Typical: Adam Oates dishes assist to Melchiori

Fellow Jets blue-liner Postma picks up game as well

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Most of Julian Melchiori’s four-year pro career has been spent in the AHL, but he’s been busting his hump to become a permanent fixture at the next level.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2016 (3291 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most of Julian Melchiori’s four-year pro career has been spent in the AHL, but he’s been busting his hump to become a permanent fixture at the next level.

The 6-4, 209-pound defenceman played 12 regular-season games as a late-season call-up for the Winnipeg Jets in 2015-16. Though the reviews were generally positive, Melchiori wasn’t content to play within himself after a season in which he also played 62 games for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Jets Julian Melchiori plays against the Calgary Flames Tuesday night at the MTS Centre.
BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Jets Julian Melchiori plays against the Calgary Flames Tuesday night at the MTS Centre.

He was 24 and needed something. Some kind of a jump start.

Enter pro hockey skills guru Adam Oates, who started to work with Melchiori during the off-season at the suggestion of Jets teammate Mark Scheifele. Scheifele, who recently signed an eight-year, US$49-million contract with the Jets, has credited Oates for helping him refine his game.

Melchiori said his off-season routine and game has changed now, too.

“I did a lot more on-ice stuff,” said Melchiori, a 24-year-old left shot who scored three goals and four assists with the Moose last season. “I think I’ve always been pretty big with the off-ice stuff but I made a pretty big investment in myself. I worked with Adam Oates this summer, skating quite a bit with him and did some video with him. Really, I just put it all forward this summer. I feel good so far.”

Oates, a Hall of Fame centre renowned for his playmaking skills, brought something new to the prototypical defensive defenceman.

“He talks a lot about seeing the ice and making that first pass,” said Melchiori of working with Oates. “We did a lot of work on the blue line, getting shots through (to the net). Obviously, nothing similar to what Scheifele’s working on with his game.

“(It was) more receiving passes, giving passes — things you can overlook. Someone like Adam Oates, obviously an NHL legend, has put tons of thought and experience into it himself. Little things like that he’s helped me with, and honestly, it’s made quite a difference so far.”

Melchiori’s bid for regular employment in the NHL could depend on it. He has his eyes on a prize.

“I want to be on that third (defensive) pair,” said Melchiori, a third-round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010. “I think… I’ve got some experience. I’ve been here since the beginning. I think that’s my game… I’m physical, keep that puck moving and strong defensively, so that’s where I fit in the best.”

Another defenceman in the mix is veteran Paul Postma, who played only 26 games in the NHL last season and seven more in the AHL. The 27-year-old was a frequent healthy scratch and when he was dropped into the lineup, it wasn’t easy.

“Last year was tough, said Postma, who is beginning the second season of a two-year deal worth US$1.775 million. “We rolled with the same six (defencemen) for a long time. I think it took 50 games for somebody to get hurt. It’s the best league in the world for a reason and when you get thrown in when you haven’t played in a while, it is tough.”

But there is no time like the present. With restricted free-agent defenceman Jacob Trouba demanding a trade and staying away from training camp, Postma, who is a right shot, is keen to re-establish himself.

“I have paid my dues here,” he said. “I’ve been around their organization for quite a long time. For me, I just try to control things I can control and when I get an opportunity to play, play the best that I can. It’s a different situation this year. We’re not exactly sure what’s going to happen with Troubs. Depending if he comes back or not it might open up a whole new position for someone. It’s hard not to think about.”

Postma’s best attributes are his puck-moving skills and skating. It means he spent much of the off-season working on more mundane facets of the game.

“For me, the things I need to work on was my defensive zone stuff and my positioning with one-on-ones,” said Postma. “The offensive stuff comes a little more naturally.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter @sawa14

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