Jets prospects: Lucius excited to be back playing, scoring

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This article was published 08/12/2024 (300 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets continue to fly high near the top of the NHL standings thanks to a deep and talented lineup.

The organization also has 23 drafted and developing prospects playing in various leagues and levels who could one day work their way up to the big club. Ten of them are currently with the Manitoba Moose, one is in the ECHL while the other 12 are scattered around the Canadian Hockey League, college and European clubs.

To help you keep tabs, we’ll check in on the kids each month over the course of the season.

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Chaz Lucius has largely been out of sight when it comes to forecasting the future, owing to the fact he just can’t seem to stay healthy.

The 21-year-old, who was drafted 18th-overall in 2021, was stuck at 29 professional games as of late last week, spread over parts of three injury-plagued seasons with the Moose. Sure, there had been some decent production (4G, 16A), but constantly being sidelined is not a recipe for long-term success.

All of which is why this past weekend was so important for the young forward. Lucius dressed in back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday and potted a pair of goals along with an assist, showing off a skillset befitting of a first-rounder and demonstrating why it would be silly to give up on him just yet.

“The ankle feels great, finally,” Lucius told reporters earlier this week.

The Kansas product been on a bit of load management with the Moose so far this year, including some setbacks as he rehabilitated from last year’s season-ending surgery which caused him to miss 14 of the first 17 games.

Lucius is now up to five points (2G, 3A) in five AHL contests this year and is hoping to go on a lengthy and productive run.

In speaking with reporters following Friday’s game (1G, 1A), Lucius said lighting the lamp for the first time in more than a calendar year (Nov. 26, 2023) felt ” like a weight was lifted off my chest.”

“It gives me a lot of confidence for sure knowing that I can still put the puck in the back of the net,” said Lucius, who had no issues doing that during his decorated junior/college career. “

He followed that up Saturday with another snipe.

“Really excited to be back with the guys and just play games,” he said. “I think now I’m at a point where I can play games consistently and do all that stuff.”

That’s music to the ears of the organization, which has all kinds of patience for Lucius and still believes he has a bright future.

MANITOBA MOOSE:

It’s been a rough go for the AHL team, which is just 6-12-1 so far. We’ve removed Brad Lambert off this list, since he’s now up with the Jets.

– G Thomas Milic (5th round, 2023): Milic was arguably the MVP of the Moose last year as a rookie, but is fighting it a bit so far this year with a 2-6-1 record, a 3.34 GAA and .873 SV%.

– D Elias Salomonsson (2nd round, 2022): Winnipeg’s top blue-line prospect has been a real bright spot in his first year in North America, with 12 points (3G, 9A) through 17 games which has him second in team scoring. However, he suffered an upper-body injury on Friday night and did not play Saturday, so here’s hoping it’s not too serious.

– F Danny Zhilkin (3rd round, 2022): He’s currently sidelined with an injury and has just one assist through seven games.

– F Fabian Wagner (6th round, 2022): After going 16 games without a point for Linkopings HC in the top Swedish men’s league, the 20-year-old defensive forward recently joined the Moose and is still looking for his first point after three AHL games.

– F Nikita Chibrikov (2nd round, 2021): Will he be the next to get the call from the Jets? The young Russian leads the Moose in scoring with 13 points (5G, 8A) in 19 games.

– D Dmitry Kuzmin (3rd round, 2021): He spent some time in the ECHL last year after struggling at the AHL level but has shown some growth, with three points (1G, 2A) in 12 Moose games so far.

– F Daniel Torgersson (2nd round, 2020): Is the writing on the wall for the 22-year-old from Sweden? He had a disappointing 2023-24 season with the Moose (1G, 8A in 52 games) and has no points to show for nine games this year, along with plenty of healthy scratches.

– D Tyrel Bauer (6th round, 2020): The hard-nosed defenceman has no points through 14 games this year.

– D Simon Lundmark (2nd round, 2019): After an eye-opening Jets camp in which he was one of the final cuts, the 24-year-old has has five points (2G, 3A) in 16 games so far.

– F Henri Nikannen (4th round, 2019): Similar to Torgersson, Nikkanen is once again struggling to produce much at the pro level with just four points (1G, 3A) in 13 games along with some press box stints.

ECHL:

– G Dom DiVincentiis (7th round, 2022): He was the best goaltender on the Moose, with a 2-3-0 record, a 2.24 GAA and a .930 SV%. But he’s now been bumped to the ECHL affiliate (Norfolk Admirals) with the Jets reclaiming veteran Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. The first-year pro is now tearing up that league with a 5-0-0 record, a 2.14 GAA and a .919 SV%. With Kahkonen and Milic struggling with the Moose, it seems like just a matter of time before he is called back up.

OHL:

– F Kevin He (4th round, 2024): His production has slowed a bit over the past month, but the energetic Beijing product is still having a great season with 33 points (20G, 13A) in 25 games with the Niagara IceDogs.

– F Kieron Walton (6th round, 2024): Just an incredible start for the 18-year-old, who has already matched his career high in points (43, set in 65 games last year) in just 27 contests this year (16G, 27A) with the Sudbury Wolves. The 6-6, 216 pound centre is among the top OHL scorers and looks like a potential steal for the Jets.

– F Colby Barlow (1st round, 2023): Snubbed by the World Junior selection committee, Barlow is finally starting to pick it up after a sluggish first few weeks with the Oshawa Generals following a sub-par training camp with the Jets. He’s now scored in four straight games with the Oshawa Generals and is up to 22 points (14G, 8A) in 27 games.

– F Jacob Julien (5th round, 2023): After jumping from 16 points to 78 with the London Knights last year, Julien has come back down to Earth with just 15 points (5G, 10A) in 28 games this year. Although his team is tops in the OHL standings, Julien isn’t playing a significant role right now.

WHL:

– F Markus Loponen (5th round, 2024): The 18-year-old Finnish forward continues to adjust well to North American hockey. Loponen has 20 points (8G, 12A) through 27 games with the Victoria Royals.

– F Brayden Yager (1st round, 2023): He’s the only one in this piece that wasn’t drafted by the Jets, but we’re including him because he was swapped for Rutger McGroarty. It’s been quite a stretch for Yager, who is expected to be the N0. 1 centre for Canada at the World Juniors and just got traded from the struggling Moose Jaw Warriors (11G, 19A in 21 games) to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he’s put up four points (1G, 3A) in his first two games. McGroarty, by the way, has seven points (2G, 5A) in 16 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre.

–F Connor Levis (7th round, 2023): The 20-year-old right-winger has 21 points (8G, 13A) in 25 games this year with the Vancouver Giants after putting up 55 points in 65 games last year.

COLLEGE:

– F Zach Nehring (3rd round, 2023): He’s jumped from the USHL (14 points in 44 games last year) to college and has slowed after a hot start (3G, 2A in his first five games, just 2A in his last nine games) at Western Michigan University.

EUROPE:

– D Alfons Freij (2nd round, 2024): The smooth-skating Swede is really starting to produce in the top men’s league over there with seven points (2G, 5A) in 22 games. The 18-year-old had spent the last three years in the Swedish junior league.

– D Garrett Brown (4th round, 2022): Brown is finally healthy after suffering a torn ACL last year after just eight games with the University of Denver. The defensive defenceman has been held without a point through 14 games this year.

– F Dmitry Rashevsky (5th round, 2021): It remains to be seen whether this intriguing player will ever be lured away from the KHL, but the Jets certainly hope that could be the case. He has 16 points (10G, 6A) in 32 games with Moscow Dynamo so far this year after putting up 43 points (24G, 19A) in 67 contests last season.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg