Good fit for Stempniak

Minor deal could have major benefits for Jets

By: Ed Tait Posted: 3:00 AM CST Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2015

A guy can make a lot of connections in a career that takes him from Dartmouth in the Ivy League to suiting up for 690 games with six NHL teams -- soon to be seven -- across the continent.

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A guy can make a lot of connections in a career that takes him from Dartmouth in the Ivy League to suiting up for 690 games with six NHL teams -- soon to be seven -- across the continent.

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A guy can make a lot of connections in a career that takes him from Dartmouth in the Ivy League to suiting up for 690 games with six NHL teams — soon to be seven — across the continent.

Heck, Lee Stempniak has been dealt six times, including changing addresses three times at the annual trade deadline.

And so when he stepped off the ice following his first practice as a member of the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and was asked who he knew in the dressing room, Stempniak needed more than a few seconds while scanning all the nameplates to jog his memory.

Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press
At Tuesday's practice, newcomer Lee Stempniak skated on a line with Adam Lowry and Blake Wheeler. — Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press At Tuesday's practice, newcomer Lee Stempniak skated on a line with Adam Lowry and Blake Wheeler.

“I know T.J. Galiardi really well from playing in Calgary and he went to Dartmouth a couple years after I did,” said Stempniak. “I know Drew Stafford a little bit, Jay Harrison a little bit…”

One reporter asked if Stempniak had a previous connection with Blake Wheeler, one of his new linemates. The answer was, until Tuesday, no. And he was also reminded that he had once worn the USA’s red, white and blue with Mark Stuart at the 2008 IIHF World Championship.

“Yeah, Mark Stuart and Drew Stafford at the world championships,” Stempniak said. “I think that might be it… I hope I’m not missing anybody.”

Now, while dealing for Stempniak hardly moved the discussion needle at the NHL trade deadline, he does become an intriguing addition for the Jets.

At practice Tuesday he was on the left side of a line that featured Wheeler and centre Adam Lowry. He can play both wings, kill penalties and has hit double digits in goals every season but the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (he has nine this year).

In short, he is a perfect fit for a team that entered the final weekend before the deadline seeking to augment its forward depth. It’s also worth noting he is a player this organization has pursued before, including last summer.

Stempniak settled on the Rangers during free agency — he hails from West Seneca, N.Y., and considers former Jet and fellow Dartmouth product Tanner Glass his best friend in hockey — but Winnipeg was one of the final three destinations under consideration.

“It was pretty close, but it just didn’t happen,” said Stempniak. “Everything happens for a reason and now I’m here now.”

Count Keith Tkachuk, the former Jets 1.0 captain, among Stempniak’s many friends in the game. He said both Tkachuk and Glass raved about the city and the way the franchise takes care of its own. Knowing he was coming into that kind of environment — plus his experience in going through this before — will undoubtedly serve him well in the push for the playoffs.

“It definitely helps. I think any time the transition off the ice is made easier it helps on the ice,” he said. “In terms of being on the ice, the first time I had ever been traded I think I was a little bit timid with my new team and just didn’t really jump in with two feet. I was trying to find my way and not offend anyone and wading in a little bit.

“I learned you need to go in and play. They acquired you for a reason and you have to go in and play your game and do what you do and bring that to the table. That’s what ultimately helps the team win.”

And what’s next, after the push to the playoffs and, maybe, beyond? Well, Stempniak’s been around so long — plus he majored in economics — to understand in this business he has to live in the right here and now. The rest, including whether to bring his wife and twin one-year-old daughters Reese and Lucy out west, will have to wait.

“They’re building something here and I want to be a part of it,” he said. “This is an organization I really respect and a great group of guys that I respect already and I’m sure that will grow as we go along. Hopefully it’s a fit for more than just a few months.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait