator of player development, said having Connor and Roslovic on the ice this week helps newer prospects within the organization.

“Having those guys back is a real benefit for us. Not only from a leadership role, but for other players, just drafted, seeing those players and being able to compare themselves. There’s a big value to something like that, having those guys around,” said Roy.

Roy said young prospects can quickly be humbled when they come to this sort of camp for the first time.

“That’s part of the development process, understanding that OK, you’ve been one of the top players on your team, but so has everybody else at this camp,” he said. “So it’s recognizing where you’re at, what you’re good at, what you need to get better at and actually putting in the work.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca