Connor about to get his due

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This article was published 29/11/2024 (308 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAS VEGAS — Kyle Connor is no stranger to being snubbed.

If you go back to December of 2015, the high-flying forward was somehow left off of Team USA for the World Junior Hockey Championship team that was led by longtime NHL bench boss Ron Wilson and Hall of Fame defenceman Chris Chelios.

That was a swing and a miss by a USA Hockey coaching staff and management group that underestimated what the current Winnipeg Jets’ left-winger could have brought to the table and in the end, it may have cost them a gold medal, taking home bronze instead.

One year later, at the end of his dominant freshman season with the University of Michigan Wolverines, Connor was overlooked for the Hobey Baker Award, despite posting far superior statistics (35 goals and 71 points in 38 games) than eventual winner Jimmy Vesey (24 goals, 46 points in 33 games during his senior season at Harvard University).

Never mind the old and somewhat tired narrative that Connor is still an underrated player in some NHL circles.

Although the 17th-overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft has never craved the spotlight and may not get as much air time as he deserves for his elite finishing ability, teams around the league have known for a long time that he’s been one of the most consistent goal scorers since becoming a full-time player in 2017-18.

He’s a bonafide sniper, but his profile is expected to get a boost next week when he’s officially named to the Team USA roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

During a recent conversation, Connor reacted the way he always has when discussing previous disappointments — with a shoulder shrug.

“That’s so long ago,” said Connor. “You can look throughout my career and there are certain scenarios where I might have gotten shafted or not. It doesn’t bother me.

“It’s all something to talk about, I guess. You move on.”

“It’s all something to talk about, I guess. You move on.”–Kyle Connor

It’s abundantly clear Connor doesn’t sweat the small stuff, nor does he sweat what looks to others to be big stuff.

When asked specifically for his thoughts about the prospect of taking part in the upcoming best-on-best event, Connor shed a little light on his thought process.

“I mean, every time you get a chance to play for Team USA, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “At the same time, it’s not the end all, be all. I focus on the day-to-day here and being the best I can be and if I’m lucky enough to be one of those guys, I’m going to cherish it and it’s going to be a pretty cool moment.”

Connor was being his modest self and that ‘if’ will soon be replaced by ‘when’.

Then the if will shift to whether it will be Vegas Golden Knights star Jack Eichel or Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews operating in the centre position with Connor riding shotgun on the left side.

“It’s a teaser for the Olympics, right?”–Kyle Connor

The first edition of best-on-best hockey since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey should produce plenty of storylines and subplots, one of them featuring Connor and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck going up against longtime teammate Josh Morrissey and possibly Mark Scheifele with Team Canada.

It’s also a reminder that this event is the appetizer to the main course that isn’t far down the road.

“It’s a teaser for the Olympics, right?” said Connor, referring to the winter games scheduled for Italy in 2026. “It’s such a weird circumstance that we have here, it’s two or three games in the middle of February. But it’s kind of building up the hype for the Olympics. This is the first step, but the goal would be the Olympics.”

Connor entered Friday’s tilt against the Golden Knights with a team-leading 13 goals and 28 points in 23 games.

Hellebuyck left a lasting impression with Team USA general manager Bill Guerin earlier this week, making 43 saves against the Minnesota Wild. Guerin caught up with Hellebuyck in the hallway after that game and you can be sure he’ll be happy to have him wearing the red, white and blue in February.

“It’s a great feeling to represent your country and to go up against some of the best (players) in the world.”–Victor Hedman

After weeks and months of speculation and mock lists, the actual rosters are set to be revealed on Dec. 4, which means we’re only a few days away from the navel gazing and hearty debate when it comes to who made the team and who didn’t.

That’s part of the beauty of the build-up for the tournament which will also include Finland and Sweden.

Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman was among the first six players unveiled as part of Team Sweden in late June and he’s eager to see how things come together.

“It’s been a while. Obviously a different format, but it’s always fun to play in those games,” Hedman said before facing the Jets earlier this month. “It’s a great feeling to represent your country and to go up against some of the best (players) in the world.

“For us, as Swedes, it’s always been about the camaraderie and the team effort. It’s going to be the same mentality going into this one. It’s a short tournament, so you’ve got to click on all cylinders and role acceptance is going to be big. You’ve got to buy into your role right away and hit the ground running.”

 

Around the glass

Looming Laine: It’s always special when the Jets host the Montreal Canadiens, with a raucous atmosphere inside Canada Life Centre. The looming Dec. 14 matchup could have some extra sizzle, considering there’s a strong chance Patrik Laine will be playing.

Winnipeg’s second-overall pick from 2016 has yet to make his Habs debut after suffering a knee injury in training camp, but he’s getting closer to a return and is currently on the road with Montreal.

There was a bit of a scare Friday as Laine and Canadiens defenceman Justin Barron — brother of Winnipeg forward Morgan Barron — collided knee-on-knee during a drill.

Fortunately, Laine seemed to shake it off and finished practice. Montreal has seven games left before they travel to Winnipeg, and you hope the hockey gods will be working overtime to ensure Laine can be in the lineup that night.

 

Magic Monty: The St. Louis Blues got the new head coach bump after the arrival of Jim Montgomery, winning their first two games, 5-2 over the New York Rangers and 3-0 over the New Jersey Devils.

Montgomery got some stability after being dismissed by the Boston Bruins, just over one season after leading that team to the best record in modern-day NHL history (65-12-5), inking a five-year deal with the Blues.

Montgomery suited up for the Blues during the 1993-94 season, recording six goals and 20 points in 67 games in what turned out to be his most productive NHL campaign. He also got his second chance in the NHL as an assistant coach with the Blues with Craig Berube for two seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22), so his roots with the organization run deep.

The former Manitoba Moose forward interviewed for the Jets’ head coaching job when Rick Bowness was hired in the summer of 2022, but was hired by the Bruins before Winnipeg’s search was completed.

Montgomery suited up in 67 games with the Moose in the International Hockey League during the 1999-00 season and finished fourth in team scoring, notching 18 goals and 46 points on a team that finished 37-31-0-14.

The Blues are back in action on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers in what will be Montgomery’s first home game since taking over from Drew Bannister. Montgomery will then lead his group into a Central Division battle on Tuesday in Winnipeg.

 

Boffo Binny: Winnipeg hockey fans have seen plenty of Jordan Binnington over the years, including the 2019 playoff series in which helped stick a dagger in their Stanley Cup aspirations.

He’ll be back in the city next week, wearing the label of the winningest goalie in Blues’ franchise history after posting the 32-save shutout against the Devils last Wednesday.

Binnington, who has appeared in 298 games with the organization that chose him in the third round (88th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft, moved past Mike Liut, who recorded 151 victories during his six seasons between the pipes with the Blues. Rounding out the top-5 goalies on that list are: Jake Allen (148), Curtis Joseph (147) and Grant Fuhr (108).

Binnington became the fourth active goalie to lead their team in career wins, joining Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Phillip Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken.

Binnington took the long road to winning the starting job, spending most of the 2013-14 season with the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL, where he posted a record of 23-13-3 with a .922 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average in 40 appearances before graduating to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL the following season.

There’s a decent chance Binnington could be the starter for Team Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations, perhaps even staring down Hellebuyck for all the glory.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg