D-men tops in speed and power as Jets strut their stuff

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This article was published 18/12/2014 (3933 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets players who were on the ice at the MTS Centre Wednesday night for the team’s annual skills competition were the source of some big laughs for a big crowd.

But it was the one Jets player who wasn’t on the ice — defenceman Mark Stuart — who also the source of worry for Jets Nation.

With the Jets already short three defenceman right now — Toby Enstrom, Zach Bogosian and Jacob Trouba are already out with injury — Stuart was conspicuous by his absence from the Jets annual skills competition.

Stuart was the only Jets player who dressed against in the Jets win over the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night who didn’t suit up for the skills competition.

A team spokesman declined to offer an explanation for Stuart’s absence, but did say head coach Paul Maurice would provide an update today following practice.

Now, it may just be that a hard working player such as Stuart, who logs a lot of minutes took, advantage of an off-day to get healthy and rested. But Stuart’s absence last night also came — perhaps not coincidentally — one night after he got into a fight late in the third period with Buffalo’s Nicolas Deslauriers.

Deslauriers rocked Stuart with two hard punches to the head that ended the fight and Stuart left the ice in obvious discomfort. The game ended with Stuart still serving a fighting major.

The Jets next play Friday, when they host the Boston Bruins.

The good news out of Wednesday’s competition is the handful of Jets defenceman who are healthy and on the ice these days have skills no one even suspected.

Defenceman Paul Postma set the tone for a night of surprises when he won the first event, defeating speedster Evander Kane and defending champion Mark Scheifele in the fastest-skater competition.

Postma was asked afterward when he realized he was the fastest skater on the team. “When the last player went and his time wasn’t as good as mine I guess,” said Postma with a laugh. “I was just trying not to pull a groin when I was out there.”

Not be outdone by his fellow blue-liner, rookie defenceman Ben Chiarot wowed the crowd with a 103 m.p.h. slapshot that was the fastest shot of the night and added a 99.3 m.p.h. blast that was the third fastest shot of the night too.

Modest expectations

Chiarot said he wildly exceeded his modest expectations.

“I was just trying to hit the puck and not fall down,” he said.

Perhaps the most interesting contest of the night was a head-to-head puck-handling drill between Scheifele and Kane, who were good naturedly beaking back and forth at each other.

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Kane got the better start but Scheifele caught him from behind to win the race. Kane, however, was having none of it, pointing out Scheifele had knocked over a couple of pylons during the race.

But Scheifele insisted — and the judges agreed — the rules of downhill skiing were in operation.

“Alpine rules were in effect. You’re allowed to touch the cone, you just can’t go around them the wrong way,” said Scheifele.

“We’re just continuing to see that my puck control is better and my speed is better… He was ribbing me a bit, but I know the better man won tonight.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek