Swift Swede a sweet pickup

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This article was published 11/12/2022 (1009 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wasn’t the result he was hoping for, but Axel Jonsson-Fjallby still enjoyed seeing plenty of old friends on Sunday night.

The speedy Winnipeg Jets winger got to face the team that drafted and developed him — then decided he wasn’t quite good enough for them — for the first time.

“This year, I thought I had a good chance, but they decided to send me down,” Jonsson-Fjallby said of getting placed on waivers by the Washington Capitals near the end of training camp.

“I was really happy to come here and get a real shot at it. It’s been feeling good, and we’ve got a great team this year,”

After skating in 23 NHL games in his rookie season last year, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists, the Capitals tried to send Jonsson-Fjallby to their American Hockey League club, where he’d played for parts of four years since being taken in the fifth round, 147th overall, in 2016.

Washington’s loss ended up being Winnipeg’s gain, as they made a successful claim on the 24-year-old product of Sweden.

“With all the injuries Washington had going into the season, we were a little bit surprised he was available,” said Jets associate coach Scott Arniel, who was an assistant last year with the Capitals.

“For us, our scouts had him rated very highly too. He’s a guy that this new NHL, he’s got great speed, can penalty kill, can give you minutes, and he’s done that for us. The biggest thing for guys like that when they’re on the bubble is take advantage of your situation. That’s what Axel has done.”

Jonsson-Fjallby appeared in his 24th game with the Jets on Sunday, on a fourth line with David Gustafsson and Sam Gagner. He has one goal and one assist so far this year.

“I think just the way I play. Bones (Jets coach Rick Bowness), that’s what he wants from me. Exactly what I’m good at is what he wants me to do,” he said.

“Skate hard, forecheck hard. I’ve been trying to do that. It works for me, it works for the team.”

Jonsson-Fjallby said he appreciated Arniel going to bat for him, and also giving some advice to use a longer stick than what he’d started the season with.

“I used to laugh because all of the sticks would be lined up and we had short guys on the team (in Washington) and his was always the mini-stick that was standing there,” said Arniel.

“I said it to him when he came here. It’s an adjustment for any player. He was the offensive player when he was in Hershey (Washington’s AHL team) so the smaller stick helped him. Here he needs to be more of a defender and we need a longer stick (for him).”

Jonsson-Fjallby’s addition has become even more important as the injuries start to pile up and Winnipeg’s depth is tested.

Forward Nikolaj Ehlers suffered a sports hernia in the second game of the year and is out until January at the earliest. Mason Appleton underwent surgery for a broken wrist and is out long-term as well. Morgan Barron missed a month with his own wrist injury before recently returning. And now Saku Maenalanen is out at least a month after suffering a shoulder injury last Thursday in St. Louis.

Michael Eyssimont and Jansen Harkins are now both with the big club (and in the lineup) after starting the season with the Manitoba Moose.

Kevin Stenlund became the latest skater to have his number called. He joined the Jets on Sunday, and even took the pre-game warmup before ultimately being the lone healthy forward scratch. The 26-year-old veteran of 71 NHL games, all with Columbus (11 goals, nine assists), has four goals and 10 assists in 19 games with the Moose this year.

The Jets will also be without defenceman Logan Stanley for at least a month. He’d just returned from a broken bone in his foot, only to suffer a new injury (believed to be to his knee) last Friday in Chicago. Dylan Samberg took his spot on Sunday, while Kyle Capobianco was the extra blue-liner.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg