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 Top 25 II: #21 Mark Scheifele

Mark Scheifele's 2011-12 season was a busy one.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Mark Scheifele, 19, C, 6’2, 184 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked
This Year's Ranking: #21
Difference: +4

Surprising as this may seem, but Mark Scheifele's entrance into the Jets Top 25 players in the organization is more than earned.

Scheifele, who started the season in Winnipeg with only one goal in seven games, made his mark as the first Jets draft pick as the reincarnated team took him seventh overall in 2011.

Not only was his stock rising at that point, but it continued to rise all season, throughout his season in Barrie with the Colts, where he scored 63 points (23 goals, 40 assists) in 47 games, to the World Juinors and onto a playoff appearance with the St. John's Ice Caps, where he collected one assist in 10 games.

Not only was Scheifele the busiest Jets prospect, he was the busiest Jet period.

And to think that the Jets 19 year old pick was playing Junior B hockey only three years ago.  That's not a place where many top 10 draft picks come from.

However, Scheifele's development continues and the Jets will be patient with him as he may progress into an NHL spot if he competes hard in camp.

With less jobs open this camp, another year in junior may be beneficial as he would be a dominant player with another year under his belt as well as NHL experience.

Scheifele did explode onto the scene in the 2011-12 NHL pre-season, but quickly died down to a third liner in his seven games in Winnipeg.

There's still more than enough excitement for Scheifele to wear a Jets blue jersey in Winnipeg and for good reason - he is going to be an impact player for the Jets in the future.

Another year older and experienced and Mark Scheifele is looking to make another big step forward.

Jets All Out Top 25 II: #22 Spencer Machacek

Machacek's great play earned him a new contract.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Spencer Machacek, 23, RW, 6’1, 200 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: Not Ranked
This Year's Ranking: #22
Difference: +3

Spencer Machacek made his mark on the new Winnipeg Jets organization towards the end of the 2011-12 season by scoring nine points (two goals, seven assists) in thirteen games on a fourth line role.

Because of Machacek's gritty, selfless play, veteran Tanner Glass was deemed expendable.

Adding to that, the Jets recently re-signing the 23 year-old right winger and you can see how the Jets brass liked what they got from the gritty winger.

Machacek spent three seasons in the Atlanta Thrashers organization after being the 67th overall pick in the third round in 2007.

He showed gradual improvement, but was, at best, a second line productive winger in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, scoring an AHL career high 53 points (21 goals, 32 assists) in 67 games in 2011-12.

That season made the Thrashers look at him for 10 games, in which he was held pointless.

But in his 13 games in the NHL with a new blue jersey on, Machacek made good on another full season of development in the AHL as he spent 61 games in St. John's collecting 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) and seeing his stock rise steeply.

For Machacek, despite having the new contract extension, he still has to compete with the likes of Patrice Cormier for a fourth line enforcer role.

He showed us last year he was willing to drop the mits and could also chip in offensively, so perhaps his ceiling is more than a fourth liner - maybe a third liner who can score 10-15 goals in a good season.

Whatever his ceiling may be, Machacek is another diamond in the rough the Jets have happily inherited.

Jets All Out Top 25 II: #23: Paul Postma

Paul Postma has nowhere to go but up for the Jets.
(Photo Courtesy Yahoo! Sports)

Paul Postma, 23, D, 6’3, 184 lbs
Last Year's Ranking: #25
This Year's Ranking: #23
Difference: +2

Paul Postma's stock rose the highest this past season with an AHL All-Star appearance and a few games of NHL experience, not to mention a solid pre-season that had him vying for a spot of the Winnipeg Jets blueline to start the season.

For the Jets young, most promising defenseman and seventh round pick in 2007, it was a banner year on which he definitely built for his future success.

Now for the next step.

Postma completed his third season in the AHL (though the last two seasons have been intermittently put on hold with NHL call-ups) scoring 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists) in 56 games.

His point-per-game production at the AHL level went up after he posted 45 points (12 goals, 33 assists) in 69 games in his sophomore AHL season and 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 63 games in his rookie AHL season.

But it's not his point-per-game production that is the most impressive - it's his ability to quarterback the powerplay and he did it very well in St. John's this season.

Of his 13 goals with the Ice Caps, seven game on the man advantage.  

Add to that his only goal in the playoffs was on the powerplay, which accounted for one of his ten points in 15 playoff games.

His prowess on the power play was on full display during the pre-season in Winnipeg last year and Jets fans were able to see how well their young defenseman could handle the pressure of the power play in the NHL - at least during exhibition.

For Postma, the next big step is to crack the top six and push someone out of the way en route to becoming a full time defenseman.  

Being behind the likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, Mark Stuart, Ron Hainsey, and Grant Clitsome has it's challenges, but if Postma has a strong camp and continues to develop his defensive game, which has been at times lacking, Postma should have a legitimate shot at the Jets lineup come opening night.

Despite his great offensive numbers in the AHL, Postma has been a minus player the past two seasons, and dipped to -14 this season from -4 a year ago.

With defensive coach Charlie Huddy's work with Zach Bogosian this past season - taking Bogosian from a -18 and -27 in Atlanta to a -3 last season - Postma has only to improve on his defensive aspects.

Jets All Out Top 25 II: #24 Carl Klingberg

Carl Klingberg played six games in Winnipeg this season.
(Photo Courtesy Getty Images)

Carl Klingberg, 21, LW, 6'3, 205 lbs 
Last Year's Ranking: #24
This Year's Ranking: #24
Difference: 0

Carl Klingberg's first full professional season in North America was one that saw the young, hulking winger make a steady progression into the style of the game splitting time between the AHL and NHL.

Klingberg, 21, who played six games for the Jets, when the forward corps was decimated with injury, did not post up any points for the Jets through limited ice time on the fourth line.

For the young Swedish forward, perhaps recalling him was more detrimental to his development than helpful, in that, his 37 points in 66 games in St. John's with the Ice Caps saw him in the a top two line role most of the season.

The Jets have a diamond in the rough with Klingberg and will need to process his development thoroughly and systematically - that is, not rush him.

As with Mark Scheifele, Klingberg finds himself in the group of young Jets players who are seen as the big, up-and-coming stars.  Klingberg and Scheifele join players like Paul Postma, Zach Redmond,  Jacob Trouba, and Ivan Telegin among a few others as the players the Jets are relying on for their future.

With the Jets approach to development being patient and cautious, Klingberg's first season was more of a test to see how he would take to the North American game.

However, Klingberg took to it well enough to show he is improving his game and showing his Alex Ovechkinesque personality.

Though he virtually disappeared come playoff time for the Ice Caps (only two points in twelve games), Klingberg's size and raw skill are still being refined and honed in the Jets system.

Ranked 24th for the second straight season, Klingberg was seen as an outside chance to make the Jets, but if he has a strong season in the top six or top three in St. John's, his stock and ranking will ultimately rise.

Jets All Out Top 25 II: #25 Patrice Cormier

Patrice Cormier finally finished a full pro season in 2011-12.
(Photo Courtesy Getty Images)

Patrice Cormier, 22, C, 6'2, 205 lbs 
Last Year's Ranking: #19
This Year's Ranking: #25
Difference: -6

Don't get me wrong, I like Patrice Cormier.  

He has grit, size, motivation, and an underlying sense of how to play both ends of the rink. 

But his 2012-13 season was not impressive at all to say the least - at least not for a former second round draft pick.

Now before I get jumped on, let me acknowledge that even Cormier was happy that he was being shipped up and down between the NHL and AHL.  

And that he was fine with playing in the minors.

Why?

Because he finally played a season where he was mostly healthy all year long.

Cormier tallied 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in his 56 games in St. John's and spent nine games in a Jets uniform when the NHL club needed to fill its roster due to injuries.

In a Jets uniform, Cormier turned to play more responsibly and smartly than I thought he would for having yet another season of being bounced between the NHL and the AHL.

For Cormier, a full year in St. John's should have been the order of the day, but due to injuries, the Jets could not afford to keep him down there when they needed players.

His grit is something the Jets desperately need and they were and are not getting it in spades from the likes of Chris Thorburn or Tanner Glass, who is now gone.

Cormier's chance of making the Jets in 2012-13 will be dependent on his defensive game because the Jets are not looking at plugging the 22 year old into the top two lines, but into the bottom two as a checking forward who may pot 5-10 goals a year.

Far be it for me to suggest Cormier could be the Jets future scrapper (at least he would be a little more productive than a Thorburn offensively too), but Cormier looks like the perfect candidate there and if he has his act cleaned up which looked like it was this season, he may have an outside chance at a job.

If not, a full year in the AHL wouldn't hurt his chances the year after with Thorburn in a contract year.

Either way, a healthy Cormier is a good thing for the Jets because a young scrapper can always win a spot if the old dog can't do the job anymore.

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.