Jets All Out Top 25 II: #20 Chris Thorburn

With 11 points, Thorburn played more as a third liner.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Chris Thorburn, 29, RW, 6’3, 230 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: #17
This Year's Ranking: #20
Difference: -3

Chris Thorburn is a touchy subject for me.

First of all, he is a fourth line player.

Second of all, he doesn't score much.

And third of all, he isn't that great of a scrapper.

So, the only thing he was going for him is his leadership.

And on a team with a two-time Stanley Cup champion as captain there's not much room for Thorburn to improve in that category as he will always be behind in that department due to his fourth line role.

Seeing the departure of Tanner Glass, another low scoring, but much better of a scrapper, fourth liner, it begs the question of why not give a Patrice Cormier the shot at a fourth line role full time and let Thorburn find his place somewhere else.

Despite those nagging doubts in my mind as a Jets fan, Thorburn did impress at times.

The 6'3, 230 pound winger had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 72 games to go along with 83 penalty minutes and a -6 rating.

After a 19 point season in Atlanta in 2010-11, Thorburn's 11 points was a bit of a drop off but under the new regime in Winnipeg, it wasn't to come as a surprise.

Thorburn's fall in the rankings go for his decrease in production both offensively and his role on a third line who needed to play as one because of the lack of a true third line.

But Thorburn did throw down the mits 11 times this season, winning (according to hockeyfights.com) six, losing four, and tying 1.

As far as grittiness goes, Thorburn is not the premier fist thrower but he's all the Jets have until they find another fighter.

Jets All Out 2011-12 Point Prediction Recap: Forwards

As did back in early October, I made out a list of point projections for the 2011-12 campaign based on the players past experiences, point productions, and the change of scenery coming from not-so-crazy-about-hockey Atlanta to hockey mad Winnipeg.

First were the forwards, followed by the defensemen and goaltenders. In analysis of the projections are the initial predicitions (marked in italics) and the actual end of season stats (marked in bold) and then the difference in each category (if player has more than projected, it is marked as a +).

Let's see how I did..

#26 Blake Wheeler [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 80 GP, 23 G, 30 A, 55 PTS, 56 PIMs, +11
2011-12 Actual Stats: 80 GP, 17 G, 47 A, 64 PTS, 55 PIMs, +3
Difference: Goals (-6), Assists (+17), Points (+9), PIMs (-1), +/- (-8)


#9 Evander Kane [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 79 GP, 26 G, 33 A, 59 PTS, 70 PIMs, +7
2011-12 Actual Stats: 74 GP, 30 G, 27 A, 57 PTS, 53 PIMs, +11
Difference: Goals (+4), Assists (-6), Points (-2), PIMs (-17), +/- (+4)


#16 Andrew Ladd [Left Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 81 GP, 31 G, 29 A, 60 PTS, 44 PIMs, +4
2011-12 Actual Stats: 82 GP, 28 G, 22 A, 50 PTS, 64 PIMs, -8
Difference: Goals (-3), Assists (-7), Points (-10), PIMs (+20), +/- (-12)


#13 Kyle Wellwood [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 68 GP, 10 G, 20 A, 30 PTS, 10 PIMs, -2
2011-12 Actual Stats: 77 GP, 18 G, 29 A, 47 PTS, 4 PIMs, +3
Difference: Goals (+8), Assists (+9), Points (+17), PIMs (-6), +/- (+5)


#18 Bryan Little [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 80 GP, 27 G, 35 A, 62 PTS, 40 PIMs, +15
2011-12 Actual Stats: 74 GP, 24 G, 22 A, 46 PTS, 26 PIMs, -11
Difference: Goals (-3), Assists (-13), Points (-16), PIMs (-14), +/- (-26)


#80 Nik Antropov [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 74 GP, 19 G, 31 A, 50 PTS, 50 PIMs, +2
2011-12 Actual Stats: 69 GP, 15 G, 20 A, 35 PTS, 42 PIMs, 0
Difference: Goals (-4), Assists (-11), Points (-15), PIMs (-8), +/- (-2)


#8 Alex Burmistrov [Centre/Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 77 GP, 20 G, 21 A, 41 PTS, 28 PIMs, +3
2011-12 Actual Stats: 76 GP, 13 G, 15 A, 28 PTS, 42 PIMs, +4
Difference: Goals (-7), Assists (-6), Points (-13), PIMs (+14), +/- (+1)


#14 Tim Stapleton [Right Wing/Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 60 GP, 9 G, 12 A, 21 PTS, 16 PIMs, -4
2011-12 Actual Stats: 63 GP, 11 G, 16 A, 27 PTS, 10 PIMs, -2
Difference: Goals (+2), Assists (+4), Points (+6), PIMs (-6), +/- (+2)


#19 Jim Slater [Centre]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 78 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 PTS, 22 PIMs, +1
2011-12 Actual Stats: 78 GP, 13 G, 8 A, 21 PTS, 42 PIMs, -9
Difference: Goals (+2), Assists (-4), Points (-2), PIMs (+20), +/- (-10)


#15 Tanner Glass [Left Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 78 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, 92 PIMs, -3
2011-12 Actual Stats: 78 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 PTS, 73 PIMs, -12
Difference: Goals (0), Assists (+3), Points (+3), PIMs (-19), +/- (-9)


#22 Chris Thorburn [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 82 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 PTS, 85 PIMs, -1
2011-12 Actual Stats: 72 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 PTS, 83 PIMs, -6
Difference: Goals (-6), Assists (-4), Points (-10), PIMs (-2), +/- (-5)


#17 Eric Fehr [Right Wing]
2011-12 Projected Stats: 40 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 PTS, 14 PIMs, +10
2011-12 Actual Stats: 35 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS, 12 PIMs, -6
Difference: Goals (-9), Assists (-13), Points (-21), PIMs (-2), +/- (-16)


Throughout the season, I didn't manage to quip back to these projections much but I did see some shortcomings that would eventually make the predictions come up short.

First of all, Eric Fehr's injury plagued season did more than keep him out of the lineup - it kept his point production at a career low - even when he was playing junior hockey. To say that 2011-12 was Fehr's worst season ever would be a good approximation of his play. But to his disadvantage, he was injured when traded from Washington. It is unclear whether the Jets will risk taking him on again if he can begin a season completely healthy and ready to go from day one. However, it may be unlikely as he did have a stretch of healthy games where he did not produce either.

Other shortcomings were overestimating Alex Burmistrov's year, as he progressed into his sophomore season. Believing he would find the goal scorers touch, the young Russian found scoring early in the year (enough for me to pick him up in my fantasy pool for a stretch), but the reverted into playing a more two-way game as the year progressed - possibly because of the emergence of Kyle Wellwood's play - another shortcoming.

Wellwood exceeded expectations of all Jets fans and if the Jets are to resign him it will come at a price. The speedy and versatile forward set career highs in points (47) and tied his career high in goals (18) while pitching in 10 power play points on the secondary unit. It was Wellwood's versatility and hockey sense that gave way to a big boost from predictions in Evander Kane.

Kane's third season proved to be a breakout one - but the best is still yet to come I believe. Kane surpassed career highs in goals (30), assists (27), points (57), power play goals (6), power play points (10), and game winning goals (4). He was also a team high +11 rating at season's end. Despite a rough start and possible off ice happenings that led to a concussion in the early part of 2012, Kane is one of the key cogs in the Jets this season as is Blake Wheeler.

Wheeler rejoined Bryan Little and Andrew Ladd on the Jets top line and had a career year as well playing the role of power forward as best as anyone else in the league. The Minnesotan's career highs came in assists (47), points (64), power play goals (6), power play points (15), shots on goal (208), and hits (113). Add to that Bryan Little resurfaced as a 20 goal scorer and Ladd followed his 29 goal season a year ago in Atlanta with 28 goals and the top line produced the majority of the Jets offense between them.

To complete the evaluation of my 2011-12 point projections for the forwards, the Jets have alot of room to make up for offensive production as their top point producer finished tied for 41st in the league in points - and every other NHL team except Columbus, Florida, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, and Colorado had a leading scorer with more points - including non-playoff teams such as Tampa Bay, Edmonton, Carolina, and Montreal.

Jets All Out 2011-12 Point Predictions: Forwards

As promised months ago, the 2011-12 Jets All Out point predictions are in!

First, we take a look at the forwards, the most interesting and most vital part of the predictions for the upcoming season. With such a young core of talented players and those who have not yet hit their full stride in the NHL, we believe that this is the best year for these players and the best is also yet to come.


Andrew Ladd led the Jets in scoring last season with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) and added 39 penalty minutes and was a -10 rating at season's end. He led the team in power-play goals (nine), and tied for shorthanded goals (two). His rise to becoming the captain of the former Thrashers and now Jets was a testament to how much he meant to the team and the dressing room. His numbers will likely not change drastically.

2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Ladd: 81 GP, 31 G, 29 A, 60 PTS, 44 PIMs, +4


Bryan Little, coming off a 31 goal season two seasons before, had a semi-bounce back year, scoring 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) along with 33 penalty minutes and a decent +11 rating on a dismal Thrashers team. His positive plus/minus speaks to his defensive play with the team last year, a trend the Jets hope continues as he is slated as the team's #1 center. With his potential, Little is destined to hit the 30 goal plateau once again sometime in his career. His point production trend will only continue to increase in his first season in Winnipeg.

2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Little: 80 GP, 27 G, 35 A, 62 PTS, 40 PIMs, +15


Evander Kane is the diamond in the rough of the Jets organization. His output continues to improve over the past two seasons and he looks poised and ready to take his game to the next level - possibly becoming that 20-30 NHL goal scorer he was drafted fourth overall for. With 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) along with 68 penalty minutes and a -12 rating, Kane improved on his rookie season stats, almost doubling them in his sophomore year. From the looks of his pre-season play, he is ready to ramp it up another notch in Winnipeg.



2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Kane: 79 GP, 26 G, 33, 59 PTS, 70 PIMs, +7


Nik Antropov at 30 is the oldest forward on the club. He is also the most experienced, having played in Toronto, New York, and Atlanta now too. His best years came with Toronto and his first season in Atlanta, alongside Ilya Kovalchuk. However, the past two seasons in Atlanta were a hard go for the 6'6 center and he would like nothing better than to get his statistical output back on track this season in Winnipeg. He has the experience to mentor younger players, including Alexander Burmistrov, and his presence is the most important thing in the Jets dressing room, but he can chip in offensively too. Look for his output to go up modestly this season.


2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Antropov: 74 GP, 19 G, 31 A, 50 PTS, 50 PIMs, +2


Alexander Burmistrov is the second youngest Jet in the lineup opening night, next to Mark Scheifele, however, he is going to be examined alongside the young seventh overall pick as well. Though Burmistrov already has a full season under his belt in Atlanta, scoring 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 74 games, he has yet to reach his true potential, like many on this young Jets squad. Burmistrov will hopefully learn with a veteran teammate, such as Nik Antropov, how to improve his skills on and off the ice and possibly improve his defensive game under head coach Claude Noel's system in Winnipeg. Burmistrov's statistical output has nowhere to go but up this season.




2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Burmistrov: 77 GP, 20 G, 21 A, 41 PTS, 28 PIMs, +3


Eric Fehr will miss the first part of the season with a shoulder injury, but his presence and what he can bring to the Jets should never be underestimated. A former 20 goal scorer in Washington, Fehr was dealt to the Jets to provide goal scoring depth on the wing. Not only that, Fehr is a local Manitoban and will be looked upon as a hometown fan favourite once he is in the lineup healthy once again. Though he had a drop in production last year, mainly due to injury, with only 20 points (ten goals, ten assists) in 56 games, Fehr, once healthy will be a key player and leader for the Jets.

2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Fehr: 40 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 PTS, 14 PIMs, +10


Blake Wheeler's presence on the Thrashers last season was tremendous as he led the team in scoring after a trade from Boston in the late stages of the season. Wheeler scored 17 points (seven goals, ten assists) in the final 23 games of the season for Atlanta, playing alongside Little and Ladd. He will be looked upon again to provide offense with his large 6'5 frame. A former 20 goal scorer in Boston, the former top five draft pick will once again be untied with Little and Ladd atop the first line and be looked upon to score in bunches.



2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Wheeler: 80 GP, 25 G, 30 A, 55 PTS, 56 PIMs, +11


Chris Thorburn is one of the longest serving players in the Thrashers/Jets organization and is look upon to provide his skills in an enforcer's role. With that in mind, his season should not be looked at judging primarily on offensive output, but on his character and leadership on the ice, providing that energy the Jets may need in a game. Thorburn's consistency to stay in the lineup year after year, game after game, is a true asset to the Jets depth.


2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Thorburn: 82 GP, 10 G, 11 A, 21 PTS, 85 PIMs, -1










Jim Slater is another long-serving player with the Thrashers, having been an original Thrasher pick back in 2002 with the 30th overall pick. Slater has morphed into a defensive/two-way center who's main priority is back checking and making sure he's causing havoc when in the opponent's zone. Before injuries last season, Slater was on pace for a career year, having scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 36 games. His previous career high was 20 points in his rookie season. Normally, Slater's output is in the 15-20 point range, but with a new atmosphere in Winnipeg, the four line center's role, under Claude Noel's coaching system of "no three minute men on my bench", may see his output jump to a career high.

2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Slater: 78 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 PTS, 22 PIMs +1




Tim Stapleton is projected by the Winnipeg Jets official website to be the fifth winger for the Jets to start the season. With Fehr out of the lineup, Stapleton will likely be in the lineup opening night, or opted out for Scheifele. Stapleton has the rare honour of having scored the last goal in Atlanta Thrashers history. He was able to stick most of the 2010-11 campaign in Atlanta, collecting five goals and two assists in 45 games. His role in Winnipeg will likely be that of a third/fourth liner again, mostly due to his undersized frame. His speed, however, makes him a great third/fourth liner because of his ability to play both ends of the ice. Look for his output to increase as he tries to stick in Winnipeg full-time, ahead of Scheifele and Patrice Cormier too.



2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Stapleton: 60 GP, 9 G, 12 A, 21 PTS, 16 PIMs -4





Kyle Wellwood joins the Jets after wandering the leagues in search of a home. His one-year contract added depth and versatility, as Wellwood is able to work both the power-play and penalty kill quite well. Known for his soft hands and deceptive speed, at times, he split last season between Mytishchi Atlant and the San Jose Sharks. Mytishchi Atlant released Wellwood half way through the season, after he produced only eight points (five goals, three assists) in 25 games. San Jose signed him and he had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 35 games, including seven points (one goal, six assists) in 18 playoff games. Wellwood will provide depth and a centerman who can also play the wing, something the Jets may need if injuries occur.

2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Wellwood: 68 GP, 10 G, 20 A, 30 PTS, 10 PIMs, -2




Tanner Glass was also added to the Jets roster via free agency this off-season to provide grit and energy to the Jets lineup. He was also brought in for experience, having just come off a short summer after the Vancouver Canucks went the distance in the Stanley Cup Final. Glass, who has 184 games under his belt with Florida and Vancouver, will be looked upon to help Slater and Thorburn be the energetic and "thorn-in-your-side" fourth line that the team has lacked in its franchise's history.


2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Glass: 78 GP, 5 G, 8 A, 13 PTS, 92 PIMs, -3







Mark Scheifele has a good chance to stay beyond the nine games if he impresses in his first nine games. It's difficult to make such a prediction for such a player because of so many unknown variables leading up to the season's start. Scheiefele could be another Jeff Skinner and take the NHL by storm and win a Calder Trophy. He could also have another dominant season in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. For this case, firstly, we predict if Scheifele flourishes in the NHL (Scenario A)and secondly, we predict if he does not (Scenario B; though we would rather him flourish right off the bat).



2011-12 Jets All Out Prediction
Scenario A: 80 GP, 15 G, 25 A, 40 PTS, 20 PIMs, +2
Scenario B: 9 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS, 4 PIMs, -2






On The Bubble Players:
Patrice Cormier
Jets All Out Prediction: 50 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 PTS, 35 PIMs, -4

Carl Klingberg
Jets All Out Prediction: 30 GP, 5 G, 11 A, 16 PTS, 14 PIMs, -6

Spencer Machacek
Jets All Out Prediction: 42 GP, 7 G, 11 A, 18 PTS, 26 PIMs, -2

Jets All Out Top 25: Top 5 Review

The countdown to the Jets first pre-season game in a split-club game against the Columbus Blue Jackets is down to four days and a few hours.

However, Jets All Out had started the countdown to September 20th long ago when on August 25th, we started counting down the Top 25 Jets in the current lineup with the honourable mentions that Thursday.

Now, we have come down to the Top 5 Jets in their current lineup.

Before we list the Top 5, let's take a look back at rankings from spot #25 to spot #6.

#25: Paul Postma, 22, D, 6’3, 184 lbs
Tall, smooth skating, young defenseman who still has alot of room to grow with the new Jets. Size and skill will only improve.

#24: Carl Klingberg, 20, LW, 6’3, 205 lbs
Big, bulky, and young power forward likened himself to Alex Ovehckin; showed size in YoungStars tourney

#23: Tim Stapleton, 29, RW, 5’9, 180 lbs
Small, undersized center; scored last goal in Thrashers history; has to work hard to get a full-time spot in Winnipeg

#22: Jason Jaffray, 30, LW, 6’1, 195 lbs
Ex-Moose playoff hero Jaffray wants to make an impression in the NHL and hopefully stick full-time in familiar setting

#21: Randy Jones, 30, D, 6’2, 205 lbs
Mid-sized defenseman has been shipped around the NHL, hopes fourth stop in Winnipeg will be his last

#20: Ben Maxwell, 23, C, 6'1, 195 lbs
Young, two-way center looks to finally get into a full-time NHL spot after trade to Jets from Montreal last spring

#19: Patrice Cormier, 21, C, 6'2, 205 lbs
After an ugly incident in QMJHL, Cormier is looking to put it behind him in the NHL with the Jets

#18: Tanner Glass, 27, Left Wing, 6’1, 210 lbs
Ex-Canuck looks to make an impact as an enforcer after trip to 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

#17: Chris Thorburn, 28, Right Wing, 6’3, 225 lbs
Lifetime Thrasher enforcer looks to keep up his job in Winnipeg as the go-to enforcer

#16: Jim Slater, 28, Center, 6’0, 200 lbs
Two-way center looks to cement spot as third-line center and make an impression quick in new city

#15: Mark Stuart, 27, Defense, 6’2, 218 lbs
Former first-round pick of the Bruins looks to take a leadership role on the Jets young and talented blueline

#14: Zach Bogosian, 21, Defense, 6'3, 215 lbs
Young, talented, and now signed, former third overall pick looks to bounce back in Winnipeg

#13: Alexander Burmistrov, 19, Centre, 6'1, 180 lbs
Very talented center jumped to the NHL quickly last season, looks to improve and avoid sophomore slump

#12: Johnny Oduya, 29, Defense, 6'0, 200 lbs
Veteran defenseman has seen his share of NHL experience in New Jersey, looked to be a leader on the Jets blueline

#11: Chris Mason, 35, Goalie, 6'0, 200 lbs
Well-seasoned backup will look to mentor starter Ondrej Pavelec more it this year with the best of his NHL days behind him

#10: Ron Hainsey, 30, Defense, 6'3, 211 lbs
One of the biggest leaders and the old man on the Jets blueline will look to mentor a young Bogosian as a Jet

#9: Eric Fehr, 26, Right Wing, 6'4, 210 lbs
Hometown player will look to be the hometown hero with the Jets, already received well by hometown family, friends, and fans

#8: Nik Antropov, 31, Right Wing, 6'6, 240 lbs
Veteran winger makes another stop in Canada and looks to rebound after two subpar seasons in Atlanta

#7: Blake Wheeler, 25, Right Wing, 6'5, 214 lbs
Young, big, and talented winger looks to continue his hot play with the Jets organization fresh off a new two-year deal

#6: Bryan Little, 23, Center, 5'10, 190 lbs
Another young center looks to rebound after two seasons removed from 31 goals, tremendous upside and potential


Jets All Out Top 25 - Top 5 will begin this evening; watch for it!

Jets All Out Top 25: #18 Tanner Glass & #17 Chris Thorburn

#18 Tanner Glass, 27, Left Wing, 6’1, 210 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #18 Difference: N/A

#17 Chris Thorburn, 28, Right Wing, 6’3, 225 lbs
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #17 Difference: N/A


Rough and rugged, Tanner Glass cut his teeth with the Dartmouth College Big Green in from 2003-04 until his final year in 2006-07. Never known for his scoring touch in college hockey, he still managed to be near a point per game player in his final two years, scoring 28 points in both, while collecting 56 or more penalty minutes in both.

Before he even set foot onto Dartmouth ice, Glass was the Florida Panthers ninth round draft pick in 2003, 265th overall. Despite going unsigned until August 2007 by the Panthers, he would make his NHL debut in 2007-08 with the Panthers, playing in 41 games, collecting 39 penalty minutes and two points.

In 2008-09, Glass was named an alternate captain for the AHL’s Rochester Americans but was only able to appear in 44 games after suffering a season ending injury in early Feburary 2009.

Despite the injury, Glass never needed too much time in the AHL because of his type of play. His rugged, run-and-gun style was needed in the NHL versus the big goons who only fought. Glass would fight, hit, intimidate, and would chip in with 10-15 points in a season.

In 2009-10, Glass signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Vancouver Canucks and showed he fit in with the fast, high-octane scoring team. In his first season, Glass collected career highs in games played (67), goals (4), assists (7), points (11), and penalty minutes (115).

Resigned for the 2010-11 season, Glass played in 73 regular season games, collecting ten points (3 goals, 7 assists) and 72 penalty minutes while playing a grinder role. He appeared in 20 playoff games for the Canucks en route to the Stanley Cup Final, collecting 18 penalty minutes along the way.

Glass is a sure fit in Winnipeg with his leadership, experience, and his rugged style.

Along with Glass, long-time Atlanta Thrasher Chris Thorburn will also be a fan favourite for his rugged style of play.

Selected 50th overall in 2001, Thorburn took a while before cracking an NHL lineup full time. After a good junior career where he played for the North Bay Centennials (1999-2002), Plymouth Whalers, and the Saginaw Spirit (2002-03), Thorburn entered his first professional season in 2003-04 with the Rochester Americans.

He spent three full seasons in Rochester, improving his stats every season, with a career year in 2005-06 with 58 points (23 goals, 27 assists) and 134 penalty minutes (though down from 185 the year before).

The Sabres only gave Thorburn two games to show what he was made of, where he collected an assist and seven penalty minutes along with a minus one rating.

The next season, the Pittsburgh Penguins picked up Thorburn and he appeared in 39 games for them in 2006-07, scoring five points (3 goals, 2 assists) along with 69 penalty minutes and a plus one rating.

After one season in Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for a third-round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In Atlanta, Thorburn flourished and his style of play finally reached its potential in the NHL ranks.

In his first season in Atlanta, Thorburn scored 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) and garnered 92 penalty minutes in 73 games. In four seasons in Atlanta, Thorburn would collect 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) along with 362 penalty minutes in 313 games.

Both Glass and Thorburn play with an edge and are willing to drop the gloves to protect their linemates. Both are able to put the puck in the net, though they don’t exactly have soft hands. Both will definitely be fan favourites in Winnipeg for reasons other than scoring.

2011-12 Predictions: Jets Forwards

With the real dog days of summer upon us in full force, we're going to predict what we think the top four lines of the Jets will be for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

For the sake of being somewhat unpredictable, I think there may be some small surprises and some obvious guesses.

First Line: Ladd - Antropov - Kane
Nik Antropov's 6'6" frame is the largest body up front for the Jets by one inch over winger Blake Wheeler and thus is a no brainer to be the first line centre come opening night. But can he cash in with the team now that they have changed over to Winnipeg? He had career highs in Atlanta in 2009-10 with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists), although he was playing some of the season with Ilya Kovalchuk.

For Evander Kane, he only keeps getting better and his stock should rise high enough to be a first line player on this team, beating out Bryan Little. Kane collected 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in his sophomore season in 2010-11 and is only going to get better.

Andrew Ladd had a career season with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 2010-11 that eclipsed his previous career year of 49 points two seasons ago in Chicago. Ladd signed a five-year contract with the Jets as an RFA and is the team's captain going into the future. His success and leadership are the cornerstone of this team going forward.

Second Line: Little - Burmistrov - Wheeler
Alexander Burmistrov had a promising rookie season with a few highlight reel goals last season with 20 points in 74 games. Being put into the NHL so quickly after being the 8th overall pick last season, his learning curve could have been somewhat affected but his talent showed through some games and he can only get better.

On his wings are two of the more talented young wingers in the game. It will remain to be seen if Bryan Little takes a centre role within Claude Noel's offensive system or if he stays on the wing to use his speed down the side. Little is coming off two sub-par seasons with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 2009-10 and 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 2010-11 after he posted 31 goals and 51 points two seasons ago.

Blake Wheeler resigned a two-year deal this summer as an RFA with the Jets looking to be a big part of the offense after he had his most productive time in the NHL with the Thrashers scoring 17 points in only 23 games at the end of last season. At 6'5", Wheeler will be a big part of the offense.

Third Line: Fehr - Slater - Cormier
With the addition of Eric Fehr, the Jets third line will have some scoring threat, as Fehr scored 21 goals in 2009-10 and scored 10 or more in the last three seasons. Being the hometown Manitoba boy will make Fehr an instant fan favourite.

Jim Slater, a longtime Thrasher, will be the grit down the middle along with a young, gritty Patrice Cormier. Slater has 100 points in 371 career games over six seasons, all in Atlanta.

Cormier played in 21 games last year with the Thrashers collecting 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist).

Fourth Line: Glass - Maxwell - Thorburn/Rypien/Jaffray
The grit of Tanner Glass, Chris Thorburn, and Rick Rypien will definitely help the Jets be a gritty team and a hard team to match up against if these pests are on.

Thorburn, a Thrasher vet, has played his last four seasons in Atlanta scoring 65 points and collecting 362 PIMs in 313 games.

Rypien, a former Manitoba Moose, has had a long history in Winnipeg and should be a fan favourite after his time with the Vancouver Canucks. Rypien collected 226 PIMs and 16 points in 119 career games with the Canucks over the past six seasons.

Glass, who was a part of the Canucks run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring, has 233 PIMs and 23 points in 184 career games with Vancouver and the Florida Panthers.

Jason Jaffray, another ex-Moose, may be given another look at joining the team, as he became a big piece of the Moose franchise, especially in their run to the Calder Cup Finals in 2009. Jaffray has 10 points in 36 career NHL games with Vancouver and the Calgary Flames.

Rounding out the fourth line is centre Ben Maxwell, a piece of the Brent Sopel trade with Montreal. Maxwell, 23, had 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 12 games with the Thrashers after spending the last few years with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

Next In Line: Carl Klingberg at 6'3", 205 lbs. could be another big winger the Jets could be very happy with in the near future.

Kendal McCardle could finally have a chance to break into an NHL full-time as a third or fourth line grinder. But he has many grinders to leap frog to get into the lineup full time.

Aaron Gagnon has the potential to be a third or fourth line centre, but with the depth up the middle, his training camp could spell his fortune for the upcoming season.