The Winnipeg Jets have begun training camp and day one is in the books. The team’s final restricted free agent (RFA) Cole Perfetti remains unsigned, but Kevin Cheveldayoff made note of him having conversations with Perfetti’s agent during his media availability in between sessions.
Team Neufeld Line Rushes & Practice Notes
The first line rushes from Team Neufeld were the following:
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Gabriel Vilardi
Morgan Barron – Rasmus Kupari – Axel Jonnson-Fjallby
Jaret Anderson-Dolan – David Gustafsson – Mason Shaw
Jacob Julien – Brayden Yager – Nikita Chibrikov
Markus Luponen – Kieron Walton – Ben King
Josh Morrissey – Dylan Coghlan
Ville Heinola – Colin Miller
Dylan Samberg – Elias Salomonsson
Dmitry Kuzmin – Simon Lundmark
Connor Hellebuyck
Thomas Milic
Domenic DiVincentiis
Out of my observations for Team Neufeld, there was a lot to like out of this group and as the training camp progresses. The story of the day was marked by Cole Perfetti, who remains unsigned at the time of writing making him absent from training camp. This is a simple observation as there is no contract in place for the 22-year-old forward.
Heinola Looking Sharper than Last Season
Just out of some quick observations, Ville Heinola looks a lot stronger and more confident in his game as training camp begins. While the players are doing practice drills as of right now, it will definitely be interesting to see how Heinola works through training camp and into a roster spot for 2024-25.
Chibrikov Will Challenge for a Roster Spot
I was really impressed by Nikita Chibrikov right from the word go. Most notably, Chibrikov has seemingly kicked it into high gear with his intensity on the ice and has a level of physicality that will definitely be an asset in the long haul. During set drills, Chibrikov knocked down his much larger teammate, Kieron Walton, and received stick taps and cheers from his teammates.
If Chibrikov isn’t getting an NHL roster spot right away, he will likely be one of the first few in line to receive a call-up as the NHL season progresses.
Salomonsson Will Rise Up the Depth Charts
Elias Salomonsson provided most of the physicality out of Team Neufeld. He looks to have taken a significant step in his game and gives significant competition to those in the running for the sixth and seventh defenseman positions.
During drills, Salomonsson really stood out due to his intensity and calmness with the puck, something that can be considered an asset and something he should build on.
Team Neufeld is scheduled to skate again tomorrow, September 20th, at the Hockey For All Centre at 1:00 pm CST.
Team Lesuk Line Rushes & Practice Notes
The first line rushes from Team Lesuk were the following:
Nikolaj Ehlers – Vladislav Namestnikov – Alex Iafallo
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Colby Barlow – Brad Lambert – Parker Ford
Daniel Torgersson – Dominic Toninato – Connor Levis
Kevin He – Danny Zhilkin – Chaz Lucius
Haydn Fleury – Neal Pionk
Logan Stanley – Dylan DeMelo
Ashton Sautner – Tyrel Bauer
Dylan Anhorn – Dawson Barteaux
Kaapo Kahkonen
Eric Comrie
This was a solid group and it was marked by some nice mixups from time to time between the rookies and the veterans. Barlow and Lowry did a couple of drills together, but for the most part, veterans stuck with veterans and rookies stuck with rookies. Arniel mentioned during his media availability that the first two preseason games will be younger rosters which makes sense for veterans sticking together and rookies sticking together.
There was a lot to like about this group, Fleury and Bauer stood out right away, while other players like Lucius, Ford and Lambert really gave a great impression in the grand scheme of things. Arniel also mentioned during his media availability that he prefers a 22-man roster which means a crowd of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. Fleury and Bauer alongside Lucius, Ford, and Lambert have a lot of work to do to battle for an NHL spot against Heinola, Salomonsson, and Chibrikov.
Team Lesuk is scheduled to skate again tomorrow, September 20th, at the Hockey For All Centre at 10:00 am CST.
Day Two of the Winnipeg Jets Training Camp Notebook coverage will be posted at Inside The Rink after both skates wrap up.
