Appleton jumps to top line Grinding forward fills hole left by injury to Vilardi By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 5:00 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023

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This article was published 19/10/2023 (1038 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With all the firepower they have up front, it might have caught some by surprise that Mason Appleton would get the first crack at filling a huge hole on the top line of the Winnipeg Jets.

With Gabriel Vilardi injured, however, Appleton got the call Thursday to fill the opening skating alongside top scorers Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor against the Vegas Golden Knights at Canada Life Centre.

A big opportunity? You bet.

“Obviously it’s a vote of confidence to jump up to that line,” Appleton told the Free Press a few hours before puck drop.

The 27-year-old right-winger doesn’t have the kind of eye-popping offensive numbers of his new linemates, with 82 points (34G, 48A) in 250 career regular-season games prior to entering play Thursday. To put it plainly, Appleton has done in the equivalent of three full seasons what Scheifele and Connor would typically do in one.

So why is Appleton in such a key spot rather than a more accomplished scorer, such as wingers Nikolaj Ehlers, Nino Niederreiter or Alex Iafallo, who are all playing further down the lineup?

“I think when you put a line together you don’t want all the same thing. There’s only one puck on the ice, so you don’t want three puck-centred guys that need the puck on their stick all game to be good,” Appleton explained.

“I think I can complement them by staying within my role and my game.”

That means doing a lot of the dirty work along the boards, such as winning puck battles, forcing turnovers and being difficult to play against with the idea of freeing up Scheifele and Connor to work their magic.

“They’re so elite,” said Appleton. “I can try to penetrate the inside a little bit more and get around the net and try to free some space up for them.”

To be clear, nothing is set in stone. With Vilardi expected to miss from four to six weeks with a sprained MCL (knee), it’s possible several players could be given looks with the top line.

“We’ll see. There’s time. Unfortunately, we have too much time with that,” said Jets coach Rick Bowness, noting Rasmus Kupari could be another option.

Some familiarity played a role in the decision, with Appleton spending a bit of time playing with Scheifele and Connor last season after the injury bug bit hard. Bowness liked what he saw, albeit in a small sample size.

“Mason has played with those guys before and they like having a right-hand shot playing with them. So, you put those two together and Mason is the logical guy to go up there,” said Bowness.

The Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi trio had been dominant in their first two full games together, combining for eight points and often playing keep-away for large stretches. Now comes some significant early season adversity.

“When you go through bumps, you’ve got to deal with them, you’ve got to battle through them,” Scheifele said.

“(Appleton) is a fantastic player and a guy that skates extremely well. He does all the simple things, gets in on the forecheck, a lot of great things a lot of people wouldn’t give him credit for that you just don’t see unless you’re looking into it.”

Appleton’s career high in goals (12), assists (13) and points (25) came during the pandemic-impacted 2020-21 “bubble season” in which just 56 games were played. The Wisconsin product had 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in an injury-shortened 41 games last year with Winnipeg. Although he believes there’s more offence to offer, that’s not his primary role.

“We need him to go to the net. When you play with those two guys, you’ve got to make sure you are going to the net,” Bowness said of what he needs to see.

“Gabe was very good at that. Now Mason is Mason. We don’t need him to change his game. The way he plays the game, that’s how he has to play even though he’s playing with those two guys. He’s reliable defensively, strong on the boards, strong in the corners but he has to get to the net for sure with those guys.”

”(Appleton’s) reliable defensively, strong on the boards, strong in the corners but he has to get to the net for sure with those guys.”–Rick Bowness

Appleton said he won’t try to be something he’s not, nor will he take anything for granted.

“Winning my battles and managing the puck. No matter what line I’m on I can create plays when they’re there,” he said.

“Not try to force stuff because they can create a little more offence than other guys, obviously. It’s cliché to say my game’s not changing, but that’s the reality of it. We played a good chunk of games together last year and did some good things. Hopefully, we can pick back up there. We’ve got to be a good line offensively and defensively as well. Take care of both ends of the ice.”

If there’s any good news, it is that Vilardi escaped a more serious injury, such as an MCL tear. Appleton will try to hold down the fort until his fallen teammate can return.

“Obviously it was unfortunate to see him get hurt like that. But I guess that’s hockey and injuries do happen. He’ll be back sooner than later,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg