Jets 2015 Draft Review

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

It was an eventful day at the 2015 NsHL Entry Draft. History was made when the unthinkable happened, and the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks dealt the first overall pick (Connor McDavid), Marc-Andre Fleury and a 3rd in next year's draft to the Calgary Flames for star goaltender Carey Price and a first found pick in today's draft. The deals didn't end there, and the Jets were able to get in on the action. For the second straight year, General Manager Sean Croft was busy working the phones, trading back again to the #23 overall pick after a deal was struck with the Minnesota Wild, which also saw forward prospect Jujhar Khaira come to Winnipeg (for about five minutes), in exchange for the #16 pick. 

With the #23 pick, Croft selected American born defensemen Brandon Carlo. Carlo has NsHL size at 6'4, 196lbs, and at only 18 years of age, you can assume to see a lot more bulk added to an already monster frame. Touted by many as the best defensive defenseman in the draft, what impressed the Jets as much as his size, was his skating ability. For a big kid, Carlo can fly and get in on the play very quickly. He has a strong shot from the blueline, and makes smart plays with the puck. He projects to be a top four defenseman in the NsHL. 

The Jets were able to trade back with the Carolina Hurricanes a few days ago to get a 2nd round pick, then today, after swinging another deal with Carolina, they moved the prospect Khaira for a 5th rounder. Said draft picks were then moved again, as the Jets traded up in the second round after sending the 2nd and the 5th to Arizona, and took right wing Gabriel Gagne. Gagne is another monster at 6'5, but lacks the bulk of Carlo, weighing in at 187 lbs. Again, the Jets figure he will put on muscle. He, like Carlo, is an aggressive skater with fantastic acceleration. He has a great shot and creative hands, and put up a ton of points in the Q last year. The Jets were shocked and thrilled to get him at #56.

Had Gagne not been on the board, the Jets would have selected Ryan Gropp, a left wing who put up impressive numbers in Seattle last season. Six picks later, the Jets landed Gropp as he became yet another talent to slide in this year's draft (a telling of how deep this draft really was). In 67 games for the Thunderbirds, he scored 30 goals, had 28 assists, and was a +9. Despite the fact that the Jets have both Andrew Ladd and Brock Nelson on the roster, the chance to grab a talented left wing (definitely a premium in this league) was too good to pass up, especially when he was pegged as someone who would go a round earlier. 

The 74th pick saw Mississauga native Kyle Capobianco find a home in the 'Peg. Despite an unimpressive +/- (-49), he did put up 40 points in 68 games for Sudbury. In fact, no one who played for Sudbury had an impressive +/-. To be exact, no one on that club was rated a plus. So forgiveness seems necessary, and this youngsters big wingspan and ability to force opponents outside made him a target for Sean Croft. At 17, he is still a project, but if he is able to take off the way the experts believe he can, he will be worth the wait. 

Ten picks later saw more defense come to Winnipeg, this time in the form of Thomas Schemitsch, a 6'3, 205 right handed shot from Thornhill, ON. He had an impressive run this season playing for the Owen Sound Attack, registering 14 goals and 35 assists. He is projected to be a middle pairing, two-way defenseman who can quarterback a powerplay, but also be effective on the PK. He's a few years away, but young up and comers like Ryan Sproul and Ryan Ellis progressing nicely, the Jets are afforded some time.

Pick #88 saw the Jets add more size, this time in the form of offense. Centre Nicolas Roy, a playmaker who can play at both ends of the ice, impressed the Jets not only with his size, but with his ability to get back and play defense. He projects to be a top nine, two-way forward who can win faceoffs and kill penalties, something every team needs. It is the hope of Sean Croft that Roy becomes Frans Nielsen with bulk. 

Left wing Adam Helewka became the 100th pick in today's draft, as well as Winnipeg's 7th selection. He is a gifted forward who has great vision, and was able to put up 87 points (44 goals, 43 assists) this season in Spokane. He lead the Chiefs in points, and had 5 points in 6 playoff games. He was also a +10 this season. At 19 years old, he is a little bit closer to the NsHL than some of his counterparts, and looks to be a solid 3rd line winger with offense and forechecking ability. If he fights hard enough, he could jump into the top six. 

Shortly after 3 PM EST, the Jets selected Prince George Cougars forward Brad Morrison. What took the Jets by surprise was his creativity, hands, and vision. At 154 pounds, the scouts wonder if he will be knocked off the puck easily, which would explain his slide. His 50 points in 67 games, along with his 7 points in 5 playoff games is enough to impress any scout, but the issue with his weight threw him into the "project" category, and with the draft being so deep, it's no surprise he fell. This project could be another depth center who can generate a little offense. At the time, he was the best player on the board, and sometimes, its as easy as that. 

The Jets took a gamble later in the fourth round when they selected Daniel Bernhardt out of Sweden. His numbers in the SuperElit league were solid. He scored 26 goals, had 35 assists and was a +23 in 44 games. He will remain in Europe, at least for a couple of seasons, but the Jets hope that playing with the men of the SHL can push him to the next level, and the money in North America can push him to Manitoba. By far, this is probably Croft's riskiest pick as GM of the Jets. Last year, he drafted Nikita Tryamkin of the KHL, which is always a gamble. The difference between the two is that Tryamkin has been quoted as saying that it is his intention to come to the NsHL when his deal in Russia expires...we'll see. 

Pick #112 saw the Jets go in a totally different direction when they took left wing Andrew Mangiapane. Manigapane had a stellar season for the Barrie Colts, scoring 43 goals, adding 61 assists in the regular season, as well as putting up 10 points in 9 playoff games. Why did he fall this far? 5'10, 170 lbs. The draft room this year erupted with "Reach! Reach!" when the pick was announced, but apparently, Croft didn't want to lose out on this player the same way he did Jaeden Descheneau last year. With a big gap between this pick and his next, he didn't want to wait. According to sources, Croft was quoted as saying "Hessel has Gaudreau, why can't I have Mangiapane?" The two players are similar in stature, as well as in explosive skating ability, hands, vision, and creativity. If Mangiapane can find his niche in the NsHL, he projects to be a big piece for the Jets moving forward. 

The Jets added goaltending depth to their stable, drafting Luke Opilka 136th overall. He played with the US development program, and will be with Kitchner next season. Pick 160 saw Latvian born defenseman  Karlis Cukste brought into the mix. He had an impressive season in the MHL, and is a left handed shot. A project, depth defenseman, but at #160, he was the best on the board. Pick #199 saw the Jets select Steven Ruggiero. Croft liked his 200 lbs frame, as well as the fact that if he needs to give him a pep talk, he would only need to drive about 10 minutes from his summer home on Long Island to Ruggiero's town of Kings Park. 

All in all, the Jets added a lot of defense, which they needed to do. Scott Hannan is getting older, as is Kevin Bieksa. The stable of defensive prospects before would have been a B+. I'd say now it's a solid A- that, should some of these guys hit the way the Jets hope they do, could be an A+ very quickly. 

Jay Trotter
Jet Fuel

BREAKING: JETS EXTEND ZAJAC

The following is a copy of the official press release sent by the Winnipeg Jets.

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

The Winnipeg Jets are proud to announce that the team has agreed to terms with Centre Travis Zajac on a 6 year contract extension. The deal will pay him $35M over the life of the contract, which also includes a no trade clause. We would like to thank Travis for his time with the team, and his continued dedication to our organization, fans, city, and province. Also, a great thanks to his agent, Mark Kopsack for his time in these negotiations.

Jay's Say:

This is a great signing for the Jets, and comes as a relief to the fans who lost sleep over trade rumours. General Manager Sean Croft has continued to stand behind his stance on not moving Zajac, and this deal keeps him in the 'Peg long term. This will also give the Jets cap flexibility to extend other Free Agents to be, keeping the nucleus of the team together, which will hopefully get them back to the playoffs sooner rather than later.