The big surprise for Nick Brain's career was the shock semifinal run from the Winnipeg Aurora (then the Jets) in Season 57. Winnipeg was expected to be another middle of the pack, first round elimination type of team, and were set for a showdown against a capable Los Angeles Panthers outfit. The Panthers and Jets had some battles through the regular season that often came down to the goaltending, and this time around Strom Chamberlain outdueled Knox Booth to give the Jets the win.

The the Jets scored a second big win over the Edmonton Blizzard, who suffered the indignity of a cap penalty that skewered their depth defense, forcing them to play emergency SMJHL-level signings on 500k contracts for their third defense pairing. Strom Chamberlain had another strong series, and Winnipeg came back from a 3-1 deficit for a shock 7 game series win.

Unfortunately, Winnipeg ran out of luck against Hamilton, being ground into dust by the Steelhawks in 5 as they no doubt went on to win another Cup. However, Winnipeg surprised many with their semifinal run, and it created some optimism within the franchise as the shift to the Aurora branding took place. Of course, some of it hasn't been realized yet, but theres still some young forwards with promise on the team that may build off this surprising Season 57 semifinal showing someday.