Smart, skilled, speedy and dangerous

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This article was published 15/11/2023 (686 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kyle Connor took a moment to ponder the question and was quick to recognize where the reporter was coming from, but ultimately the Winnipeg Jets sniper was at a loss for words.

The query used a baseball analogy, pertaining to the long-held belief that a slugger in the midst of a hot streak often suggests that the ball looks bigger when it’s coming to him at the plate.

So, when you’re in the midst of a heater in hockey, does the net look bigger to you?

“I don’t know that’s come into my thinking,” said Connor, who scored a pair of goals and added an assist in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. “To your point, getting in a rhythm… yeah, uh, wish I had a better answer.”

Connor, who is up to 222 goals and 444 points in 481 career NHL games, wasn’t being dismissive, he was simply being honest.

When you score as often as he does, the net probably looks big all the time.

Although Connor is long past the days of being an underrated player or goal scorer, there doesn’t seem to be enough recognition being paid to what he’s been doing so far this season.

Going into Wednesday’s action, Connor had 13 goals in 15 games and was tied for the NHL lead for the Rocket Richard Trophy with Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews.

“Where he’s able to score his goals, he’s so quick twitch and he’s so deceptive with his release that he can get his shot off in such little time and such little space,” said Jets captain Adam Lowry. “That’s where his goalscoring is so good, because he can create these chances out of ordinary plays. Then the high-end skill takes over, where you see the goal against Nashville, where he’s able to turn (Alexandre) Carrier inside out, where he’s able to use his speed, use his poise and his shiftiness.

“He’s got a great one-timer and an unbelievable release, but it’s that deceptiveness. It’s on his stick, off his stick. What makes him elite is that he’s able to create these things when there is no space and there’s no time. He’s in traffic and all of a sudden, he removes himself from the traffic by just changing the angle — and then it’s off his stick.”

Connor is far from a one-trick pony, having contributed another seven assists on the season to leave him two points ahead of linemate Mark Scheifele for the team lead in scoring.

Thirteen of his 20 points have come during the past six games — and four of those were muilti-point games, including a four-point outburst against the Nashville Predators while completing his fifth career hat trick.

This level of consistent point production leaves Connor inside the Top-10 of NHL scoring leaders, within striking distance of top spot.

“There are just certain players around the league who you play with or play against who have that goal scoring knack,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “Obviously, it’s his skill, it’s his smarts, it’s his shot, it’s all of that. I’ve seen him score so many goals in games and more so in practice even, from impossible angles, from traffic, he does a great job of finding quiet areas in the O-zone and what looks like maybe a crowded area, he’s able to slow himself down and hesitate for a second and just be in a great position to shoot the puck.

“You see a lot of those goals off the cycle that he’s scored in the slot over the years. All the skills that go into it, sure, but that real scoring knack is something that you can try to teach, but he just has it naturally. It’s fun to watch.”

Goal scoring is one of the most precious commodities in the NHL, yet Connor seems to be able to do it almost at will.

“When he’s stickhandling, when he’s skating, he’s always able to shoot and he’s got such a great release. That’s what sets him apart,” said Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon. “He’s always dangerous. The puck can be close to him, far away from him. Wherever it is, he seems to be able to get it off as smooth and as hard as he wants, whenever.

“That’s the other thing, too. He can do it all at high speed. That’s something that (Connor) McDavid, of course, can do at high level speed. For KC, he’s always doing things in stride. Stickhandling, shooting, head up. When you can put those things all together, that’s what makes a special player and that’s what KC is.”

Dillon spent two seasons with the Washington Capitals as a teammate of Alex Ovechkin’s, so he knows a thing or two about watching a guy who can find the back of the net with great frequency.

The same goes for fellow Jets blue-liner Nate Schmidt.

“When we’re feeling it, we get this thing called goal legs and the D start jumping around and feeling great. There is something different about shooter’s legs. With a guy like that, once he starts feeling it and gets into spots, he’s having confidence in his ability to shoot from anywhere. That’s what the best goal scorers can do,” said Schmidt, who spent four seasons with the Capitals. “They don’t have to be in A spot to get a goal. Now, they have places that they go if they need to get out of (a slump). Ovi would go to his spot and things like that. But all of a sudden, they start slinging it and things are working, it’s just enjoyable (to watch). As a defenceman, you just get the puck to him.”

Scheifele is someone who has been getting Connor the puck for years, frequent linemates who have great admiration for one another.

“It’s unique, for sure,” Scheifele said when asked about Connor’s quick release. “But being with him for a long time, you know when he’s ready (for the pass), when he’s locked and loaded, and how quick he can get it off. Even when there’s not a great pass, he’s able to control it in a way that not a lot of guys are able to and get off a great shot.

“What no one sees is how hard that he works at it. The amount of reps that he does every day. The things that he does to get ready for when he’s in those situations, to be able to get it off, is special.”

It’s not just Connor’s teammates who have taken notice.

The Michigan product is one of the guys on the Jets roster that has his number circled on the dry erase board in the locker room by opposing coaches for what they’re seeing on the pre-scout.

“I’ve been really impressed with Kyle’s game. You saw the skill and speed and the flash when he entered the league, but he’s become dangerous in all kinds of different ways over the last couple of years,” Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said during a weekend visit to Winnipeg. “He’s adding layers to his game. Whenever you watch Winnipeg, I always notice him and how dangerous he is in all situations. Power play, in zone. He’s turned himself into a really elite player.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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