Jets happy D-man Salomonsson showing snarly side in Sweden

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This article was published 29/01/2024 (616 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They may largely be out of sight. But nearly two dozen Winnipeg Jets prospects are definitely not out of mind for the organization.

It’s hard to remember a time the future talent pool was as deep as it currently is. As such, the Free Press will be tracking the progress of these players during the season.

Our updates will appear the last Monday of each month.

 

Let’s flash back to the summer of 2022 in Montreal, where the Winnipeg Jets had just selected a fresh-faced Swedish teenager named Elias Salomonsson with their second-round pick.

Mark Hillier, the director of amateur scouting, offered up the following summation to the Free Press on the NHL’s draft floor.

“I think he’s a really good skater. I’d call him almost an elite skater, a puck-moving defenceman,” Hillier began, before the analysis took a bit of a U-turn.

“He plays with an edge and some sandpaper to him.”

You don’t say. Winnipeg’s top blue-line prospect just got hit with his third suspension of the season, a four-game ban for a check to the head of an opponent that led to major penalty and game misconduct. This comes after a two-game punishment earlier in the Swedish men’s league campaign, and a one-game timeout last month in the World Juniors.

We suspect the Jets don’t mind this development one bit. They can certainly use another defender who keeps opponents on their toes, in addition to bringing a slick skill set. Salomonsson, who is in the final year of his deal overseas, could make an appearance in Winnipeg this spring once his season ends, either with the Jets or Moose.

The fact Salomonsson is a right-shot makes him even more valuable around here. The 19-year-old, who plays bigger than his 6-0, 172 pound frame, has put up six points (one goal, five assists) over 20 games so far, in addition to 54 penalty minutes,

He’s a player to keep an eye on — in more ways than one.

 

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Speaking of skaters who could join the Jets organization later this year, Rutger McGroarty continues to put up huge numbers as the 2022 first-rounder leads college hockey in points-per-game with 34 (nine goals, 25 assists) in 19 University of Michigan matches.

That includes 11 points in his last four outings alone. The 19-year-old power forward captained the U.S. World Junior team to a gold medal barely a month after he suffered a serious on-ice injury.

McGroarty’s Wolverines are the 14th-ranked squad in the nation. He hasn’t yet signed his entry-level contract with the Jets, but that’s likely just a formality at this point.

 

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Let’s take a look at the kids on the Manitoba Moose, who finally snapped an 11-game losing skid on Saturday with a 5-3 victory over the Rockford IceHogs. Heading into action on Sunday in Chicago, rookie forward Nikita Chibrikov was tied for the team scoring lead with veteran defenceman Kyle Capobianco.

Chibrikov, a 2021 second-round pick, has 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 36 games and has clearly made a quick adjustment from the KHL to North American hockey. Right behind him is 2022 first-rounder Brad Lambert, who recently returned from a brief injury absence and has 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 31 games.

Those are impressive numbers in the second-best hockey league in the world.

As for other Jets prospects down on the farm:

Chaz Lucius (2021 first-rounder) has been shut down for the year after undergoing ankle surgery. He just can’t stay healthy, as it’s the fourth straight season to be cut short. Lucius was starting to heat up before he got hurt, with 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 17 games.

Defenceman Simon Lundmark (one goal, six assists in 32 games), forward Danny Zhilkin (two goals, five assists in 36 games), forward Daniel Torgersson (one goal, five assists in 31 games), defenceman Tyrel Bauer (one goal, three assists in 34 games), defenceman Dmitry Kuzmin (two assists in 10 games) and forward Henri Nikkanen (no points in 25 games) are the other skaters with the Moose. All would be considered long-term projects, at best.

Goaltender Thomas Milic, who has put up terrific first-year numbers in the ECHL and was named an All-Star in that league, was recently called up to the Moose to act as a third goaltender along with Collin Delia and Oskari Salminen, who have both struggled.

Milic, 20, has gone 11-3-3 with a 2.45 goals against average and .908 save percentage in the ECHL, and 1-2-0 with a 3.38 GAA and .885 SV% with the Moose.

 

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Back to junior we go…

Colby Barlow, the first-round pick from last summer, has picked up the pace after a slow start and serious injury which sidelined him for nearly two months. He’s up to 30 points (19 goals, 11 assists) in 27 games with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL, including 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in 13 games since his return.

Domenic DiVincentiis, the seventh-round pick in 2022 and reigning Ontario Hockey League goaltender of the year, has also rebounded after a tough first few months. He’s now 14-8-4 with the North Bay Battalion (7-1-3 in the last month) and has lowered his GAA to 3.47 and improved his SV% to .884.

Other prospects who have yet to turn pro include:

F Zach Nehring (3rd round, 2023) — Nehring had two goals and two assists in his first 11 games with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL before getting injured. He recently returned, but has recorded just one assist in 10 games since.

F Jacob Julien (5th round, 2023) — Maybe the biggest surprise in the prospect pool, he just keeps producing with the London Knights of the OHL. Julien now has 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 44 games this year. That has him T-14th in OHL scoring and represents a major leap from the 16 points in 40 games last year.

F Connor Levis (7th round, 2023) — The 19-year-old was recently shipped from the Kamloops Blazers to the Vancouver Giants of the WHL, where he’s recorded six points (four goals, two assists) in his first six games. Levis had 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 37 games with the Blazers.

G Logan Neaton (5th round, 2019) — It’s been a tough year for the 24-year-old at Miami University. He’s now 6-10-2 in 18 starts with a 3.06 GAA and .901 SV%.

F Harrison Blaisdell (5th round, 2019) — Now in his third season with the University of New Hampshire after two years with the University of North Dakota, the 22-year-old recently returned from injury. He has a goal and two assists in seven games after recording three goals and no assists in his first 11 games before going down.

D Garrett Brown (4th round, 2022) — After playing the last three years in the USHL, his first year at the University of Denver ended after just eight games due to a lower-body injury that required surgery. The son of former NHLer Curtis Brown had four assists.

 

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Finally, a trip back overseas and a trio of players who remain on the radar:

F Fabian Wagner (6th round, 2022) — Fresh off his World Juniors appearance with Sweden (no points in seven games), Wagner has put up five points (one goal, four assists) in 31 games playing in the top men’s league. He had no points in 22 games last year.

F Dmitry Rashevsky (5th round, 2021) — Now in his fourth season in the KHL, the 23-year-old has set a new career high with 20 goals in 55 games. (His previous best was 19 in 67 games last year.) Rashevsky also has 17 assists, and his 37 points are just one off his career-best last year. Can the Jets eventually get him out of Russia?

D Anton Johannesson (5th round, 2020) — He’s bounced between the Swedish junior league (two goals, three assists in six games) and Swedish men’s league, where he has posted six assists in 19 games so far with Brynas IF.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg