Niederreiter first Switzerland-born player to reach 1,000-game mark

A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe

Nino Niederreiter vividly remembers his first NHL game. He had just recently turned 18 years old, fresh off being the fifth-overall draft pick by the New York Islanders that summer, and his team was hosting the Dallas Stars to kick off the 201o-11 campaign.

“I had a shot on net. And that’s about it,” Niederreiter said on Friday with a laugh.

The power forward would play eight more games that fall — scoring his first goal and registering his first assist — before getting sent back to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. The next two years would be split between the NHL and AHL before Niederreiter established himself as a full-time big-leaguer starting in the fall of 2013.

Bruins exploit myriad weaknesses in 6-3 win over Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are in a full-blown freefall.

An ugly, uninspired 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night is the latest in a growing list of games to raise a series of alarming questions about the hockey club, which now has just five wins over the past 18 games.

1. Is this really all the players have to offer? 2. Has the coaching staff run out of answers and/or solutions? 3. What, if anything, is management going to do to fix this mess? 4. Is this rock bottom?

What we are seeing and hearing on, and off, the ice these days certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence. One thing is clear: The Jets, as currently configured, are not a good hockey team. In fact, they are the absolute worst team in the NHL since early November, when a 9-3-0 start started swirling down the drain.

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Gary Bettman wasn’t here to sound the alarm or to apply any pressure to the ticket-buying public.

As Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly sat at a table in front of the assembled members of the media inside Canada Life Centre on Wednesday morning, there was no formal agenda to adhere to.

This was a routine check-in with one of the 32 member clubs, which gave Bettman another platform to extol the virtues of an exciting start to a season where parity has taken centre stage.

The recent announcement related to the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game next October was celebrated, questions about the upcoming Olympics were sorted through and Bettman also conceded that the Jets quest to reclaim their 1.0 history remains a work in progress — though that would suggest the efforts will continue until a suitable resolution is found.

Avalanche stand at NHL summit

Time flies when you’re having fun. And somehow the first third of the NHL season is already in the rear-view mirror. How did that happen? Weren’t we just talking about training camp?

Take the Winnipeg Jets, for example. They’ll officially hit the end of the first period on their schedule — fittingly — at the end of the first period Saturday night in Edmonton (27 games and 20 minutes in the books).

There’s been no shortage of intriguing developments and compelling storylines so far. So here at Dump & Chase, we figured we’d compile a list of eight that have caught our eye:

AVALANCHE APPROACHING RECORD HEIGHTSThe numbers are downright staggering and, while the Colorado Avalanche had a 17-game point streak snapped earlier this week by the New York Islanders, they’ve suffered only two regulation losses through the opening third of the season.

Jets rumoured to host Habs at 2026 Heritage Classic

It looks like the 2026 Heritage Classic will feature the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens.

For the Jets that’s ‘one in a row’

NASHVILLE — There were no victory laps being taken inside the Winnipeg Jets locker room Saturday night. No fist pumps, chest bumps or bold claims that everything was suddenly fixed. In fact, a casual observer might have had no idea, based on the subdued reaction, whether the hockey team won or lost.

But make no mistake: A 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators inside Bridgestone Arena was just what the doctor ordered for a wounded group that desperately needed to stop the bleeding.

“It’s one. It’s one. We wanted to win one in a row. So that’s the first one,” head coach Scott Arniel told the Free Press.

Baby steps, for sure. But at least they are in the right direction. The Jets limped into the game having lost a season-high four games in a row, and eight of the last 11, to plummet down the NHL standings. A regulation defeat against the Predators — who currently occupy the league’s basement — would have left only two points separating them.

Milic thrown to the wolves

RALEIGH, N.C. — Poor Thomas Milic. He never really stood a chance.

The 22-year-old goaltender, making his NHL debut on Friday afternoon in Raleigh, was thrown to the wolves by a spiralling Winnipeg Jets team that suddenly can’t score, defend… or win.

A 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes would have actually been much worse if not for Milic, who stopped 31 of 35 shots he faced and deserved better. Thanks entirely to him, this was actually a 1-1 game with less than nine minutes to play until the Jets completely imploded.

However, it wasn’t just the foul finish that had head coach Scott Arniel fuming as he spoke with the Free Press outside the team’s room at Lenovo Center.

Rocking Raleigh as a Hurricane

RALEIGH — Josh Stein may be the governor of North Carolina, while Janet Cowell is the current mayor of Raleigh. But make no mistake: Seth Jarvis could probably run this place if he wanted to.

The Winnipeg product is as popular as they come around these parts, winning fans everywhere with his terrific play on the ice and his personality and charm off of it. All of that was on display earlier this week when the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the New York Rangers in what was touted as a “Showcase Game” for Jarvis.

FanDuel Sports Network South made him the focal point of their broadcast, with an isolated box capturing his every move — from pre-game arrival to the final buzzer and beyond. He was mic’d up and, fittingly, scored his team-leading 12th goal of the year, giving it an extra-long fist pump while sliding on his knees and a huge “wooooooo” for all those tuning in.

Jarvis is no stranger to the spotlight, as he’s one of the featured players this year in Amazon Prime’s FACEOFF: Inside the NHL series which gives viewers an up-close, behind-the-scenes look at life in the NHL.

Jets’ Lowry honoured to continue representing’ great community’

Adam Lowry isn’t someone who enjoys hypotheticals, he prefers to deal in absolutes.

Earlier this week, the Winnipeg Jets captain was fielding questions from a group of young hockey players from St. John’s-Ravenscourt when he was on the receiving end of one that could have caught someone else off guard.

If you weren’t on the Jets, what team would you want to play for?

Lowry took a brief moment and kind of chuckled before explaining that if — and only if — playing for the Jets wasn’t an option, his hometown Calgary Flames were a team that would be at the top of his list.

Ehlers looking forward to ‘special’ game against Jets

TORONTO — Nikolaj Ehlers didn’t need a reminder about what was coming next Friday.

The former Winnipeg Jets winger is eagerly awaiting his first trip to the place where he spent the first decade of his NHL career.

And for the record, Ehlers wasn’t trying to pass it off as just another game on the schedule — and good on him for that.

“It will be special,” Ehlers said after chipping in two assists in a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Sunday. “I’ve always said that I’m not ever nervous for a hockey game, but for that one, it might creep in a little bit. I have a lot of good friends on that team who have been family and are still family.

Scheifele should be shoo-in for Olympic team

Mark Scheifele has put himself in prime position to realize his Olympic dreams. Now he just needs to maintain his high level for another seven weeks or so.

The Winnipeg Jets centre is off to one of the strongest starts of his NHL career, leading his team in scoring and providing strong two-way play going into Friday’s date with the San Jose Sharks.

After dealing with the disappointment of being left off the roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, Scheifele has made it his mission to be included with the group heading to Milan-Cortina, Italy, in a couple months.

Given the fact he was on call as an injury replacement in case one of Sidney Crosby or Anthony Cirelli couldn’t play due to injury last February, we’ll put Scheifele in the pole position when it comes to players helping their cause.

Team culture building best recipe for consistent results

Buy-in is the buzzword that just won’t go away.

If you’re a winning NHL team, it’s impossible not to have it and, if you’re trying to move from the also-rans to the contenders, it’s what you lean into so heavily that you almost will it into existence.

Scott Arniel references it frequently and the proof is in the pudding for a Winnipeg Jets club that turned defending from a weakness into a strength.

Utah Mammoth bench boss André Tourigny talked about the importance of buy-in to his team’s hot start prior to facing the Jets last Sunday and Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill was bombarded with questions about the early-season buy-in prior to Thursday’s meeting in Winnipeg.