Nikita Chibrikov Post-game The Vancouver Canucks held the 11th annual Young Stars Classic recently from September 13th to 16th in the City of Penticton. The exhibition games were played by teams made up of the top prospects from the four western Canadian hockey teams in the Canucks, Flames, Jets and Oilers. Winnipeg finished with a solid 2-1 record as they topped the Flames and Oilers but lost to the Canucks. This year's classic saw the Jets roll out some big name prospects like 2021 second-round pick Nikita Chibrikov, who lead the team in points during the showcase with a pair of goals and an assist for three points in as many games. The recently acquired Brayden Yager also made headlines with his extraordinary skating and passing ability that saw him generate a lot of difference making plays throughout the three games despite only recording one point. Other exciting names to play for the Jets were 2024 fourth-round pick Kevin He and Manitoba Moose top point man last season, Brad Lambert, who both finished with two points. Winnipeg's goaltending has always been the strength of the franchise and the Young Stars Classic was no different as they allowed seven goals over the three games and recorded one of the tournament's two shutouts when they beat the Oilers 2-0 in their final game. Thomas Milic is considered to be one of the most high-end goalie prospects in the sport and showed it by recording a 1.46 goals against average and a .940 save percentage in 123 minutes across two games. The tournament can be a great building block for young players in the Jets organization looking to make an impact in the preseason. Prospects like Lambert and Chibrikov, who have aspirations of making the main roster can build off their three games in Penticton when they take on the Minnesota Wild in their preseason opener this Saturday.
