Rutger McGroarty is currently the elephant in the room for the Winnipeg Jets' prospect pool, but there's a lot to like from this group, says Tony Ferrari.
The final edition of the NHL prospect pool overview series is here with the Winnipeg Jets.
Tony Ferrari examines the Jets' strengths and weaknesses, gives a quick overview of their latest draft class, shows their positional depth chart and examines who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.
When discussing the Winnipeg Jets’ prospect pool, we must address the elephant in the room – Rutger McGroarty.
McGroarty, the captain of the American world junior team and one of the best players on the Michigan Wolverines, is one of the Jets’ best prospects. After putting up 52 points in 36 games in college, he seemed to intend to turn pro and step into the Jets’ top six. When that didn’t happen, he requested a trade.
That trade has not materialized, and McGroarty remains a Winnipeg prospect despite some rumored close calls.
McGroarty is an excellent off-puck attacker who wades through traffic and strikes at the perfect moment. His finishing ability is impressive because he always seems to be around the net in prime scoring positions. His playmaking is built on quick, direct passes that advance play. His one-touch passing is only outdone by his ability to delay a pass until the lane opens up. McGroarty isn’t necessarily a driver of play, but he connects and advances it at a high level with a power element mixed in. If the Jets do trade him, they should get a nice return. If they keep him and resolve their issues, even better.
Last year’s first-round pick, Colby Barlow, had a somewhat tough season in the OHL because of injuries and inconsistencies. He will hope for a bounce-back season.
Barlow is a north-south attacker who fires the puck from all over the offensive zone. He takes a shot from the top of the circle on the rush and then jumps on the rebound. He isn’t much of a playmaker, often getting tunnel vision and just bearing down on the netminder with the puck. Barlow has the potential to be a good goal-scorer, but he must round out the rest of his game to be effective in the NHL.
Finnish forward Brad Lambert has been great since being drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft. His elite-level skating and puckhandling ability, combined with his high pace, have made the transition to North America seamless, which partially explains why he struggled in the lower-paced Liiga in his draft year. He is a master in transition, consistently acting as a one-man puck-moving machine. Lambert has a good shot, but it’s his playmaking that makes him a lethal offensive weapon, consistently funnelling the puck to the middle of the ice.
Nikita Chibrikov left Russia last season to join the AHL's Manitoba Moose, and he put up 47 points in 70 games for a solid rookie season. He can gash a defense with his speed and high-end puckhandling. Chibrikov is also a fleet-footed dangler who can fire passes through the smallest of windows. The young Russian was called up for one NHL game and scored in his debut. He's on the right path.
Chaz Lucius has had a rough couple of seasons, suffering from injuries and missing a ton of playing time. His skating had looked better when he was on the ice, but the injuries took away very important development.
Lucius is a very good shooter who can snap a shot off in a minute. He has excellent hands in the offensive zone as well. He could be one of the Jets’ best prospects, but the lack of playing time has made him a bit of a forgotten asset.
Danny Zhilkin and Fabian Wagner both had their struggles this year. Zhilkin jumped into the AHL and never really found his footing. He looked a step behind the game's pace and was constantly trying to stay involved. Now with a summer of training, the hope is he can have a good bounceback.
Wagner's experience at the pro level in Sweden has been underwhelming at the best of times. His on-puck game has looked timid, and when he does try to push the envelope, he makes mistakes. He must take a notable step this year.
The Ville Heinola saga with the Jets has been a tough one to gauge. He played eight games in the NHL as an 18-year-old before returning to Finland. Since then, he has been playing primarily in the AHL, but he’s been pushing for a spot in the NHL every year.
Heinola's puck-moving ability and lack of defensive intensity have often made coaches tepid about inserting him into the lineup, though, which has sometimes caused tensions between the player and the team. Now 23, Heinola must find his way soon, or he could wind up being an AHL or Liiga all-star.
Once a heralded prospect, Elias Salomonsson had a bit of a down year in his draft year, and the Jets scooped him up in the second round. His game has continued to develop, and he’s become a very good two-way defender in the SHL over the last couple of seasons. His raw tools have always been quite impressive, but he needed to round out his decision-making. Salomonsson will join the Moose this season.
In net, the Jets have a solid duo in Thomas Milic and Domenic DiVincentiis. Splitting the season between the AHL and ECHL, Milic showed he can handle pro hockey, posting good numbers at both levels. DiVincentiis, on the other hand, played his third OHL season and had a bit of an up-and-down year, but his track record has been fantastic to this point. The duo looks solid and should give the Jets a goalie to play behind Connor Hellebuyck one day.
U-23 Players Likely To Be on the NHL Roster
Cole Perfetti, C
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 2, 37th overall - Alfons Freij, LD, Vaxjo Jr. (Swe.)
Round 4, 109th overall - Kevin He, LW, Niagara (OHL)
Round 5, 155th overall - Markus Loponen, C, Karpat Jr. (Fin.)
Round 6, 187th overall - Kieron Walton, C, Sudbury (OHL)
Sometimes, you have to make the best of a bad situation. The Jets seemed to do just that.
The Winnipeg front office didn’t have much to work with in the way of picks, but it managed to make the best of only selecting four players, taking some intriguing players who could develop into NHLers.
Kicking things off with a second-round pick, the Jets nabbed Alfons Freij. The mobile Swedish blueliner is one of the most interesting players in the draft because he brings a lot of the same tools as the top blueliners in the draft.
His skating is in the top tier of the draft class, with four-way mobility and excellent instincts. He didn’t blow the doors off statistically, but his two-way game was vastly underrated, using his skating to cut off and kill play before it even developed.
Freij was very good at pickpocketing attackers and turning the play up ice. In transition, Freij is a dual threat with the passing ability to push the puck up ice and the puckhandling to make his skating dangerous. He was arguably Sweden’s best player at the World Under-18s, which is where he built some momentum.
In the fourth round, the Jets snagged Kevin He, who played for the dreadful Niagara IceDogs last season, but he never let the doom and gloom affect him. He was consistently working his tail off to get the puck back for his team, bumping and grinding on the forecheck and along the boards, working the puck to the middle and trying to create something from nothing. While He won't find himself driving play at the NHL level, he could be a versatile third member of a line who does the dirty work and brings some legitimate finishing ability to go with it.
After leading the Finnish junior league in scoring, Markus Loponen was a great grab in the fifth round. He is a versatile forward who is a good playmaker and solid finisher, but he lacks that 'wow' factor that would elevate his game. He hasn’t played any pro games as of yet, but the Jets are hoping to see him get to that level for more than a handful of games in Finland.
Grabbing Kieron Walton in the sixth round is excellent value. The big forward can play center or wing up and down the lineup, and he may have some untapped potential. On top junior teams, draft-eligible players can be buried in the lineup, and Walton suffered from that fate this season. When players were injured or suspended up the lineup, Walton was almost always elevated from the bottom six and excelled. His production popped, his game meshed with the best players on the team, and he still brought his physicality and underrated skill. Walton can potentially be a sneaky good grab late in the draft.
Strengths
The Jets have plenty of center depth on their roster, with Lambert heading up the group.
Lucius has been a center at times in his career, and he’s wanted to play the position at the pro level, but he may move to the wing.
If things turn around, Zhilkin and Wagner could fill a bottom-six role in the NHL. Adding Loponen and Walton in the draft were both sneaky good additions to the center pipeline as well.
The Jets have a number of players who could be really solid centers, even if Lambert is the only true difference-maker in the group.
Weaknesses
The Jets’ prospect pool is deceptively strong. They don’t have a glaring weakness, and in reality, they don’t really have a weakness.
The right-side defense might be the closest to a weakness that they have, with just Salomonsson being a prospect with NHL upside beyond being a depth piece.
Tyrel Bauer and Garrett Brown might end up being very good AHL players, but their true upside probably tops out at a sixth or seventh NHL defender. Maybe the Jets can continue snapping up the players who fall, as they did with Lambert and Salomonsson, to add to that area of the pipeline.
Next Man Up: Brad Lambert, C/W
Lambert made his NHL debut last season and looked excellent. His AHL performance impressed last season, leading the Moose in scoring.
He’s said he intends to push for a roster spot in training camp and play in the NHL this upcoming season. His fall from grace during his draft year was always a bit confusing to me, but the Jets were happy to take Lambert 30th overall, and all that he’s done in the time since is prove to them that he was not only the right choice but a steal in that draft slot.
Lambert may not make the team out of camp, but we should see him in NHL games at some point this season. If he gets the chance, he could be a difference-maker by bringing his speed and skill to the team that could use an injection of both of those traits.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Colby Barlow, Daniel Torgersson, Kevin He
C: Brad Lambert, Danny Zhilkin, Fabian Wagner, Henri Nikkianen, Markus Loponen, Kieron Walton
RW: Rutger McGroarty, Nikita Chibrikov, Chaz Lucius, Zachary Nehring
LD: Alfons Freij, Ville Heinola, Dmitri Kuzmin
RD: Elias Salomonsson, Tyrel Bauer, Garrett Brown
G: Thomas Milic, Domenic DiVincentiis
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Future Watch and upcoming Yearbook print editions in The Hockey News. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.