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Shooting For More - Aug. 15 2022 - Vol. 76 Issue 2 - Jared Clinton
WORKING ON IT
Connor’s skating and shot are two of his biggest strengths, but practice makes perfect for the Jets sniper. (JAMES CAREY LAUDER-USA TODAY SPORTS)
THE EXPERIENCE of this off-season was a new one for Kyle Connor. Not necessarily in terms of the recreation time. No, the fishing, the golfing, the time away from the rink to rest and relax with family back in Michigan, all of that is standard summer fare for the Winnipeg Jets star sniper and 2022 Lady Byng Trophy winner. What was new was the amount of time Connor had to spend doing those things, what with no hockey to play after the final game of the regular season.
“Since turning pro, we’ve made the playoffs every single year I’ve been there, whether it was a first-round exit against St. Louis a couple years ago or making it to the conference final against Vegas,” Connor said. “This was foreign territory, that’s for sure.”
But for all the ills that cost the Jets a chance at the post-season last year, no one is hanging any of 2021-22’s misgivings on Connor. While the likes of Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck had what can best be described as productive-but-at-times-frustrating seasons, Connor’s star shone so brightly it was sometimes just about the only light throughout a blustery Winnipeg winter. Career-best marks of 47 goals and 93 points were fifth (tied) and 13th in the NHL. For a player whose previous zenith was cracking the 35-goal and 70-point plateaus, this was Connor trading in the standout top-six-scorer label and punching his ticket into the echelon of the elite.
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(JAMES CAREY LAUDER-USA TODAY SPORTS)
“That’s been one of my best attributes, to be able to grow as a player every single year a little bit,” said Connor. “Another year maturer, another year knowing the league, knowing certain tendencies, how to take advantage of certain plays in the offensive zone and those reads becoming instinct. What I’ve been able to do and build on each year is a testament to the type of training that I do here in the off-season in Michigan.”
So what, then, does that training include in a summer where Connor was preparing to best across-the-board highs? Strength was a target, as was his skating, which borders on absurd given it’s already one of his greatest attributes. But one of the focuses for Connor – who would’ve reached the 50-goal plateau had he had friendlier bounces on three of the 12 posts he hit last season – was continuing to fine-tune an already lethal shot. That meant shooting off-balance, picking corners from tight angles, quickening his release or shifting the puck from backhand to forehand – or vice versa – to fool unsuspecting goalies.
It’s not just this summer that Connor put in the hours to squeeze every ounce out of his ability. It’s an every-off-season effort, and never was that work more apparent than last year, when he was one of the most prolific shooters in the game. Connor pelted the league’s netminding collective with 317 shots, an increase of 78 shots over his previous career high. His off-season efforts translated into game situations, too. Last season, Connor was among a group of just 14 players credited with letting loose at least 20 wrist shots, 20 snap shots, 20 slapshots, 20 backhanders and tipping 10 pucks on goal. It’s fitting, then, that he was alongside Auston Matthews as one of only two players credited with five goals in the four big categories: wristers, snappers, slappers and backhanders.
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Connor sees having and honing those elements of his offensive game as imperative to staking his claim as one of the league’s most deadly scorers. Speaking of Alex Ovechkin, Connor was quick to point out that the Washington superstar isn’t a one-trick pony; beyond the twine-bulging one-timers, Ovechkin uses his speed and body to drive to the net like few others. Connor was also quick to point out that coaches around the league are beginning to game plan against him, and that those defending him are paid, and paid well, to shut him down. “You have to be versatile and be scoring from all over the place to be lethal,” Connor said. “It’s something I work on a lot, not being able to score just from a wrist shot or the one-timer spot on the half wall. It’s getting to the net, getting to pucks, being in the right spot. It’s a lot of offensive awareness and where to go and read the play.”
Lest Connor be tagged as a one-way threat, understand changing that perception rests large on his mind. While it’s true his underlying numbers won’t be confused with those of a Selke Trophy contender, and rare are the instances in which he’ll be used in an out-and-out shutdown role, Connor is no stranger to late-game situations. And he was entrusted with heavy penalty-killing minutes last season. To wit, his 110 minutes on the PK were only 26 fewer than he played shorthanded in the three prior campaigns combined.
Rounding out that part of his game, Connor hopes, can be part of what propels Winnipeg back in the right direction, particularly after what was an unfortunately turbulent season that was thrown into a state of temporary disarray with the departure of longtime coach Paul Maurice and installment of interim and now-departed bench boss Dave Lowry. Despite the troubles, however, it is Connor’s belief the chance to start anew will be just what the Jets need to ensure next summer isn’t quite as long.
“Losing Maurice halfway through impacts different players, and overall, as a team and individually, you don’t realize how much one guy, your coach, actually has an effect on your team,” Connor said. “But that being said, I think we’ve got a lot of good pieces. It was unfortunate we missed the playoffs, but I don’t think there needs to be anything crazy in this off-season. I believe in the organization, in (GM Kevin Cheveldayoff) and the guys in there.”
And given what the Jets – and everyone around the NHL – has seen out of Connor, trust that there is no lack in belief in him, either.
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