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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 2, 2024 15:23:34 GMT -6
Since I have been sharing so much of my work from Arctic Ice Hockey here lately, I figured it was only about time that I did some actual work for the Jets Hockey Forum. With the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects on the Manitoba Moose covered, I decided to focus on those outside of the system in this analysis.
With the KHL down to it’s final four franchises, Winnipeg’s 5th round pick in 2021 has been bounced from the competition at this point. The 6’1” Dmitri Rashevsky is in his 3rd season with the Moscow Dynamo, wasn’t able to build on a fantastic rookie season (0.729 pts/gm) over the past couple campaigns. Not that the 23 yr old winger has played poorly, with 0.567 pts per game in his sophomore season, and a career-best 43 pts in 2023-24 (0.642 pts/gm). After putting up 19 goals in his first two KHL seasons, the left handed forward pocketed 24 this year. Having no idea about his contract status, nor his desire to play in the NHL, I can’t predict if Rashevsky ever plays for the Jets but it seems that he could potentially be a defensively responsible 20 goal scorer at the NHL level.
Another league that is down to the final four teams is the NCAA, with Boston College, Boston University, Denver, and Michigan the last ones standing. Oddly enough, those schools include the Winnipeg Jets’ NCAA prospects. Unfortunately, the Jets’ 4th rounder in 2022, Garrett Brown, had an early season-ending injury and won’t be able to help the University of Denver compete for the title. The 6’2” right handed defenseman only dressed for 8 games (4 assists) before a lower body injury required surgery, so the 19 yr old is very likely to return for a second season with Denver before contemplating signing a professional contract.
Of course, Winnipeg’s main NCAA prospect is the highly thought of Rutger McGroarty of the University of Michigan. Despite sustaining a fairly serious injury, the 14th overall selection of the 2022 draft has still performed very well. After being a point per game player when he was a secondary scoring option last season, the 6’1” 204 lb forward lived up to being the “main guy” in 2023-24. Rutger finished the regular season with 16 goals and 52 points in 35 contests, but his squad will have their work cut out for them with the #1 ranked Boston College on the horizon.
There will be plenty of future NHL talent on display when the Semi’s go down on April 11th. Boston College is absolutely stacked with Will Smith (SJ - 4th OVR in 2023), Gabe Perreault (NYR - 23rd OVR in 2023), Cutter Gauthier (ANA - 5th OVR in 2022), and Ryan Leonard (WSH - 8th OVR in 2023). Boston University has the expected #1 overall pick of June’s entry draft in Macklin Celebrini, as well as Montreal’s 62nd overall selection Lane Hutson. McGroarty won’t be going into battle alone, since he has Gavin Brindley (34th OVR by the Jackets) and Seamus Casey (46th OVR by NJD) joining him among the NCAA’s leading scorers.
If McGroarty and his underdog Michigan squad cannot overcome the league’s top team, then the clock will start ticking on whether Winnipeg’s front office will get the young forward to sign his first professional contract. If not, the team will hold his signing rights until August 26, 2026.
After touring the USA, we’ll head to Europe to see how defenseman Elias Salomonsson and forward Fabian Wagner have been doing. Standing at 6’1”, the right-handed Salomonsson has gone up against mature men in the SHL and has really held his own (2 goals & 11 pts in 31 games, with a +8 rating). During the most recent World Juniors tournament, the 19 yr old showed off an unexpected level of physicality, but couldn’t help a struggling Swedish team out offensively (1 pt in 7 gms). It will be interesting to see if Winnipeg brings him over to finish the season with the Manitoba Moose, as that would likely signal his intention to make the jump to North America next season. The 19 yr old Wagner is another Swede who spent the majority of the season playing in the SHL. The 5’11” center is a much later draft pick (6th rounder) and that kind of shows in his offensive output (6 pts in 41 gms). He does appear to be defensively responsible, so Fabian’s potential as a future Jet depends solely on the development of some offense.
Our final three prospects are playing in the CHL this season and we will start in the WHL with Winnipeg’s 7th round selection in 2023, Connor Levis. The 6’2” right winger almost put up a point per game last season with Kamloops, but he took a bit of a step back in a year that saw him moved to Vancouver (.846 pts/gm). The Giants are still alive in the post-season and Levis has picked up a pair of assists in 2 contests.
Moving onto the OHL, we first stop by to visit last season’s Goaltender of the Year, Dominic DiVincentiis. The 6’2” goalie had to deal with some nagging injuries that led to a very poor start, but he did play much better as the season progressed. Even so, his numbers (3.13 GAA/.895%) in the regular season ended up far from his award winning campaign (2.33 GAA/.913%). The 20 yr old’s team is still alive in the playoffs (2.46 GAA/.905%) so he still has a chance to prove to Winnipeg’s management that he is ready for duties in the AHL next year. Our final prospect is playing for the London Knights after being drafted by the Jets in the 5th round in 2023, Jacob Julien. The 6’4”center might be the biggest surprise this season, as the 19 yr old has jumped from 16 pts in 40 games (0.4 pts/gm) last year to a whopping 78 pts in 67 games (1.16 pts/gm). The Knights have also played two games this post-season and Julien has picked up a pair of helpers.
Well, that wraps up our visit with the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects outside of the organization. Thanks for taking the time to join me on the journey.
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Post by Tracker on Apr 2, 2024 20:21:55 GMT -6
Since I have been sharing so much of my work from Arctic Ice Hockey here lately, I figured it was only about time that I did some actual work for the Jets Hockey Forum. With the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects on the Manitoba Moose covered, I decided to focus on those outside of the system in this analysis. With the KHL down to it’s final four franchises, Winnipeg’s 5th round pick in 2021 has been bounced from the competition at this point. The 6’1” Dmitri Rashevsky is in his 3rd season with the Moscow Dynamo, wasn’t able to build on a fantastic rookie season (0.729 pts/gm) over the past couple campaigns. Not that the 23 yr old winger has played poorly, with 0.567 pts per game in his sophomore season, and a career-best 43 pts in 2023-24 (0.642 pts/gm). After putting up 19 goals in his first two KHL seasons, the left handed forward pocketed 24 this year. Having no idea about his contract status, nor his desire to play in the NHL, I can’t predict if Rashevsky ever plays for the Jets but it seems that he could potentially be a defensively responsible 20 goal scorer at the NHL level. Another league that is down to the final four teams is the NCAA, with Boston College, Boston University, Denver, and Michigan the last ones standing. Oddly enough, those schools include the Winnipeg Jets’ NCAA prospects. Unfortunately, the Jets’ 4th rounder in 2022, Garrett Brown, had an early season-ending injury and won’t be able to help the University of Denver compete for the title. The 6’2” right handed defenseman only dressed for 8 games (4 assists) before a lower body injury required surgery, so the 19 yr old is very likely to return for a second season with Denver before contemplating signing a professional contract. Of course, Winnipeg’s main NCAA prospect is the highly thought of Rutger McGroarty of the University of Michigan. Despite sustaining a fairly serious injury, the 14th overall selection of the 2022 draft has still performed very well. After being a point per game player when he was a secondary scoring option last season, the 6’1” 204 lb forward lived up to being the “main guy” in 2023-24. Rutger finished the regular season with 16 goals and 52 points in 35 contests, but his squad will have their work cut out for them with the #1 ranked Boston College on the horizon. There will be plenty of future NHL talent on display when the Semi’s go down on April 11th. Boston College is absolutely stacked with Will Smith (SJ - 4th OVR in 2023), Gabe Perreault (NYR - 23rd OVR in 2023), Cutter Gauthier (ANA - 5th OVR in 2022), and Ryan Leonard (WSH - 8th OVR in 2023). Boston University has the expected #1 overall pick of June’s entry draft in Macklin Celebrini, as well as Montreal’s 62nd overall selection Lane Hutson. McGroarty won’t be going into battle alone, since he has Gavin Brindley (34th OVR by the Jackets) and Seamus Casey (46th OVR by NJD) joining him among the NCAA’s leading scorers. If McGroarty and his underdog Michigan squad cannot overcome the league’s top team, then the clock will start ticking on whether Winnipeg’s front office will get the young forward to sign his first professional contract. If not, the team will hold his signing rights until August 26, 2026. After touring the USA, we’ll head to Europe to see how defenseman Elias Salomonsson and forward Fabian Wagner have been doing. Standing at 6’1”, the right-handed Salomonsson has gone up against mature men in the SHL and has really held his own (2 goals & 11 pts in 31 games, with a +8 rating). During the most recent World Juniors tournament, the 19 yr old showed off an expected level of physicality, but couldn’t help a struggling Swedish team out offensively (1 pt in 7 gms). It will be interesting to see if Winnipeg brings him over to finish the season with the Manitoba Moose, as that would likely signal his intention to make the jump to North America next season. The 19 yr old Wagner is another Swede who spent the majority of the season playing in the SHL. The 5’11” center is a much later draft pick (6th rounder) and that kind of shows in his offensive output (6 pts in 41 gms). He does appear to be defensively responsible, so Fabian’s potential as a future Jet depends solely on the development of some offense. Our final three prospects are playing in the CHL this season and we will start in the WHL with Winnipeg’s 7th round selection in 2023, Connor Levis. The 6’2” right winger almost put up a point per game last season with Kamloops, but he took a bit of a step back in a year that saw him moved to Vancouver (.846 pts/gm). The Giants are still alive in the post-season and Levis has picked up a pair of assists in 2 contests. Moving onto the OHL, we first stop by to visit last season’s Goaltender of the Year, Dominic DiVincentiis. The 6’2” goalie had to deal with some nagging injuries that led to a very poor start, but he did play much better as the season progressed. Even so, his numbers (3.13 GAA/.895%) in the regular season ended up far from his award winning campaign (2.33 GAA/.913%). The 20 yr old’s team is still alive in the playoffs (2.46 GAA/.905%) so he still has a chance to prove to Winnipeg’s management that he is ready for duties in the AHL next year. Our final prospect is playing for the London Knights after being drafted by the Jets in the 5th round in 2023, Jacob Julien. The 6’4”center might be the biggest surprise this season, as the 19 yr old has jumped from 16 pts in 40 games (0.4 pts/gm) last year to a whopping 78 pts in 67 games (1.16 pts/gm). The Knights have also played two games this post-season and Julien has picked up a pair of helpers. Well, that wraps up our visit with the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects outside of the organization. Thanks for taking the time to join me on the journey. Thanks for this- very interesting. |
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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 4, 2024 8:30:28 GMT -6
It is odd how the human brain works....for example, I woke up last night at 2 am with the thought in my head "You forgot Barlow.". I didn't give it much consideration and quickly went back to sleep, but when I got up for the day it suddenly was clear to me that I skipped over Colby Barlow in my recap of Jets' prospects outside of the organization. Kind of a big oversight, since the forward is probably Winnipeg's 2nd highest ranked prospect.
So let's pop over to Owen Sound to find out how the 6'1" 195 lb Canadian has been doing. After putting up 30 goals (47 pts) in 59 games during his rookie OHL season (.797 pts/gm), Barlow followed that up with 46 goals (79 pts) in 59 games as a sophomore (1.34 pts/gm) and that resulted in Winnipeg drafting him 18th overall in 2023.
This season Owen Sound has had a less talented roster and that combined with Colby missing most of the month of November due to injury (also made him miss the chance to play for Canada at the World Juniors) has resulted in a bit of drop in his production in 2023-24. Barlow has shown that he can still score goals, as the sniper has netted 40 in 50 contests for a career-high of 0.8 goals per game. However, his assists dropped from 33 to 18 this year, making him finish with 58 pts (1.16 pts/gm).
Owen Sound did manage to slip into the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Western Conference and Colby has added another goal and 2 assists in 4 post-season matches.
Currently aged 19 with a February birthdate, Barlow won't be eligible for the AHL next season...so it's either make the Jets (doubtful due to amount of forwards currently signed for 2024-25) or back to Juniors for another campaign.
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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 5, 2024 12:06:59 GMT -6
The Winnipeg Jets have added another prospect (sort of) as they have agreed to a contract with undrafted college defenseman Dylan Anhorn starting next year. He has also signed with the Moose for the remainder of the year. The 6' left hand d-man appears to have a knack for offense, with almost a point per game (mostly assists) in the past two NCAA seasons. Though, at 25 yrs old, he is also likely nearing the top of his potential. Will have to see how much action he gets over Manitoba's final games. If you want more info on him...here's the link to his elite prospects page: www.eliteprospects.com/player/281318/dylan-anhorn |
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 5, 2024 17:48:30 GMT -6
The Winnipeg Jets have added another prospect (sort of) as they have agreed to a contract with undrafted college defenseman Dylan Anhorn starting next year. He has also signed with the Moose for the remainder of the year. The 6' left hand d-man appears to have a knack for offense, with almost a point per game (mostly assists) in the past two NCAA seasons. Though, at 25 yrs old, he is also likely nearing the top of his potential. Will have to see how much action he gets over Manitoba's final games. If you want more info on him...here's the link to his elite prospects page: www.eliteprospects.com/player/281318/dylan-anhornThanks for this👍. Cheers, 2b9😉👍 |
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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 10, 2024 18:00:41 GMT -6
Here's a link to an article about Rutger McGroarty from NHL.com: www.nhl.com/news/jets-prospect-rutger-mcgroarty-aiming-to-win-ncaa-title-before-deciding-nhl-futureDoesn't give a glimpse into any decision to turn pro, but does provide a bit of insight into how the Winnipeg Jets deal with their prospects outside of the organization....checking in with him once or twice per week since he was drafted. From the article... McGroarty said that though he can sense the excitement from the Jets, they have not pushed him to make a decision while he aims to help Michigan to its first championship since 1998. “As the second half (of the season) has kind of ramped up, I’ve gotten a couple more texts, but they’ve been very respectful with the playoff push we’re making,” McGroarty said. “They’ve had a talk with my agent but nothing crazy. We haven’t had the serious talk yet. But yeah, they’ve been very respectful and it’s been great.” |
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 10, 2024 18:57:48 GMT -6
Here's a link to an article about Rutger McGroarty from NHL.com: www.nhl.com/news/jets-prospect-rutger-mcgroarty-aiming-to-win-ncaa-title-before-deciding-nhl-futureDoesn't give a glimpse into any decision to turn pro, but does provide a bit of insight into how the Winnipeg Jets deal with their prospects outside of the organization....checking in with him once or twice per week since he was drafted. From the article... McGroarty said that though he can sense the excitement from the Jets, they have not pushed him to make a decision while he aims to help Michigan to its first championship since 1998. “As the second half (of the season) has kind of ramped up, I’ve gotten a couple more texts, but they’ve been very respectful with the playoff push we’re making,” McGroarty said. “They’ve had a talk with my agent but nothing crazy. We haven’t had the serious talk yet. But yeah, they’ve been very respectful and it’s been great.”Thanks for the link, great article, very good read, looking forward to McG being a Winnipeg Jet👍. Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 |
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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 13, 2024 11:03:58 GMT -6
UPDATE ON WINNIPEG'S PROSPECTS:
Still not much news out there hinting at Rutger McGroarty's upcoming decision, but the one thing I did read just makes me want him to join the Winnipeg Jets even more.
I know that his upside isn't expected to reach elite heights, but everything I've read about his style of play would be a valuable addition for the Jets in the future. On top of that, the common opinion is that he is a good kid with a lot of character. For example, when he was asked shortly after having his dreams of a NCAA Championship crushed whether he has made a decision, re: pro or college, he responded with:
"I'm sorry, I just don't know."
He'll definitely fit in well in Canada if he throws around apologies like Canadians are well known to do. Joking aside, I think the answer shows a level of maturity and level-headedness from the young man and those characteristics are important in a tight-knit environment like an NHL dressing room. Especially when you consider some of the other prospects in the same situation gave answers like "No. I don't want to discuss that right now." and "Not that. Next.".
On to the Colby Barlow/Connor Levis watch with the Manitoba Moose, where the team is set to play at 2 pm in Winnipeg. A win versus the Iowa Wild combined with a Chicago Wolves loss would secure a playoff spot for the Moose and if the lines at practice are anything to go by, Barlow & Levis will have to wait until Sunday at the earliest to make their debuts (they were on a 5th line with Daniel Torgersson).
Brad Lambert's 51 pts has him sitting in 2nd place in AHL rookie scoring, while Nikita Chibrikov's 44 pts puts him in 9th. Young Thomas Milic holds onto the 7th best rookie goalie GAA (2.66) and 13th in save percentage (.901%).
Finally, looking at the OHL at Winnipeg's last two prospects alive in the post-season. Starting with Dom DiVincentiis, it appears the goalie has lost the starting job with North Bay, but the Battalion have moved onto the 2nd round. The other tender got pulled in the 4th game of the opening series and DiVincentiis picked up the win. He then started the next game, turning aside 25 of 27 to wrap up the series win. However, he was not even dressed as backup in the 2nd round opener when they picked up a 5-2 victory (note: he wasn't the back up early in the 1st round either, but was the goalie they turned to when the starter played poorly).
After sweeping their first series, the London Knights are also onto the 2nd round, with Jacob Julien picking up 3 helpers in the 4 contests. Julien contributed to a win in game 1 to start the Knights' next series, picking up 2 assists and winning over 65% of his face-offs.
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 13, 2024 11:07:40 GMT -6
UPDATE ON WINNIPEG'S PROSPECTS: Still not much news out there hinting at Rutger McGroarty's upcoming decision, but the one thing I did read just makes me want him to join the Winnipeg Jets even more. I know that his upside isn't expected to reach elite heights, but everything I've read about his style of play would be a valuable addition for the Jets in the future. On top of that, the common opinion is that he is a good kid with a lot of character. For example, when he was asked shortly after having his dreams of a NCAA Championship crushed whether he has made a decision, re: pro or college, he responded with: " I'm sorry, I just don't know." He'll definitely fit in well in Canada if he throws around apologies like Canadians are well know to do. Joking aside, I think the answer shows a level of maturity and level-headedness from the young man and those characteristics are important in a tight-knit environment like an NHL dressing room. Especially when you consider some of the other prospects in the same situation gave answers like " No. I don't want to discuss that right now." and " Not that. Next.". On to the Colby Barlow/Connor Levis watch with the Manitoba Moose, where the team is set to play at 2 pm in Winnipeg. A win versus the Iowa Wild combined with a Chicago Wolves loss would secure a playoff spot for the Moose and if the lines at practice are anything to go by, Barlow & Levis will have to wait until Sunday at the earliest to make their debuts ( they were on a 5th line with Daniel Torgersson). Brad Lambert's 51 pts has him sitting in 2nd place in AHL rookie scoring, while Nikita Chibrikov's 44 pts puts him in 9th. Young Thomas Milic holds onto the 7th best rookie goalie GAA (2.66) and 13th in save percentage (.901%). Finally, looking at the OHL at Winnipeg's last two prospects alive in the post-season. Starting with Dom DiVincentiis, it appears the goalie has lost the starting job with North Bay, but the Battalion have moved onto the 2nd round. The other tender got pulled in the 4th game of the opening series and DiVincentiis picked up the win. He then started the next game, turning aside 25 of 27 to wrap up the series win. However, he was not even dressed as backup in the 2nd round opener when they picked up a 5-2 victory ( note: he wasn't the back up early in the 1st round either, but was the goalie they turned to when the starter played poorly). After sweeping their first series, the London Knights are also onto the 2nd round, with Jacob Julien picking up 3 helpers in the 4 contests. Julien contributed to a win in game 1 to start the Knights' next series, picking up 2 assists and winning over 65% of his face-offs. Thanks for this👍. Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 |
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 14, 2024 8:53:39 GMT -6
^^^
Looking forward to Lambert being a part of the Jets next season. Hoping that Barlow is going to be a good player, same goes for McG.
2b9😉😃👍
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Post by gobombersgo on Apr 15, 2024 13:37:18 GMT -6
McGroarty headed back to junior is the word.
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 15, 2024 14:35:32 GMT -6
McGroarty headed back to junior is the word. Yeah, it was just confirmed a little while ago, he’s going back for 1 last year. It’s actually College/NCAA, not Junior. Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 |
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Post by bigoljetairliner on Apr 15, 2024 16:48:22 GMT -6
McGroarty headed back to junior is the word. Yeah, it was just confirmed a little while ago, he’s going back for 1 last year. It’s actually College/NCAA, not Junior. Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 He might have been referring to the fact that McGroarty is returning for his Junior year in the NCAA. |
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Post by 2b9 on Apr 15, 2024 17:12:53 GMT -6
Yeah, it was just confirmed a little while ago, he’s going back for 1 last year. It’s actually College/NCAA, not Junior. Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 He might have been referring to the fact that McGroarty is returning for his Junior year in the NCAA. There ya go, good point on your part👍. Have a great night! Cheers, 2b9😉😃👍 |
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