Three AHL Forwards That Could Make Jump to Jets' Roster

We spoke with Manitoba Moose head coach Mark Morrison about some potential options the Winnipeg Jets may have for Moose forwards that could possibly move up to the main roster. 

The top-six should be fairly straight forward next season but the bottom-six may have a spot or two available. The Moose are harbouring many young talented players under the age of 24 with the possibility of one being a potential breakout. 

Morrison noted before our deep dive that the performance of the players in training camp will ultimately determine whether they can make it or not.

“These guys can make the jump, but it’s up to the coaching staff and management at the Jets to find out whether these guys will fit into a certain spot and if they’ve improved enough to play there,” he said. 

We look over some of the possible options that Morrison agreed could be possible options as well as an honourable mention towards the end. 

Brad Lambert 

In his first full pro season, Lambert surprised many when he scored 21 goals and led the Moose in points with 55 in 64 AHL games. 

The Finnish product is just starting out his pro career at 20 years old but could work his way into the picture for the Jets' bottom six with his work ethic. 

“Through December he realized how hard he has to work to be effective in the American Hockey League and [Lambert] did,” Morrison said. 

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“He knew how hard the league was going to be and I think that gave him a heads up and an early start on other guys.”

Morrison went on to complemented Lambert’s attitude throughout the season as being the aspect that separated himself from the pack. 

“His game isn’t at the highest level that it is gonna get to but he has a real good foundation there and that’s because of his attitude,” he said.

“He works hard in practice and takes in everything from the pros and he watches how to train off ice properly. The foundation he has I think will help him continue to improve.” 

When heading into development camp, Lambert could be a name to watch. Morrison finished by saying the possibility of Lambert making the jump to the main roster isn’t out of the question despite his young age. 

“I don’t think he’s too young to make the jump but it’s going to be on Brad and how he performs and so on,” he said. 

Parker Ford

A forward garnering a lot of attention for a possible bump is 23-year-old Parker Ford. 

The Wakefield, Rhode Island product is coming off a stellar first pro season, where he finished with 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points in 72 games. He was tagged as a valuable asset in many areas of the game by Morrison. 

“Parker has high-end potential, he’s not the biggest kid but he plays a heavy game,” Morrison said “He showed that he’s a guy that you love as a coach, power play, penalty kill, the end of games he’s a face off guy.”

Morrison praised Ford's work ethic and noted that he will be one to watch as he could surprise some people. 

“Most of those goals he scored came in the second half of the season and I think he’s going to surprise some people with his whole 200-foot game,” he said. 

“He’s got some skill to him, he can shoot the puck and at the same time is very responsible in his own end.”

Parker is one of the older options out of the Jets' young farm system in Manitoba, which could give him a real shot at getting a chance considering his endorsement from well-respected people like coach Morrison. 

Nikita Chibrikov

The Russian winger was one of the Moose’s best players last season with 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 70 games. He has played just one NHL game but Morrison had named Chibrikov as one of the players who had taken a big step last season. 

“It’s one thing to have puck and make plays and they can all do that but to play pro hockey off the puck and to play solid in your own end and be defensively good and I think he took a huge step,” Morrison said. 

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Chibrikov was drafted with the 50th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and has played just one year of pro hockey in North America. 

He was one of many first-year players on the Moose last season and could be one player that is called up to the main roster later into the season when he becomes more comfortable in the style of play. 

Chaz Lucius 

A honourable mention is Moose forward who may not crack the bottom six but deserves to be talked about is Jets' 2021 first round pick, Chaz Lucius. 

He has been in the conversation for a bump to the main roster for sometime now but has struggled with staying healthy since being drafted.

The Kansas native has played just 29 games at the AHL over three seasons. He has shown bursts of high-end talent with four goals and 14 assists for 18 points which was admired by Morrison. 

“[Lucius] is offensively talented and he can make plays,” he said “He just hasn’t played enough pro hockey because he keeps getting injured.”

Lucius participated in development camp late last week and is still recovering from an ankle injury last season that required major surgery.

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke to media about Lucius’s drive to make it back from another injury. 

“When you see a player that’s constantly trying to bounce back from that, that’s an important trait to know, that they want to play the game and they love the game,” he said “I’ve been unfortunate to have an injury as a player, (but) one thing you learn is it tests your will and how much you love the game, how much you want to play.”

Lucius still has potential and has two years left on his entry-level deal, which means the Jets (and Moose) should continue taking their time with the former Golden Gopher. 

The potential timeline could be helping him work his way into an opportunity at a bottom-six role with the Jets soon but not this upcoming season unless he hits his stride and finally breaks out, which some believe is possible.