Jets dominate NHL stat sheets, showcasing elite offence, individual statistics, and special teams success. Hellebuyck shines as Winnipeg one-ups other Canadian clubs early.
With the eyes of the sports world on the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Series, attention has slightly shifted from its typical hockey-centric focus - up in Canada at least.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays advancing to their first World Series since 1993, television ratings for baseball will likely be the highest numbers ever recorded in Canada, while hockey and football are placed on the back burner for the time being.
That said, Canadian markets typically under the spotlight a few games into a fresh season have yet to really face the limelight. That said, Toronto's other big team, the Maple Leafs, have had a rather dismal start to the 2025-26 season. Expected by most to be Canada's best Eastern Conference club, the Leafs are just 3-3-1 and sit behind Detroit, Montreal and Florida within their Atlantic Division.
The Edmonton Oilers, whom many presume to be Canada's (and even the league's) top club this season also hold an identical 3-3-1 record and are buried deep within the Pacific Division's crowded mid-upper section.
Then, there's the story of the Winnipeg Jets. The club that finished the 2024-25 season as the NHL's best club, winning its first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history, while its goaltender Connor Hellebuyck took home the Hart, Vezina and Jennings trophies, is off to another great start.
No, the Jets were never going to catch their history-making 15-1 record to start last season, but they have certainly gotten off on the right foot just six games into the new year.
Starting the season off with a close 5-4 loss to Dallas, the Jets have rallied back for five-straight wins and have improved their record to 5-1-0 on the year. Hellebuyck is boasting a sparkling .927 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average, while Mark Scheifele is tied for first with seven goals scored.
But it's not just individual success within Winnipeg's roster either. The team has picked right up where it left off last season on its special teams play. The Jets are currently third, league-wide on the power play (30 percent success rate), while owning the No. 1 spot across the league on the penalty kill (96.3 percent kill rate).
It's not just that either, as the Jets sit fourth in goals scored per game (3.83 average) are tied for first with two shorthanded goals scored and own the highest shooting percentage across the board (15.9 percent). That said, they are the 30th ranked team in terms of shots taken, meaning they are the most successful shooting team in the league, opting for quality over quantity.
Defenceman Logan Stanley has already set a new career-high with his second goal, Josh Morrissey has set a new Jets franchise assists record, while Scheifele has set the all-time points record and continues to demonstrate his talents to the Canadian National Team selection staff following his snub from the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.
The Jets have yet to face any team sitting in the league's upper half of the current standings, but as they quite often say, it is still early.
And again, with the eyes of the sporting world having shifted to that of a different sport until November, there is no time like the present for Winnipeg to turn back the clocks a year and continue playing the way it began last season. The first-place finish aside, the Jets will certainly look to improve upon their postseason performance this spring, following last season's five-win-in-13-game showing.
For now the attention will shift to a mini three-game homestand with Seattle, Calgary and Utah making their respective ways to Canada Life Centre for a stretch of three games in four nights.