Onrdrej Pavelec's Five-Year Deal Cements Jets Core Players Want To Stay

Pavelec signed a 5-year deal worth $3.9 annually.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

As TSN 1290's Hustler & Lawless interviewed Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff Monday afternoon mere hours after signing the Jets undisputed number one goalie in Ondrej Pavelec, there was a sense that maybe the Jets have something really good going on here in Winnipeg.

For the Jets, who were seemingly deep in a hole after Pavelec was offered a one-year contract to play in the Kontinental Hockey League at a price tag north of $5 million, they have seemed to rebounded in good timing and locked up their budding goalie.

But once the deal was reportedly off the table from the KHL, it was apparent that both Pavelec and agent Allen Walsh had lost a bargaining chip to help them get a contract with larger dolllar figures.

However, it is Pavelec's reaction to signing the five-year deal that is interesting and very hopeful for both Jets brass and fans.

"That's all I was looking for, to stay in a city you like."

"They have great fans there and I always said I like Winnipeg.  It's behind me now and I'm just looking forward to success in Winnipeg." (Winnipeg Free Press, 06/25/2012)

Coming off a career season, in which he posted a career high in wins with 29, the Jets not only got a slight pay raise at $3.9 million annually, but is looking to ramp up his play and improve his less than stellar 2.91 goals against average and .906 save percentage.

But Pavelec's decision to stick in Winnipeg as the number one goalie must prove a significant point that the Jets seem to be going about matters and dealings with their players in a professional and caring way.

During the days of True North's ownership of the Manitoba Moose, there were certain core players that seemed to stick around year to year, including Jason Jaffray, Mike Keane, Nolan Baumgartner, and now a member of the Jets player development squad Jimmy Roy.

It's no secret that True North, including Mark Chipman, Craig Heisinger, and Kevin Cheveldayoff, continue to breed a culture that makes their players, whether top or bottom of the barrel, welcome in Winnipeg infused with a want to play here.

Pavelec's signing cements the idea that he wants to play in Winnipeg.

Ondrej Pavelec posted a 29-28-9 record in 2011-12.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

He did not file for arbitration nor outright refuse the contract.

Pavelec wanted to play in Winnipeg and made sure it got done sooner rather than later.

As a core player, his signing is significant because of the other qualifying offers Cheveldayoff has handed out.

As was with Andrew Ladd last summer and now Jim Slater and Ondrej Pavelec this summer, Jets fans and pundits alike will not have to wait long for additional signings to come around, including another core player in Evander Kane.

One thing is for sure, if he signs, see that he will say he wants to stay in Winnipeg.

Baby Jets Showing Bright Future For Jets Franchise

With a seventh game win in the second round over the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Ice Caps are on to their first Eastern Conference Final in St. John's.

Remembering back to the 2006-07 season when, as a Montreal Canadiens fan, I saw Carey Price almost singlehandedly help the Habs AHL affiliate the Hamilton Bulldogs win the Calder Cup, I thought the future would be bright for the Habs.

I was right in one thing - Price is a bright part of the future and present, but besides that not much else has been something of note for the Habs as they traded the biggest stars that were on that team (Grabovski, D'Agostini, Lapierre, and Halak).

But if there is something to be said about how an professional sports organization builds itself, then the Winnipeg Jets are on the right track.

After moving the former Manitoba Moose franchise to Newfoundland, the winning ways have not seemed to stop.

Not only did the St. John's Ice Caps win an Atlantic Division title in their first season on the rock, but they are on their way to the franchise's third conference final and first as the Ice Caps.

The last time the franchise was there was during the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs when the former Moose got by the Houston Aeros in six games and made their only appearance in the Calder Cup Finals.

But for the Moose franchise, the Jets took what was a winning tradition - one conference championship, two division championships, and a regular season title - and transferred it into their own organization.

The Moose's success was primarily based on Canucks prospects and personnel mixed in with whatever GM Craig Heisinger could find to bolster the lineup.

But in St. John's, Heisinger is both the GM of the Ice Caps and assistant GM of the Jets, which helps him to be in a position of strength to make his baby Jets as good as they can be.

With former Moose Jason Jaffray leading the way as captain, the Ice Caps have the same core of players that left Winnipeg for St. John's last year as Moose players, namely Marco Rosa, Travis Ramsey, Kevin Clark, Tom Maxwell, and Garth Murray.

The commitment to winning and to being dedicated to developing relationships with players shows how committed the Jets are to breeding success at the AHL level.

Not only are those Ice Caps players, former Moose players, making a difference in the playoff run, but the young Jet prospects - including Eddie Pasquale, Paul Postma, and other pickups like Brock Trotter, Aaron Gagnon, and Maxime Macenauer are making a difference.

With winning in the minors breeds winning in the big leagues - and as Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff keeps preaching his philosophies on how the Jets are going to properly and slowly develop their top prospects, there is no doubt that players who are Jets draft picks will look forward to playing under head coach Keith McCambridge in St. John's.

Across the Jets Stream - Vol. 1, Issue 3 - September 16, 2011

Welcome to Across the Jets Stream.

Jets Official Media Day
Thursday, the day before training camp officially starts, was Jets media day.

All Jets players took part in taking pictures, videos, and all the paraphernalia for the upcoming season and its media coverage.

You can take a look at many of the pictures at the Jets official site here.

In the pictures, you can see Jets Ron Hainsey, Andrew Ladd, Ondrej Pavelec, and Chris Mason taking part in on and off-ice photo shoots.


Official Jets Training Camp Schedule & Roster
This week, the Jets released their official training camp roster and pre-season schedule.

You can visit the official site here for all the details, including an additional four players who have been invited to Jets training camp - Troy Bodie, David Koci, Janne Pesonen, and David Aebischer.

Teams at camp can also be found via Illegal Curve here.



Byfuglien Arrives In Winnipeg
Dustin Byfuglien finally arrives in Winnipeg despite all the happenings of early this month/late August in the US on his suspicion of boating intoxicated.

He held a press conference when he arrived and you can view that here.


PK & PP On The Minds of Jets?
Winnipeg Free Press' Gary Lawless with a very good piece on the strengths and weaknesses of last year's Jets in Atlanta - mainly their PK and powerplay.

You can read the article from the Free Press here.


Heisinger - Tough To Let Moose Go
With the season under a month away, Jets assistant GM Craig Heisinger still has an affinity for his old team - the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Read his reaction to the NHL and everything about the Jets brass via the Winnipeg Free Press here.


Veteran Likes Jets Movement
Winnipeg Sun's Ted Wyman on the youth movement of the Jets and how there are only a handful of players over 30. He points out certain players, including Alex Burmistrov.

You can read Ted's article via the Sun here.


Versatility An Asset For Wellwood
Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun talks about how newly signed Kyle Wellwood will use his versatility in many different roles to make a lasting impression in Winnipeg.

Read Ted's article here.

Meet The Jets Front Office

The Winnipeg Jets have finally confirmed their hockey operations and training staff as the season approaches.

In addition to already named General Manager and Executive Vice-President Kevin Cheveldayoff and Senior Vice-President & Director of Hockey Operations Craig Heisinger, the Jets rounded out their entire hockey operations staff with former Thrasher employees and some familiar, local faces.

Larry Simmons, who served in capacities as the Assistant GM and Special Events Coordinator for the Thrashers, was named Assistant to the GM.

In the scouting area, Mark Dobson, who was with the Thrashers for their 12 years in Atlanta, has been retained as the Pro Scouting Director. He will have Pro Scouts Jack Birch, John Perpich, and Bruch Southern.

Marcel Comeau has retained his position as Director of Amateur Scouting with the Head Scout being Mark Hillier.

Rounding out the Amateur Scouting Staff are Tavis MacMillan (US), Chris Snell (OHL), Keith Sullivan (US), Scott Scoville (WHL), Ed Friesen, Yanick Lemay, and Pat Carmichael.

For European scouting, Evgeny Bogdanovich has retained his role as Head European Scout with Fredrik Jax as the other European scout.

Ryan Bowness, who served as Manager of Player Development & Hockey Administration with the Thrashers last season, has been retaineed as Manager of Hockey Operations & Team Services.

The Jets brought in ex-Moose Jimmy Roy as Director of Player Development. Roy, a fan favourite in his nine seasons with the Moose in both the IHL and AHL, is the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (603), goals (102), and penalty minutes (1,434).

Rounding out the Training Staff are all ex-Moose staff, including Head Athletic Therapist Rob Milette. Milette joined the Moose in 2002 and remained with the team until the end of the 2010-11 season.

He is joined by Assistant Athletic Therapists Brad Shaw & Lee Stubbs, who specializes in strength & conditioning.

Jason McMaster is the Jets Head Equipment Manager. with Mark Grehan and Mike Flaman serving as Assistant Equipment Managers.

Al Pritchard serves as the Jets Massage Therapist.