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StamkosFan · 03-20-2019, 05:39 PM

Winnipeg regroups after the division leading Minnesota Chiefs score a goal.

To say that S46 has been an unusual season would be an understatement. It has left SHL's leading pundits baffled, as the projected champions of the East, the West Kendall Platoon, have been mathematically eliminated. Meanwhile, two teams that were expected to be scraping rock bottom, the Manhattan Rage and the Buffalo Stampede, sit at the top of their respective divisions and have clinched the playoffs. Manhattan has been a particular shocker, with rookie skaters Barret McCarthy and Mika Mayfield exploding on the scene and electrifying their fans right out of the gate. The Tampa Bay Barracuda, who had recently relocated and were the butt of many jokes thanks to the revolving door of GMs the franchise has had, have clinched a playoffs spot as well against all odds. Flip to the West and you have the projected juggernaut in the West, the Texas Renegades, fighting to claw their way into the last Western playoffs spot. Meanwhile, it's the Los Angeles Panthers and the Minnesota Chiefs leading their divisions, which few saw coming, as both squads have an aging core.

But one team's fall that was foreseen was the descent of the Winnipeg Jets, who have clinched the second to last spot in the league, accruing only 44 points. The only team behind them is the New England Wolfpack, who took a major step backward and only have 39 points this year. After losing multiple key players to retirement, including gritty power forward Pietra Volkova and lifelong Jet Zach Evans, the S44 Challenge Cup Champions are in an awkward position. They will be forced to wait for the next generation to blossom, but securing a 3-year extension of Ola Wagstrom for the absolute minimum ensures that they will keep a future super star.

"These things are very cyclical in this league. I think once I hit 1000+ TPE, we will really be hitting our stride and you'll see a re-emergence of the Jets as a dynasty. Look at all the young guys coming up the ranks; we're going to have some really great rookies entering the professional ranks next year. Slip McScruf and Michael Scarn are getting the call next year, and then you're going to have our top pick in last year's massive draft, Nick Brain, getting the nod the year after. I think you might see Dylan Karlsson, a personal friend of mine, two years from now as well. Jason Visser will still be solid in spite of regression too, and Gary Grease will be hitting peak performance, so I'm not worried at all," said Ola Wagstrom.

Wagstrom has not progressed as quickly as some expected, but his 24 point showing this year is significantly better than his dismal 8 point performance in his rookie year. He has been handling not only the offensive aspects of the game that he is known for, but also is receiving defensive minutes. He has been making regular appearances on the second penalty killing unit as well as being a fixture on the second power play unit. His 12 goals are third best on the teammate, and he has done this with one linemate who was an IFA. He has taken many shots at the net and generated opportunities, with elite advanced shot metrics, but has unfortunately been rather snakebitten, with a shooting percentage last year of under 9%. Even in his abysmal season last year, his shooting percentage was over 13%, so if it rebounds at all, he could be looking at a 20 goal season next year. Having Michael Scarn join him on power play, and having Slip McScruf drive the play from the defensive end, could be all it takes to push him into a top line quality forward.

"I really thought I could do better this year, but at least with increased minutes, I didn't do as poorly as in my rookie year. I think I adjusted to center very nobly; I've taken over 1000 faceoffs this year and won a little less than half of them. There's added defensive and positional responsibility with the move away from the wing. I wish Nicholas Williams hadn't left us so suddenly, I think things could've been different with him still as the second center and me on his wing. But we'll carry on, and though you're dea...I mean we'll come back stronger than ever a few seasons from now. I'm a Jet for life and I couldn't be more proud of our team, our players, our city and our management," said Ola Wagstrom.

Winnipeg will go into the draft with a lottery pick, and they could have a shot at landing the coveted first overall pick. Having a virtually guaranteed top three pick means that Winnipeg should get a meaningful addition to their crew, and have another prestigious top-three pick join Ola Wagstrom in the books. Who they will choose and at what position is still up in the air with the draft a long ways away. But one thing is for certain; with lots of promising youngsters on the way, Winnipeg is down but not out.

Boomcheck · 03-20-2019, 06:13 PM

Could've had a 20 goal scorer this past off-season.

Just saying.

***WannabeFinn*** · 03-20-2019, 06:18 PM

I’m loving that Winnipeg 2nd rounder

karlssens · 03-20-2019, 07:06 PM

Can still play spoiler to my blizz. Please don’t show up.

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