Bright futures on blue line

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This article was published 16/03/2021 (1725 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wasn’t that long ago that the cupboards of the Winnipeg Jets seemed almost bare. Fast-forward a couple years, though, to the 2021 edition of the Manitoba Moose and that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

Given how many players currently skating with the Moose are on the cusp of jumping to the big leagues and it’s clear the local prospect pool is fairly deep.

Just consider: on the Moose roster right now is the likes of forwards David Gustafsson and Kristian Vesalainen, both of whom can make a serious argument for being with the Jets, and have spent time in the NHL already in their careers. Then there’s youngster Cole Perfetti. The Jets No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 draft is fitting in nicely, with Perfetti collecting eight points in 16 games this season.

Mikhail Berdin has also been a rock in net and seems primed to become the Jets no. 2, behind starter Connor Hellebuyck, in the near future. The 23-year-old has seen action in 14 of 16 games this season, boasting a 6-6-2 record, a 2.88 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.

“Ville is obviously a cerebral player, with some skills, a lot of skills. His deception game is really good; his stick is really good. He’s got a way to stop the progression of the puck in the neutral zone that is… more like Toby Enstrom, that we’ve seen here in the past. Some nights I could tell you he’s not only the best player on our team, but he’s the best player on the ice.”
– Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent

But what Moose head coach Pascal Vincent is most intrigued about his club is what’s developing on the blue line.

“Our D corps is really interesting. We have a lot of young guys there that can move the puck and you look at how the game is being played – and I’m looking not only at the regular seasons in the NHL but I’m looking at who’s winning in the National Hockey League and how those D are moving – and I think we’re in a very good position here for a long time,” Vincent said ahead of Monday’s practice. “As of today, our D group is really interesting. In my five years with the Jets and my five years with the Moose now, I can’t remember the last time that we were able to close the gap in the neutral zone, as good as we do it now, as early in the season, because we’ve only played 16 games. But that D group is very good at that.”

What’s even more impressive is a pair of young defencemen in Dylan Samberg and Ville Heinola is headlining the blue line. While others such as Declan Chisholm, Leon Gawanke, Trent Bourque, Johnathan Kovacevic and Jimmy Oligny have all showed flashes, it’s Samberg and Heinola that the Jets are keeping the closest eye on.

Samberg was drafted by the Jets in 2017 — second round, 43rd overall — and inked a three-year entry level deal in April of last year after a standout collegiate career with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs that might have included a third straight NCAA championship if not for COVID-19.

Samberg spent training camp with the Jets before being assigned to the Moose in order to get ample playing time. The 22-year-old has liked his development this season, even if he’d like to show up more on the score sheet. He had 21 points in 28 games last season at UMD, but has just one assist in 16 with the Moose.

“I may not be putting up as many points as I would like to but, hey, I mean, I feel like I’m playing good hockey and playing solid defensively and I’m getting more up in the rush and getting involved in the offensive side of things. I feel like I’m more confident, as well, which makes me create a few more and better plays,” Samberg said. “All that helps, and I just got to keep constantly honing in on those skills and make sure that every night I’m solid on the back end and playing good defensively and physically and play to my strengths.”

Heinola has the opposite problem. He sits second on the Moose in scoring, with 10 points in 16 games. Only forward Nathan Todd, who signed in the season, has more, with 16. What the Finnish-born blue liner hopes to improve on and show the Jets he’s capable of doing well is the more defensive side of the game, including the penalty kill.

“I think many guys think I’m more like the power-play guy, and I can’t play PK, but I think I can play PK. I can do all of those areas in the game and I can be good there,” Heinola said. “I’m not only a PP guy. I can do whatever you’d like for me to do. That’s the biggest thing that I want to show here, is I can play PK, I can play in all areas.”

Vincent has seen Samberg and Heinola take notable strides this year. With all players, he said the focus is the same, with the Moose using three different areas when evaluating a player’s development.

The first has to do with the brain, and how quickly a player can adapt to the team culture, expectations and play within the various systems. The second area focuses on compete level, on how much effort a player puts into his craft, as well as how hard they can battle one-on-one, as well as how quick and effective they are with the stick. The third, less-but-still-important aspect is on skill, such as skating, passing and shooting.

“(Samberg) can skate, he’s big, he’s got a good stick and he can finish his checks in the one-on-one battles, in the corners and in front of the net. So now, for him it’s all about understanding how quick he can run his routes five-on-five and he’s improving, like this guy is on the right track. And then the offensive side, the skill side of it, that’s going to come third for him.”
– Manitoba Moose head coach Pascal Vincent

“(Samberg) can skate, he’s big, he’s got a good stick and he can finish his checks in the one-on-one battles, in the corners and in front of the net. So now, for him it’s all about understanding how quick he can run his routes five-on-five and he’s improving, like this guy is on the right track. And then the offensive side, the skill side of it, that’s going to come third for him,” Vincent said.

“Ville is obviously a cerebral player, with some skills, a lot of skills. His deception game is really good; his stick is really good. He’s got a way to stop the progression of the puck in the neutral zone that is… more like Toby Enstrom, that we’ve seen here in the past. Some nights I could tell you he’s not only the best player on our team, but he’s the best player on the ice.”

While both players are continuing to develop, part of that exercise includes managing expectations. Samberg and Heinola, along with everyone else on the Moose, envision one day playing with the Jets. But timing is important, Vincent said, and what a player wants and what’s good for them don’t always align. And with the Jets currently looking for an upgrade on defence as they head towards the NHL trade deadline, sometimes it’s his job to balance those expectations.

“All players are different. Some guys are requesting why (they aren’t with the Jets). And we need to have the answers and they have the right to ask, right? If their eyes weren’t on the Jets, then that’d be a problem. It would be an issue to me,” Vincent said. “I want them to be pushing themselves and I want them to ask, ‘OK, when is it going to be my time?’ And then we’re going to give them the answers. If they’re not ready, then it’s an opportunity to share and to re-evaluate your game and where you’re at in the organization. But there’s one thing I know, if you look at the history of the team, if you do it right you’re going to get a shot at some point.” 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton