Chisholm having the time of his life

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This article was published 27/11/2023 (662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE — Declan Chisholm has shaken off the rust and is ready to show what he has to offer.

The smooth-skating defenceman returned from a two-week conditioning stint with the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League on Saturday and rejoined his Winnipeg Jets teammates.

“It was nice to get back into the games,” Chisholm said, before the Jets faced the Nashville Predators on Sunday. “It probably took me a game or two to get fully back and get in game shape, really. Then I felt pretty good.

“I wanted to get some good reps in and really work hard. In a game, you’re not really thinking. You’re just playing, reacting and going off instinct.”

The Jets took Monday off after winning two of three contests on the recent road trip and will open a four-game homestand Tuesday against the Dallas Stars (7 p.m.).

“In a game, you’re not really thinking. You’re just playing, reacting and going off instinct.”–Declan Chisholm

Chisholm played meaningful minutes and managed to put up five assists in six AHL games, preparing him for whenever Jets head coach Rick Bowness calls his number.

“I found when I was here (with the Jets), practising for a few months there, I felt I was thinking too much about each play I was doing and then you kind of lose confidence,” said Chisholm, who has two NHL games with the Jets on his resume from the 2021-22 season. “I had a really good year (with the Moose) last year and had a lot of confidence from last year. I just went down and played my game. I was jumping into the rush and really trying to create offence, and then be hard in the (defensive) zone and close quick.

“I felt like I didn’t really miss a beat.”

Of course, being on the NHL roster but still waiting for your first assignment at the quarter point of the season takes patience. The same goes for the mental challenge of not constantly wondering when the opportunity might present itself.

“That’s always in the back of your mind. For sure,” said Chisholm, who was an AHL all-star last season. “But I don’t want to always be looking at it that way. Just work at what I need to work on.”

Compounding matters is the fact Chisholm didn’t get any NHL action last season owing to bad timing, as an injury came right around the time he would have been in line for a recall.

“Once you get that one game, you prove to yourself that you can do it and you just carry that with you.”–Declan Chisholm

“Back (during the pandemic), I had those games and it feels like forever ago. That’s something I’m never going to forget and it’s a huge stepping stone,” said Chisholm, who continues to relish the journey. “Once you get that one game, you prove to yourself that you can do it and you just carry that with you.”

“It’s obviously a lifetime dream and I can almost taste it. Once I get that (next) game, it’s the full package now. Being here, watching the guys and being part of it is awesome. I’m having a blast. The time of my life right now.”

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When will that chance come for Chisholm?

That’s tough to say, though Bowness was encouraged by the reports he received on how Chisholm performed with the Moose.

“He played really well. He’s a mobile, puck-moving defenceman,” said Bowness. “At some point, we’ve got to give him a look, too.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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Ken Wiebe
Reporter

Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.

Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.