Jets All Out Top 25 II: Honourable Mentions

We begin our second annual Jets All Out Top 25 player rankings with the honourable mentions - or the players who are on the cusp of making the list as they work their way up or even the players who have been here before and haven't quite confirmed a spot on the regular Jets roster.

Here are those honourable mentionees...

Meech returned from injury to help in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Derek Meech, 28, D, 5'11, 200 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention 
This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention
Difference: 0


Winnipeg native Derek Meech finds himself once again on the honourable mentions list.  Main reason being that his season was grossly shortened by a knee injury he sustained in the early part of the season after spending time with the Jets, including two games in uniform.  However, Meech did return to the St. John's Ice Caps lineup in time for the Calder Cup Playoffs which he was a big reason the team made it to the third round.  In 15 playoff games, Meech had nine points (four goals, five assists).


Arturs Kulda, 24, D, 6'2, 215 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked 
This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention
Difference: 0

Arturs Kulda caught many by surprise last season, even in the Jets management.  Kulda, a hulking, but still sizable looking defenseman, spent nine games early in the 2011-12 season with the Jets and did not look too out of place.  His play with the Jets rocketed him up the defensive depth chart, especially with the injury to Derek Meech and others throughout the season.  In 63 games with the Ice Caps, Kulda had 20 points (six goals, 14 assists).  As of now, Kulda is starting the 2012-13 season with the Novosibirsk Siber of the KHL.

Aaron Gagnon, 26, C, 5'11, 186 lbs

Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked
This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention
Difference: 0

The ex Seattle Thunderbird centre made a small impact late in the season with the Jets lineup decimated with injuries.  Gagnon played in seven games, mostly as a faceoff man to help the Jets struggling draw game.  Though he did not register any points, Gagnon was used in certain situations when needed on the fourth line and saw his stock rise a little.  In St. John's, Gagnon had 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 63 games and added nine points (five goals, four assists) in 15 playoff games.

Zach Redmond, 24, D, 6'2, 205 lbs

Last Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention
This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention
Difference: 0

Another player who saw their stock rise in a big way was defenseman Zach Redmond.  In his first professional league season at age 23, Redmond helped anchor the Ice Caps defense in St. John's in a big way.  In 72 games, he tallied 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists), which helped him earn a spot in the AHL All-Star Classic, and he had three points in ten playoff games.  Redmond shot up the defensive depth chart as well and will be looking to take another step up the ladder to the NHL.


Ben Maxwell, 24, C, 6'1, 195 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: 20

Ben Maxwell bounced around in 2011-12.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention

Difference: -10

Ben Maxwell's 2011-12 season was a strange one.  First he started the season in the Jets system, playing a few games with the Jets and in St. John's.  He was then waived and picked up by the Anaheim Ducks, played six games, scoring one assist and then spent the majority of the season with the Ice Caps scoring 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 43 games.  He was later reclaimed on waivers by the Jets and played nine games in total scoring five points (one goal, four assists).  Maxwell is a dark horse to make the team this season if he could jump ahead of top prospect Mark Scheifele and Patrice Cormier as a centre.

Ed Pasquale, 22, G, 6'3, 210 lbs

Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked

This Year's Ranking: Honourable Mention

Difference: 0

Eddie Pasquale made himself known with a solid rookie 2011-12 season.  Usurping Peter Mannino of the starting spot in St. John's after battling him and NHL veteran David Aebischer, Pasquale would go 23-12-1 with a 2.41 goals against and a .911 save percentage.  In the playoffs, Pasquale kept up his great play going 7-8-0 with a 2.41 goals against and a .917 save percentage as he anchored the Ice Caps to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.  At 22, Pasquale is another diamond in the rough who will only get better as he enters 2012-13 as the possible stater again.

Jets All Out Prospect Ranker 2012

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft approaches with new hopes for the Jets.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Though the Jets are one year old as of May 30, 2012, Jets All Out will celebrate it's first birthday on June 27th.

However, the NHL Entry Draft is always a time for teams to stock up talent for the future.

Simply put, it is one of the best highlights of the long, arduous, and sometimes painful summer months.

Before the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, we will rank the Top Five Jets prospects as of the end of the 2011-12 season.

Pasquale mobbed at Jets rookie tourney in BC in Sept 2011.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Prospect #5: Edward Pasquale, G, 21, 6'2, 216 lbs (117th overall in 2009 - ATL) 
(2011-12 Team: St. John's Ice Caps)
Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #5 Difference: N/A

Eddie Pasquale made himself known in the Jets prospect pool this season by putting together a stellar regular season while sharing the net with NHL veteran David Aebischer and Peter Mannino.

However, Pasquale took the reins of the Ice Caps crease and was the goalie down the stretch and into the Calder Cup Playoffs that saw the Ice Caps run all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in their first year back on "The Rock".

Pasquale, a fourth round pick in 2009, showed a great amount of poise in his second full season in pro hockey going 23-12-1 with a 2.41 goals against average along with a .911 save percentage during the season.

In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Pasquale had good numbers going 7-8 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .923 save percentage.

Pasquale will obviously need more time in the minors to develop, but his future just got alot brighter after a good 2011-12 season in the AHL.

Prospect #4: Ivan Telegin, C, 20, 6'3, 185 lbs (101st overall in 2010 - ATL) 

(2011-12 Team: Barrie Colts)

Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #4 Difference: N/A

It's a mere coincidence that Ivan Telegin is another Barrie Colt.  

Though drafted by Atlanta when he was playing for the Saginaw Spirit, Telegin was dealt to the Colts and finished his first season in Barrie with good numbers.

In 46 games he collected 35 goals and 29 assists for 64 points and represented Russia at the World Junior Championships at Christmas.

The 20 year old Telegin was able to play with fellow Jet pick Mark Scheifele during the season as well.

Telegin's 6'3 frame and his quick release are assets that the Jets are already drooling over and hope to develop him further.  Whether he stays another year in junior or comes up to the AHL after three seasons in the OHL, the Jets are in no hurry with their big, talented, Russian centre.

Prospect #3: Carl Klingberg, LW, 21, 6'3, 205 lbs (34th overall in 2009 - ATL) 

(2011-12 Team: St. John's Ice Caps/Winnipeg Jets)

Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #3 Difference: N/A

Going into the season, Klingberg was seen as a prospect that could pan out this season and possibly be a fixture on the Jets if he got on track right away.

For Kingberg, however, he was not ready for the big time this season, but his six games with the Jets this season showed what he is all about.

He possesses a big 6'3, 205 pound frame with agile skating and a nose for the corners and the net.  He even likened his play to that of Alexander Ovechkin.

In 66 games in St. John's, he netted 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) showing a gradual improvement in his first full season in North America.

If the Jets want the most out of their big Swedish winger, they need to let him develop properly and give him another year in the AHL.

Prospect #2: Paul Postma, D, 23, 6'3, 195 lbs (205th overall in 2007 - ATL) 

(2011-12 Team: St. John's Ice Caps/Winnipeg Jets)

Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #2 Difference: N/A

Obviously a steal in the seventh round in 2007, Postma continued to improve and develop in his third full AHL season.

With a three game stint to Winnipeg early in the season, fans believed that Postma may be a fixture on their blueline as early as the pre-season.

However, the Jets prospect put up great numbers in St. John's with 44 points in 56 games along with an AHL All-Star Game appearance.

For Postma, he has collected 118 points in 188 career AHL games.  If there is a spot to be had on the Jets blueline this upcoming season, Postma, who is also a RFA July 1st, may be battling for a spot.

Prospect #1: Mark Scheifele, C, 19, 6'2, 184 lbs (7th overall in 201 - WPG) 

(2011-12 Team: Barrie Colts/St. John's Ice Caps/Winnipeg Jets)

Last Year's Rating: N/A This Year's Rating: #1 Difference: N/A

Scheifele had one goal in seven games in 11-12.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

With seven games of NHL experience under his belt from last season, Mark Scheifele can take a sigh of relief after a whirlwind year.

He was taken many spots above where he was projected, taken seventh by the Jets.

Scheifele was then part of the Jets rookie tournament in Penticton, came to training camp, played well in the pre-season (among the league leaders in points), then played seven NHL games scoring his first NHL goal in the process, was sent back to Barrie, played in the World Juniors at Christmas, had a run to the second round of the OHL playoffs, and was finally called up and played 10 games in the Ice Caps run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

All in all, Scheifele was worked hard in his first season and took it in stride.

Many Jets fans have high hopes for Scheifele.  Although still 19, he represents the future of the franchise but has been projected to be a second line player if he sticks in the NHL by some.

For Scheifele, however, his development must be the most watched and least rushed.

If the Jets want the most out of Scheifele, a year, or even two, in the AHL would make him ready for the big time.

However, after the season Scheifele just had in 2011-12, he may be ready for the Jets lineup come training camp.

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.

Jets Trim Roster; Assign 20 To St. John's Ice Caps Training Camp

The Winnipeg Jets announced they have assigned 20 players to training camp of their AHL affiliate St. John's Ice Caps Tuesday afternoon.

Included in those 20 players are ex-Moose players Marco Rosa, Travis Ramsey, Kevin Clark, Mark Flood, Jason Jaffray, and Shawn Weller.

The Jets still have 36 players on their roster, which will need to be trimmed down again by opening night October 9th.

Also going down to the Ice Caps were goalies Chris Carrozzi, Peter Mannino, Edward Pasquale, defensemen Ben Chiarot, Arturs Kulda, Julian Melchiori, Zach Redmond, Cody Sol, and forward Shayne Wiebe, John Albert, Akim Aliu, Mike Forney, Riley Holzapfel, and Eric O'Dell.

Still on the team are both Mark Scheifele and Paul Postma, who have both had impressive pre-seasons so far with Scheifele leading the league in pre-season scoring and Postma chipping in heavily with two goals through three games.

The final 36 man roster of players still in camp includes 20 forwards, 10 defenseman, and three goalies as well as three injured players.

Also still on the roster looking to finally get some full-time NHL work are forwards Kenndal McArdle, Spencer Machacek, Jason Gregoire, Aaron Gagnon (injured), Carl Klingberg, Derek Meech, Randy Jones, Patrice Cormier, and Brett Festerling.

The Jets next play on Wednesday night at the MTS Centre against the Carolina Hurricanes.

That game is available on TSN-Jets and Sports Radio 1290 at 7:30 PM CT.

Jets Rookies Score Winning Record At YoungStars Tourney

It's been 15 years, but the Winnipeg Jets are back on the ice.

Well, their rookies are at least.

Amidst much play-by-play from Rogers Sportsnet Gene Principe saying that everything that happened on the ice in the Jets first game of the tournament - a 4-0 win over the San Jose Sharks rookies - was the first time things had happened in the team's new history.

And there's the first broken stick in Jets history.

More than a little much and ridiculous, the Jets still had a successful tournament in Penticton, BC.

That 4-0 win saw some great play from first round pick Mark Scheifele who scored a shorthanded, breakaway beauty and set up Manitoba native Jason Gregoire later in the game.

Despite a 2-0 set back against the Edmonton Oilers rookies in the second game, including the great play of Oilers rookie goalie Tyler Bunz.

This afternoon, the Jets rookies took home another shutout victory, this time shared by goalies Edward Pasquale and Chris Carrozzi, as they collectively blanked the Vancouver Canucks rookies 2-0.

Manitoba native Shayne Wiebe opened the scoring from Jason Gregoire at 8:24 of the first frame.

There was no scoring, despite the Jets dominating the game and the shot clock, until the third when Scheifele scored his second of the tournament at 11:36 of the third.

The Jets outshot the Canucks 35-18.

Next up for the Jets, and some of their rookies, is training camp which starts this weekend.

2011-12 Predictions: Jets Goaltending

Every good hockey critic, fan, GM, and coach knows that for an NHL team to be successful long term, goaltending is a must have item on their list.

Starting Goalie: Ondrej Pavelec
Jets GM Kevin Chevldayoff is no stranger to this notion nor is he a stranger to current Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec.

During the 2007-08 Calder Cup Playoffs, Pavelec was the goalie that took the Chicago Wolves, then managed by Cheveldayoff, to a Calder Cup championship, the second for Cheveldayoff in his AHL career.

Pavelec was stellar that season with a 33-16-3 record to go with a 2.77 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. He led the Wolves to the Calder Cup only losing eight games along the way.

Two seasons after, Pavelec, who was taken 41st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, was thrust into the starting position after the departure of former starter Kari Lehtonen to Dallas.

Pavelec went 14-18-7 with a 3.29 goals against average and a .906 save percentage in 2009-10. He followed that up with a 21-23-9 record with a 2.73 goals against average and a .914 save percentage last season, despite missing games due to a freak concussion incident at the beginning of the season in which he passed out on the ice.

Backup Goalie: Chris Mason
Looking at both Pavelec and other Jet goalie Chris Mason, it seems that Pavelec is the young starter and Mason the older statesman and mentor.

Mason, a former Nashville Predator and St. Louis Blue starter, went 13-13-3 with a less than stellar 3.39 goals against average and a .892 save percentage as the backup. That compared to his numbers a year ago in St. Louis where he was 30-22-8 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Third String: Peter Mannino
At the third spot is journeyman Peter Mannino, who played in two games last year in Atlanta, allowing five goals in 73 minutes of relief time. Mannino spent much of last season and the season before with the Chicago Wolves posting 42 wins in 80 games.

The sub-par numbers for both Pavelec and Mason may be the result of a bad situation in Atlanta, either coaching wise or just organization wise, but the fact of the matter is that both have to be much better moving forward.

Pavelec has shown steady improvement over the last two seasons, with his wins total creeping over 20 and his goals against average and save percentage numbers dropping. If Mason can regain his play from his last few years in St. Louis, he could push Pavelec to be better and have a duel in net.

Next In Line:
Edward Pasquale, 20, was the 117th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Thrashers and split his first professional season with the ECHL’s Gwinnett Gladiators and the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Pasquale had a success junior career in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit, posting 32 and 27 win seasons in his final two seasons. He went 11-11-4 with a 2.93 goals against average and a .900 save percentage with the Wolves last season.

Jason Kasdorf, 19, spent the last two seasons with the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, going 19-10-5 with a 2.58 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in 2009-10 and a 24-9-1 record with a 2.53 goals against average and a .912 save percentage last year en route to the MJHL title. Kasdorf was taken in the sixth routh, 157th overall by his hometown team in 2011 NHL Entry Draft and is now on his way to the USHL. If all goes well in the USHL this season, Kasdorf may be on his way to play for RPI.