High-profile Jets prospects head for medal round in Edmonton

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This article was published 03/01/2021 (1731 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Forward Cole Perfetti and defenceman Ville Heinola may have to find room for some extra luggage when they leave the Edmonton bubble and board a one-way flight to Winnipeg later this week.

The two high-profile Jets prospects have made it to the medal round at the World Juniors, giving them a solid shot at a shiny souvenir. Perfetti and his Canadian teammates will take on Russia in one semi-final on Monday (5 p.m. CT, TSN). Heinola and a plucky group of Finnish skaters, which also includes Jets draft pick Henri Nikkanen, will battle the United States in the other (8:30 p.m CT, TSN).

The two losers battle it out for bronze Tuesday (4:30 p.m. CT, TSN), while the two winners meet in prime-time that night for the gold medal (8:30 p.m. CT, TSN).

That’s the good news. The bad news? Perfetti and Heinola are going to miss all of Jets training camp as a result of going this far in the tournament. They are expected to arrive in the city on Wednesday, but will then have to serve a seven-day quarantine before they can hit the ice.

It’s a strange protocol, considering any incoming traveller to Manitoba from Alberta would not be subject to such restrictions. Not to mention that Perfetti and Heinola have been inside a secure zone for weeks, including regular testing. But it’s one all Canadian provinces insisted on in order to give the NHL the green light to hold skates and games north of the border.

As a result, Perfetti and Heinola won’t be cleared to join the Jets until Jan. 13 at the earliest, provided they pass four COVID-19 tests which will be administered during their week of self-isolation. That’s opening night for the NHL’s regular-season, and the last day of camp for Winnipeg, which begins the new campaign the following night at Bell MTS Place against Calgary.

The chances of the young duo cracking the opening night roster? Slim, and none. But it doesn’t mean they won’t be given a fair shot to prove they belong. Coach Paul Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff could still choose to include the pair on their 23-man roster right off the hop, or assign them to the four-to-six skater “taxi squad” that all teams will be allowed to carry this year.

Players can be swapped on-and-off the taxi squad, and even assigned to other leagues for game action if, and when, they get going. In Heinola’s case, that would include the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, which is hoping to drop the puck in early February. For Perfetti, that normally would only be with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League. But because the junior loop isn’t sure if they’re going to have any kind of season, he could also be AHL-eligible on a short-term basis.

Heinola, 19, has a sensational quarterfinal against Sweden on Saturday and was named the Player of the Game. The 20th-overall pick in the 2019 draft set up the tying goal in what was a 3-2 come-from-behind victory. Heinola has two assists through five games so far.

Perfetti, 19, has one goal and four assists through five games with Canada. The 10th-overall pick in the 2020 draft is a natural centre, but has been playing wing on a stacked squad.

Nikkanen, selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, will not be joining them in Winnipeg. The 19-year-old forward will return to Jukurit Mikkeli, his club team in Finland, to finish out the season that is already well-underway. Nikkanen scored the opening goal against Sweden, his second of the tournament, and also has a helper.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg