Jets call up rookie defenceman Morrissey

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/03/2016 (3498 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets announced late this afternoon they had recalled defenceman Josh Morrissey from the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Morrissey, 20, has three goals and 19 assists in 56 AHL games in his rookie pro season.

The Jets’ first-round draft pick in 2013 (13th overall) could play in his first NHL game this weekend, but it’s also possible he was called up simply as an insurance policy. The Jets have back-to-back home games against the Montreal Canadiens (Saturday) and Edmonton Oilers (Sunday) and with the Moose in Texas this weekend, a last-minute recall — often easy with the AHL team based in Winnipeg — would not be simple.

The Jets have been going with just six defencemen on the roster since Adam Pardy was claimed by the Oilers on waivers last week. Meanwhile, Jacob Trouba missed today’s practice at the MTS Centre. Jets head coach Paul Maurice said the third-year blue-liner is probable for Saturday’s game.

❚ ❚ ❚

Mark Scheifele’s two-goal game Thursday increased his season’s total to 17, the best so far in his three NHL seasons.

Nineteen games remain on this season’s schedule, and with the absence of Bryan Little for the rest of the way, the 22-year-old will be in the No. 1 centre’s role for the duration.

Scheifele was content about that when asked Friday.

“You’ve got better players and harder D to play against, but that’s somewhere I want to be,” the 2011 first-round pick said. “I want to be a first-line centre. I want to play against the best guys. I want to compete against the best guys, because that’s the only way to get better. I’m taking this challenge very seriously, and it definitely motivates me to be better and better every day.”

He said he knows it’s going to be a steady diet of all-stars and elite players he’ll be facing.

“There’s never going to be an easy night where things will just happen,” Scheifele said. “This is always going to be a battle. I want to take that challenge and do my absolute best.

“I just play my normal game. That’s what I need to do. I know how to play against good guys. I know ways to beat them, ways to do it, and it’s just a matter of getting to positions, getting body position on guys and doing it every single shift.”

Maurice was in the mood for praise for Scheifele again Friday.

“I’ve been really happy with Mark’s year,” Maurice said.

The coach said Scheifele’s season would be more productive had he not run into a couple of injuries (concussion, leg) after Christmas.

“There was also a two- to three-week period where there wasn’t a whole lot he could do,” Maurice said regarding Scheifele’s return after those hurts.

The coach also got a question about Scheifele’s journey to the job of No. 1 centre.

“I don’t think Mark’s road to the NHL, I don’t think he was ever behind,” he said. “I remember when I was working in the media (at TSN) and answering questions about when he got sent down to go back and play his final year of junior, and was this a bust? I can remember being on the desk and thinking these guys (who asked) are crazy. What are you talking about, bust? He’s going back to play junior hockey. It’s where he should be.

“He’s been on a real solid, strong path and we’ve seen that growth in his game. He’s a great pro.”

❚ ❚ ❚

The Jets, who have lost six straight at home (0-5-1), play their 12th and final back-to-back sequence of the season this weekend.

And in a rarity in scheduling, they’re both at home.

Montreal is here tonight, Edmonton Sunday night.

Winnipeg’s earlier back-to-backs were seven on the road and the other four with a home game followed by a road game.

After this weekend’s doubleheader and starting Tuesday against Nashville here, the Jets play every other day for the rest of the season, until Game 82 April 9 in Los Angeles.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca