Jets prospects: Lambert sits No. 1 in power rankings

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This article was published 02/02/2025 (474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the NHL trade deadline now just a month away — March 7 to be exact — there’s likely to be increased scrutiny on the state of the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects.

After all, the first-place club is in prime position to take a big swing or two, which could potentially come at the expense of some young players in the system.

The organization currently has 20 drafted and developing skaters in various leagues and levels who could one day work their way up to the big club. Nine of them are currently with the Manitoba Moose, one is in the ECHL while the other 10 are scattered around the Canadian Hockey League, college and European clubs.

To help you keep tabs, we are checking in on the kids each month over the course of the season.

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For the longest time, Colby Barlow wasn’t really looking like a first-round draft pick. The 19-year-old winger had a fairly forgettable training camp with the Jets last fall, then was sent back to junior with the message of tearing it up and making the Canadian World Junior club.

He did not. Not even close, actually.

However, this may be a case of better late than never, as Barlow was a different player during the month of January with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. He put up 16 points (8G, 8A) in 10 games and is finally back to being a point-per-game player (27G, 18A in 45 games) after that miserable start to this season.

The 18th-overall pick from 2023 still has a long way to go — he had 79 points in 59 games two years ago, and 58 points in 50 games last season — but development isn’t always a straight line.

Whether he’s ultimately dangled as future trade bait by the Jets remains to be seen, but the organization is no doubt pleased to see him getting back on track.

OHL: (Players are listed in order of draft year)

-F Kevin He (4th round, 2024): He has cooled off after a sizzling start to his year with the Niagara IceDogs. The 18-year-old from Beijing had six points (1G, 5A) in eight games during the month. Still, there’s lots to love about the the energetic winger, who is now up to 55 points (26G, 29A) in 43 games. He’s currently serving a three-game suspension for a massive (and illegal) hit he threw in a game last weekend.

-F Kieron Walton (6th round, 2024): It wasn’t as explosive as a December to remember (19 points in eight games), but January was another solid month for the 6-6, 216 pound centre. Walton, 18, had nine points (4G, 5A) in 10 games with the Sudbury Wolves and is up to 71 points (27G, 44A) in 45 games.

-F Jacob Julien (5th round, 2023): It’s been a disappointing overall year for Julien, who erupted for 78 points in 67 games with the London Knights last year. Julien, 20, has just 33 points (9G, 24A) in 46 games this year, although 10 of those (1G, 9A) came in nine January contests.

WHL:

-F Markus Loponen (5th round, 2024): The 18-year-old Finn continues to adjust well to North American hockey during his rookie year with the Victoria Royals. He had 10 points (2G, 8A) in 11 January games and is up to 33 points (12G, 21A) through 47 games.

-F Brayden Yager (1st round, 2023): He’s the only one on our list not actually drafted by the Jets, but we monitor his progress given that he was the return in the Rutger McGroarty trade. Yager, 20, took the disappointment of an early exit at the World Juniors — he was the captain of Canada — and put in a strong month with the Lethbridge Hurricanes with 13 points (2G, 11A) in 10 games. He’s now up to 48 points (15G, 33A) in 34 games this year.

-F Connor Levis (7th round, 2023): We wonder how much longer Levis will remain a Jets prospect. He has yet to sign a contract and could become a free agent this summer. The 20-year-old had six points (4G, 2A) in nine January games. He has 39 points (18G, 21A) in 44 games this year with the Vancouver Giants.

COLLEGE:

-F Zach Nehring (3rd round, 2023): The 19-year-old from North Dakota continues to be a streaky offensive player in his first year with Western Michigan and had a fairly quiet January with just two points (1G, 1A) in six games. He’s up to 14 points (6G, 8A) in 24 games.

-D Garrett Brown (4th round, 2022): After suffering a torn ACL last year with the University of Denver and being limited to just eight games, the 20-year-old shutdown defenceman has played all 24 this year and has one assist.

EUROPE:

-D Alfons Freij (2nd round, 2024): Unfortunately, an injury has kept Freij out of the lineup for all of January. He’s the other piece from the Los Angeles Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois (along with Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari), and has eight points (2G, 6A) in 28 games with IF Bjorkloven of the top Swedish men’s league.

-F Dmitry Rashevsky (5th round, 2021): Rashevesky picked it up in January with 10 points (5G, 5A) in 10 games with Moscow Dynamo of the KHL. He now has 28 points (16G, 12A) in 48 contests this year. The big question remains: Can the Jets lure the 24-year-old over to North America as early as this summer?

MANITOBA MOOSE:

It’s been an ugly season for the AHL club, which sits 31st out of 32 teams with a 12-25-2 record through 39 games. Not surprisingly, individual performances haven’t been too hot, either.

-G Thomas Milic (5th round, 2023): His sophomore slump has now led to a demotion to the ECHL, where he’s made three starts and is 2-1-0 with a 2.02 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage. With the Moose, last year’s MVP struggled to just a 4-10-2 record, a 3.56 GAA and an .870 save percentage.

-F Brad Lambert (1st round, 2022): He’s currently up with the Jets as a 13th forward (no points in four NHL games earlier this year) but he hasn’t exactly lit it up with the Moose. Lambert had two assists in five AHL games in January, giving him 16 points (3G, 13A) in 30 games. That’s a sharp drop from the 55 points (21G, 34A) in 64 games as an AHL rookie last year.

-D Elias Salomonsson (2nd round, 2022): Winnipeg’s top blue-line prospect is finally back in action after missing approximately seven weeks with a shoulder injury. He’s been held without a point through three games since his return, but still has 12 points (3G, 9A) in 20 contests this year.

-F Danny Zhilkin (3rd round, 2022): There’s just nothing happening here for the young forward, who had no points in 10 January games and has but one assist this year in 21 matches.

-F Fabian Wagner (6th round, 2022): Wagner recorded his first AHL point, and then his second, during 11 games with the Moose in January after putting up nothing in his first nine games in December. The 20-year-old joined the Moose in late November after going 16 games without a point for Linkopings HC in the top Swedish men’s league.

-G Dom DiVincentiis (7th round, 2022): With Milic being sent down, DiVincentiis got the call up after posting a 15-5-0 record with a 2.97 GAA and .896 save percentage with Norfolk of the ECHL. The rookie pro won his first game back with the Moose last week and is now 3-3-0 in six AHL games with a 2.43 GAA and .919 save percentage.

-F Chaz Lucius (1st round, 2021): The good news is he has remained healthy and in the lineup, at least until missing Saturday’s game with what the team says is a minor ailment. The bad news is his offensive production has dried up, with just three assists in 10 January games. Lucius has nine points (3G, 6A) through 24 games this year.

– F Nikita Chibrikov (2nd round, 2021): Unfortunately, the dynamic young Russian suffered a season-ending injury in January. This, after a nice stint with the Jets in December (2G, 1A in four games) and rock-solid production with the Moose (2G, 3A in six January games and 7G, 11A in 30 overall games).

-D Tyrel Bauer (6th round, 2020): Bauer always has his teammate’s back, as shown by his propensity to drop the gloves. He has two assists in 33 games this year along with 70 penalty minutes.

-D Simon Lundmark (2nd round, 2019): The smooth-skating defencemen had two assists in 11 games in January and now has nine points (2G, 7A) in 36 games so far.

JETS PROSPECT POWER RANKINGS — TOP 10

1. Brad Lambert

2. Brayden Yager

3. Elias Salomonsson

4. Nikita Chibrikov

5. Colby Barlow

6. Chaz Lucius

7. Alfons Freij

8. Kevin He

9. Kieron Walton

T10. Thomas Milic and Dom DiVincentiis

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewgp