He plays everywhere, man

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This article was published 22/09/2023 (745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Versatility is a language Alex Iafallo speaks with great fluency.

The subject is a common one for the Winnipeg Jets winger, but moving up and down the lineup and being comfortable in all situations is something that simply comes with the territory.

“I’ve always just always tried to adapt to whoever I was playing with,” Iafallo said during an extensive conversation on Friday afternoon after a training camp session was completed. “When the guys I’m playing with do their job, I try to do my job. If you can be the best you can in each zone and try to get better every day, that’s just always how I thought of it.”

The approach may sound simplistic, but it works for Iafallo, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on June 27 along with fellow forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

While Iafallo seems to be given the subject a bit of a shoulder shrug, some past teammates are far more impressed by that ability than he is.

“He does it all,” said Dominic Toninato, who has split time between the Jets and Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League during the past three seasons, skated alongside Iafallo for five seasons – dating back to their time in the USHL. “Good skater, sees the ice well. He can put the puck in the net and can play all special teams. Just overall, a great player.”

Jets defenceman Neal Pionk also played with Iafallo with the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and was quick to offer a compliment his way when asked to reflect on their time together.

“He was our best player in college,” said Pionk. “He was the most skilled player, the best defensive forward. Kind of a go-to guy. He ran the power play on the half wall, if we needed a shootout attempt, he would take it.”

Although Iafallo has played more of a supporting role since making the NHL with the Kings during the 2017-18 season, all of those tools are still there.

“I was fortunate enough to play on a line with him for the majority of last year and he’s just good at everything,” said  Vilardi. “He’s underrated in every aspect of his game. He does everything well. He’s good offensively, (has) sneaky skill and he’s a very smart player. He’s fun to play with.”

Iafallo comes off as a bit reserved in an initial chat with a reporter, but you get the sense there are some additional layers there.

“He seems quiet, but if you get to know him, he’s a bit of a character,” said Pionk. “And he’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie too. He’ll do something for a rush, I’m sure you’ve seen his surfing videos.”

Iafallo let it be known that he’s an avid outdoorsman during his introductory zoom call with reporters after the trade with the Kings was completed and he’s already spent some time fishing and camping after arriving in Manitoba.

“Everywhere I go, when we have an off day, I like to get outside. I don’t like sitting inside. That’s hard for me to do sometimes,” said Iafallo. “It’s nice to get your work done and when you have an off day, you’ve got to enjoy it. You’ve got to have some sort of mental relaxation, you know.”

One of the benefits of playing on the West Coast was having the opportunity to surf on a regular basis.

“You just paddle out into the ocean and just forget about everything for an hour or two hours, whatever it may be,” said Iafallo.

The Jets have had a long list of Swiss Army knife guys on the roster, dating back to Michael Frolik and continuing with Mathieu Perreault, Andrew Copp and now feature several more, including Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov.

Having those types of guys at your disposal can provide a valuable safety net.

“Injuries happen and you have to have some guys on your roster that are going to be able to slide into right wing, left wing, different roles and different situations, and not change their game,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Some guys, all of a sudden they get onto the top two lines and they change their game. But (when) you’re talking about Alex, you’re talking about Vladdy, they don’t change their game. They play the same way, that’s just as important.

“To be able to move them around, the worst thing they can do is change the way they play, and we don’t want that. If we move them around, that’s why we move them around, (because) we trust them to play their game.”

Iaffalo didn’t need much time to earn the trust of the coaching staff with the Kings.

After signing with them out of college as a free agent, Iafallo found himself riding shotgun with perennial Selke candidate Anze Kopitar.

As a rookie, he notched nine goals and 25 points in 75 games and he’s been in double digits for goals scored during each of the past five seasons (ranging between 13 and 17).

Not only is he comfortable going head to head with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers during the past two editions of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he’s shown the ability to produce offensively – notching five goals and nine points in 16 postseason tilts.

When the games get hard, Iafallo gets noticed – whether that means sending him out to protect a one-goal lead or to try and find an equlalizer when chasing the game.

Starting training camp with captain Adam Lowry and right-winger Mason Appleton, Iafallo figures to play an important role on his new tream.

“To shut (things) down and hound the puck and play defence is something I pride in. You don’t want to get scored on. Playing with those two guys, they take pride in that too, obviously,” said Iafallo, who had 14 goals and 36 points in 59 games with the Kings last season. “The style of play I’ve learned (that the Jets encourage) over the past few days, it’s going to be awesome. I’m getting older, I’m a little smarter, so hopefully I can take the next step.

“I’ll do the best that I can to adapt.”