Gabe Vilardi Postgame MID SEASON AWARDS: ART ROSS: Mark Scheifele, 41 points in 41 games Suiting up alongside sniper Kyle Connor and regular point producers Gabe Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers, it is centreman Mark Scheifele who continues to maintain a consistent, point-per-game production rate, and projects to finish higher than last year's 68 points in fewer games played, thanks to his current lower-body injury. ROCKET RICHARD: Kyle Connor, 18 goals in 31 games Kyle Connor came out of the gates firing, and pulled into an early NHL-wide goal scoring lead with fellow countryman Auston Matthews. However, a difficult MCL sprain kept him out of Winnipeg’s lineup for 16 games. He somehow maintained his team lead in goals despite the time missed. HART: Connor Hellebuyck The Hart and soul of the Winnipeg Jets in 2023-24 has been goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Ranked No. 3 in wins, the veteran backstop has moved to the top in terms of goals against average and save percentage for netminders having played 30+ games. He was the main reason Winnipeg went 34-straight games without giving up more than three goals. NORRIS: Josh Morrissey Josh Morrissey has a strong and steady approach to the game. His offensive numbers are tops on the team, his minutes are second to none, and his overall defensive support has been among the league’s best. The club’s No. 1 blueliner is also the man head coach Rick Bowness turns to when in need of a spark. VEZINA: Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg’s goaltending has been the league’s very best thus far. The joint efforts between Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit have not gone unnoticed, as visiting clubs often refer to the Jets as the “best defensive team”. With a 2.20 goals against average, and a .924 save percentage, Hellebuyck is actually slightly behind Brossoit’s 2.07 goals against average and .926 save percentage. But he has done so over a larger sample size. Right now, the league’s Vezina Trophy is his to lose. SELKE: Mark Scheifele Much was made about centreman Mark Scheifele’s defensive efforts over the past handful of seasons. With the arrival of Rick Bowness came a stronger attention to defensive detail for the team’s top middle-man. Scheifele’s offence remains a significant part of Winnipeg’s attack, while he continues to step up his game in his own zone, and his teammates have taken notice. CALDER: N/A The Jets do not have a Calder-eligible player on their playing roster this season. MASTERTON: Gabe Vilardi The Jets may not have a prototypical Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy candidate on the year, but the season that forward Gabe Vilardi is having might make some reconsider. Having dealt with a number of injuries over his time in Los Angeles, the 24-year-old was dealt to Winnipeg in the offseason, played three games, suffered a catastrophic injury, missed 18 games, and then came back just in time to score six goals in five games for the Jets, bringing fans to life with his catchy and interactive ‘Macarena’ goal song. LADY BYNG: Kyle Connor Contributing on the offensive side of the puck has long been Kyle Connor’s thing. His power play goals, crafty moves in-tight and odd-man rushes up ice remain fixtures on daily highlight packages. Much like that of his Lady Byng Award-winning season, the 2023-24 NHL All-Star has taken just one penalty on the year.
