Jets ready for takeoff

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This article was published 13/10/2022 (1062 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After a long summer followed by a three-week training camp, the Winnipeg Jets are ready to hit the ice for real.

Their 2022-23 regular-season schedule begins in earnest Friday night, with the season-opener against the visiting New York Rangers at Canada Life Centre. And while there’s plenty of excitement in the air, as is the case with every new campaign, there remain several unknowns as to how the Jets will fare after missing the playoffs last season despite heady expectations.

With a new coaching staff — a group led by head coach Rick Bowness and assistants Scott Arniel, Brad Lauer and Marty Johnston — comes a new philosophy. As part of the new philosophy are brand new systems, with the Jets hoping to employ an aggressive style of play whether playing in the defensive, neutral or offensive zones.

Learning to play within the systems has been the No. 1 priority for the Jets through training camp, including developing the discipline and structure to properly execute them. So, with the Jets now out of runway, as the start of the regular season inches closer, where is the team in its level of understanding of how to play the way Bowness has been preaching?

“It’d be great to have it all figured out 100 per cent before the season starts, but we’ve reached a point now where I think we’re all comfortable with it,” Jets centre Pierre-Luc Dubois said following practice Thursday. “Every practice we’re working on it a lot, doing video, talking about it, communicating. So, I think as the season goes on, we’ll get better and better.”

While Dubois has been happy with the team’s commitment to the new systems, his promising outlook had one important caveat. As successful as the Jets were in camp, including a 4-1-1 record in the pre-season, he noted, “There’s still going to be some mistakes, I’m sure.”

Winnipeg has faced some quality competition during its run of exhibition games, but the regular season brings on a whole new level of urgency, with the stakes much higher. And though they fared well in back-to-back victories against a Calgary Flames team littered with regulars to close out the pre-season, the Jets have yet to ice their full roster — until now.

“Throughout the season you want to hit your peak at the end for the playoff race. But, as you know, you could lose a couple games in October and that could be the difference between making the playoffs and just making it in or not making it in,” Dubois said. “So, for us, yes, there’s probably going to be some growing pains. We want to limit it to just a little bit and not too many games. It’s all about how we practise and communicate and doing video, and the coaching staff’s been great for that, making it easy for us to learn.”

“While you’re doing that, there are some growing pains. We’ll get them through it.”–Rick Bowness

For Bowness, the last three weeks have been a constant exercise in trial and error. He knows exactly what he wants to see and he’s not been afraid to show his displeasure whenever a breakdown occurs, whether it’s yelling instructions during a drill in practice or stopping play all together in order to get his message across.

Bowness admitted Thursday he’s had to correct several old habits by players borne out of the previous systems, which he classified as normal behaviour after years following a different scheme. He envisions the Jets returning to the playoffs after missing out last year, but that success hinges on finding consistency within the new systems.

“We’ll break those instincts,” said Bowness. “While you’re doing that, there are some growing pains. We’ll get them through it.”

Expectations are always high, for every team, in every market, especially in a hockey-mad home like Winnipeg. But Bowness was careful when discussing them, marking a clear distinction between the expectations held inside the locker room and those on the outside.

“And the most important ones are ours,” he said, adding: “We’re a lot closer today than we were when we started the exhibition games. Are we sitting here saying we’re comfortable exactly where we are? No. But I told you during camp: we have a lot of work to do. And that’s not going to go away.”

With the implementation of new systems and growing pains seemingly synonymous with them at this point, there are areas of the Jets’ game that can help mask some of the early and inevitable deficiencies. For instance, winning the special-teams battle would go a long way to help dictate games in their favour; strong play from goalie Connor Hellebuyck is also a decent remedy, although Bowness said the systems are designed to actually ask less of Hellebuyck, not more.

Ready or not, the season is about to start. How quickly the Jets can adapt to their new style is now the top priority, and the ultimate path to the end goal of making the playoffs.

“We’re as ready as we’re going to be,” defenceman Brenden Dillon said. “Obviously, there are going to be a few shifts here and there where guys are still on the old program, but we’re getting better and better every day. The practices have been high paced. There’s been a lot of communication out there and guys are learning some new stuff, but it’s been awesome. Everyone is really getting accustomed to it and we can see the positive reinforcement it is when we are doing it right.”

JETS NAME CAPTAINS: With no designated captain this season, the Jets have decided to go with three alternate captains. Those were finalized on Thursday, with forwards Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry, as well as defenceman Josh Morrissey all wearing an ‘A’.

TONINATO HITS WAIVER-WIRE: The Jets placed forward Dominic Toninato on waivers for the purpose of being assigned to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

The move was made to trim the roster down to the mandated 23-man lineup ahead of Friday’s tilt with the Rangers. Toninato, 25, has spent the last two seasons with the Jets, including 77 games last season, where he scored seven goals and seven assists.

“Those are tough conversations, but you have to have them,” said Bowness. “If he gets picked up, good for him, if he doesn’t, it’s good for us because he’ll be back. He’s a part of this family and he’s part of this team.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton