Big guy Stanley fits right in

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This article was published 18/01/2021 (1782 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

He was considered a long-term project when the Winnipeg Jets called his name 18th-overall at the 2016 draft. And, to be frank, many have wondered whether Logan Stanley might just become the rarest of picks around here — a first-round flop.

After all, Mark Scheifele (2011), Jacob Trouba (2012), Josh Morrissey (2013), Nikolaj Ehlers (2014), Kyle Connor (2015), Jack Roslovic (2015) and Patrik Laine (2016) had all paid off in spades. But there was Stanley, the 6-7, 228-pound giant, finishing out a four-year junior career, then spending his first two pro seasons with the Manitoba Moose, not getting so much of a sniff at the NHL level.

Until Monday night, that is. Stanley, 22, made a somewhat unexpected debut with the Jets, forced into action after a series of events left them team dipping well into its defensive depth just two games into the new season.

“Obviously I would love to have my family and my friends here. It’s a pretty special night for me and definitely something I’ve dreamed of for a long time. So that’s too bad. But obviously there’s bigger issues in the world right now, so that’s all right,” said Stanley, who was born in nearby Waterloo and played junior in Windsor and Kitchener.

“I think just to have it in Toronto is pretty cool. Obviously being only about an hour away from here, growing up watching the Leafs a lot. So it’s going to be a special night. And I know my family will be watching back home.”

With Dylan DeMelo back home in Winnipeg with his wife and newborn baby, and Tucker Poolman in COVID-19 protocol, the door swung wide open for Stanley. He was paired with Nathan Beaulieu, while Sami Niku moved up to take Poolman’s spot with Josh Morrissey. Derek Forbort and Neal Pionk remained intact.

Stanley played 11:19 over 16 shifts, recording three shots on goal, a hit and a takeaway in a 3-1 loss to the Leafs.

“If there have been silver linings to this situation, one of them is that he got a really extended conditioning period and he made the most of it. So he came back as a man, bigger, stronger, faster, able to close gaps so he really, in our mind, turned pro this year,” said coach Paul Maurice.

“Very unfortunate for all of these kind of young defencemen that we have that there were no exhibition games. So he’s going to get thrown right into the fire and we tried to pick the hardest team for him to play against — (Toronto has) an awful lot of skill and an awful lot of speed. We’re happy for him. He’s done the work to give himself the opportunity and clearly it’s a great test for him with the players and the speed that he’s going to see but a great measuring stick to where he’s at in his young career.”

The Jets tried to send veteran blue-liner Luca Sbisa to their taxi squad last week, but he was claimed on waivers by Nashville, which moved Stanley up a slot on the depth chart. As well, Ville Heinola is still getting his legs after a week-long quarantine that followed the World Junior tournament, and rookie Dylan Samberg is still getting used to life at the NHL level.

So opportunity came knocking for Stanley, who has 117 games with the Moose on his resume and showed up to training camp in the best shape of his life.

“After last season I obviously wasn’t happy with the way it went. It was unfortunate, getting hurt a few times. But I wasn’t happy with the season I had. I made some changes to how I trained and what I was doing. I just knew that this was a big year. Pedal to the metal, and worked out as hard as I could this summer, and it’s kind of paying off here,” said Stanley.

Jets top centre Mark Scheifele can vouch for that, having skated with Stanley and a couple other NHLers back home in Ontario in the months leading up to this new campaign.

‘I just knew this year was a big year. Pedal to the metal’
– Logan Stanley

“Saw him in the gym a lot, saw him on the ice a lot, he put in the work,” Scheifele said Monday. “Having a big body presence like that that can move the puck and shoot the puck like he can. A guy I spent a little bit of time with and saw his growth, it’s good to see a guy that works so hard get what he deserves.”

Stanley said he tried to block out the noise surrounding his selection, and development, which he admits wasn’t always easy.

“Once you’re drafted, it doesn’t mean as much as you think it does. I think being a first-round pick, there was extra pressure. But as I got older I kind of learned how to tune that out and just go and play hockey,” he said.

Prior to puck drop Monday, Scheifele had some simple advice for his off-season training mate.

“Have fun. That’s all I can really say. Keep it simple, have fun. Your first game in the National Hockey League’s a pretty special moment. All you gotta do is enjoy it, soak it all in, your playing in Toronto, the mecca of the hockey world. All you gotta do is soak it all in, enjoy it, then once you get on the ice just play hockey,” he said.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg