Chibrikov strikes early and often

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This article was published 16/09/2024 (385 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It took Nikita Chibrikov all of 51 seconds on Monday to make some new friends.

That’s how much time had come off the clock before the feisty forward found himself in the middle of a scrum, with plenty of pushing and shoving and stinky gloves to the face.

He’d have an impact with his hands later in the game, setting up what turned out to be the game-winning goal along with the insurance marker as the Winnipeg Jets downed the Edmonton Oilers 2-0 to finish off the annual Young Stars Classic in Penticton.

Chibrikov certainly left his mark in the three games, with goals in each of the first two along with plenty of tenacious play that should earn him a long look when Winnipeg’s NHL training camp begins this week.

The 21-year-old Russian stands 5-9 and weighs about 160 pounds but plays much bigger. He is fearless on the ice and is often the aggressor in physical situations, which is why he frequently attracts a crowd the way he did on his first shift against the Oilers.

He can also be an offensive spark-plug, as proven by the 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) he produced in 70 games as a rookie last season with the Manitoba Moose. Chibrikov, selected 50th-overall in the 2021 draft, likely would have gone even higher if not for concerns about his status, given that he was playing in the KHL at the time.

He came to North America as quickly as possible and now is one of Winnipeg’s most intriguing prospects. Chibrikov made his big-league debut in Game 82 last season for the Jets, scoring a goal.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get even more looks with the team this coming season, as his skills could translate to a bottom-six role should the need or desire from coaches and management arise.

Chibrikov ended up with Winnipeg’s Young Stars scoring lead (two goals, two assists), putting him just ahead of Brad Lambert, who had a goal and two helpers in the first two games and then was given the day off on Monday. Lambert, with 21 goals and 34 assists with the Moose last year, also got the call-up to the Jets in the same game as Chibrikov and added an assist. They are the two most NHL-ready prospects in a fairly deep forward pool right now.

Winnipeg went 2-1-0 in the four-team event, beating the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime on Friday night and then falling 4-2 to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s a few other players who stood out in the finale:

-Maybe Henri Nikkanen and Daniel Torgersson caught wind of what Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger said during the second intermission of Friday’s game, in which he told Jets TV host Jamie Thomas the pair needed to step it up and start showing what they can do following tough seasons with the Moose. The pair, who along with Lambert were appearing in their third Young Stars event, each scored on Monday. Torgersson (2020 second-round) had just one goal in 52 AHL games last year, while Nikkanen (2019 fourth-round) had seven goals in 57 games.

-The future of Winnipeg’s crease looks to be in good hands. 2023 WHL goaltender of the year Thomas Milic and OHL goaltender of the year Domenic DiVincentiis split duties and shared the 27-save shutout against the Oilers and were rock-solid all weekend. Milic will be looking to build off his tremendous rookie year with the Moose, while DiVincentiis is expected to follow his path from last year by likely starting his pro career in the ECHL, with the hope of a callup later in the year.

-Brayden Yager had his best game of the three Monday, creating all kinds of scoring opportunities using his skill and speed. He could have had two or three goals with a bit of puck luck. The trade return for Rutger McGroarty will now try to take that momentum into his first Jets camp.

-One player who always seems to stand out is Kevin He. The 18-year-old from China, selected in the fourth round this past summer, has a motor that never seems to stop. He is coming off a great sophomore season with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL (31 goals, 22 assists in 64 games) and will try to take another big step once he is eventually sent back to junior at some point during his first NHL training camp.

-There were plenty of big hits in this game, with Mark Liwiski and Dylan Anhorn throwing their weight around and levelling Oilers players. The pair, who are signed to AHL deals with the Moose, eventually dropped the gloves in response. Danny Zhilkin also got into a scrap later in the game off a faceoff play in which he took a cross-check to the face, while Colby Barlow also got into a bit of a melee.

-Winnipeg had a surplus of players in B.C., so they ended up with a bit of a rotation on who plays. Lambert and defenceman Elias Salomonsson were the notable scratches on Monday — both played the first two games — and they were joined in the press box by forwards Markus Loponen, Kieran Walton and Luke Mistelbacher.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg