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*roastpuff* · 11-24-2020, 07:22 PM

1961 words, ready for grading, double draft media

Flight School: Winnipeg Jets Draft and Prospect Report (S57 Edition)

Hello and welcome to another edition of Flight School: Winnipeg Jets Prospects and Draft Report! Last time, we looked at the S56 SHL Draft which was very successful for Winnipeg with the Jets drafting a very promising defensive talent and other gems acquired in the later rounds! Winnipeg’s prospect pipeline is steadily growing, and recent events have given the prospect pool a big boost although at the expense of a roster player.

Veteran Adam Barron, who many thought would be the successor to current franchise defender Slip McScruff, was traded to the Toronto North Stars. This was a huge blow to the Jets as Barron is currently 3rd in the S50 class, with nearly 1700 TPE to his name, and was poised to play a major role on the first pairing alongside veteran rearguard Slip McScruff. As a consolation prize, the return for Adam Barron was quite the haul, with promising two-way defender Sarah Burke and two first round picks in the S57 draft adding to the growing prospect pool that the Winnipeg Jets are amassing. This is in stark contrast to around season S53, when the Jets prospect pool was mainly made out of inactives and busted picks.

Without further ado, the S57 Draft Class for the Winnipeg Jets:

S57 Draft, in Descending Order:

5th Overall: Dwayne Gretzky, Forward, Newfoundland Berserkers

A two-way forward par excellence, Dwayne Gretzky made an impact in his season befitting his high pick status. With 12 points, 4 goals and 8 assists, Gretzky made the most out of his 8-minute average per game, and managed to hold his own as a rookie when faced with tougher competition. A balanced build, Gretzky is as responsible in his own end as he is in the offensive zone, and earns the trust of the coach every time he steps on the ice.

6th Overall: Freyja Hellström, Forward, Carolina Kraken Kraken

A left winger hailing from Södertälje, Sweden, Freyja Hellstrom brings a ferociousness belying her small stature, and more befitting to her name. Using her smaller frame to get open from checks and shadowing defenders, Hellstrom has a great shot that can fool goaltenders from any distance. Though not as large as many, Hellstrom has surprising strength, and can absorb punishing hits from opponents while still holding on to the puck. Shooting an absurd 17.5% last season, Hellstrom amassed 21 points, with 13 goals and 8 assists.

25th Overall: Vincent Mietitore, Goaltender, Anaheim Outlaws Outlaws

A goaltender blessed with cat-like reflexes, Mietitore had a great season with Anaheim, playing 36 games with 19 wins, 13 losses and 3 overtime losses - pretty good for a rookie netminder making his debut. Mietitore also had a respectable 3.08 GAA and 0.900 save percentage, leaving him mid-pack amongst goalies in the SMJHL that had more than 20 starts.

63rd Overall: Marabelle Octive, Forward, St. Louis Scarecrows

The latest pick in this draft for the Winnipeg Jets, Marabelle Octive spent the season with the St. Louis Scarecrows, where she managed to produce 11 points (9 goals, 2 assists) and led the team in penalty minutes with an eye-popping 91 PIM. Even though she spent a lot of time in the sin bin, Octive also led the Scarecrows forwards in terms of penalty kill time, with an average of over 2 minutes and 15 seconds per game spent short-handed. Hard-hitting, fast and ready to take on all comers, Octive is a physical player who can change the tide of a game.

S55/S56 Prospects:

S56 Jasper Maximov, Left Defense, Quebec City Citadelles

An offensively-talented defender, Maximov was one point shy of the defender points scoring lead for the Quebec City Citadelles, just behind Teylora Petrov. Maximov’s 27 points were split across 11 goals and 16 assists, showing that he had the hands to make a great shot as well as a perfect pass, and these skills also help him take away pucks from opponents or to disrupt shots. The Citadelles didn’t make it very far in the playoffs, but Maximov’s growth has been encouraging for the Winnipeg Jets who lack a truly dynamic offensive engine on the back end.

S56 Sarah Burke, Left Defense, Vancouver Whalers Whalers

Sarah Burke was one of the pieces that came back to Winnipeg from the Toronto North Stars as part of the blockbuster Adam Barron trade. You could in fact see her as Adam Barron, but female, and prettier, and a few seasons younger. Barron and Burke share a similar archetype, as two-way defenders that are slightly oriented towards offense, but can be employed anywhere on the ice in any role for the team. In other words, an extremely versatile player for the team, and a coach’s dream. Part of the stacked Vancouver Whalers team that won the S56 Four Star Cup, Burke was relied on to be a shutdown defender and she performed her role with aplomb, playing nearly 19 minutes a night, including an average of a minute and a half on the penalty kill, and maintaining a +16 plus minus. Even though she was not put in a scoring position, Burke still contributed to the offense with 16 points, with 3 goals and 13 assists, and had excellent ratings all-around.

S55 James Kimanje, Right Wing, Nevada Battleborn

Another piece in the Adam Barron trade, James Kimanje was a Detroit Falcons player who was picked by the Nevada Battleborn in the expansion draft, joining fellow Winnipeg Jet prospect Zelma Zuntnere there. Kimanje was a good contributor to the Battleborn’s great season, with 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists), a positive +6 plus/minus, and was an important part of the penalty kill with an average of 16 minute a night, with over a minute and a half of that spent on the shorthanded squad. With 81 shot blocks, Kimanje is definitely not afraid to put his body on the line for his team, and doesn’t hesitate to help out his goaltender by deflecting pucks. A true workhorse, Kimanje has immense stamina and can eat up minutes wherever the coach needs him to play.

S55 Zelma Zuntnere, Left Wing, Nevada Battleborn

Improving on her great season in S55, Zelma Zuntnere managed to lead the Nevada Battleborn in scoring with a 42-point season, scoring 23 goals and assisting on 19 others. Zelma also managed to mostly stay out of the penalty box, with a measly 2 PIM on the season, and put 140 shots on goal this season, among the leaders in the SMJHL in that regard. Zelma averaged about 17 and a half minutes per game, with roughly 2 minutes per game on the powerplay, and also managed to assist on a shorthanded point even though she doesn’t really do the penalty kill. With her 42 points, she ties for the 11th spot on the scoring lead, and was an integral part of the Battleborn offense.

S56 Jst Maro, Center, Quebec City Citadelles

Picked last year, Maro showed great improvement, nearly doubling his 17-point season with 33 points this time, and tying for 3rd in the Quebec City scoring chart. Maro was a great playmaker for the Citadelles with 9 goals and 24 assists to his credit, and was their power play specialist, scoring 12 points on the man advantage. He was also one of their ice time leaders, as he spent nearly 21 minutes on the ice per game, with an incredible 7 minutes of that being special teams time whether it be the penalty kill or the power play. Eclipsing the 100-shot mark, Maro was more of a volume shooter than a sniper with a 8.5% shooting percentage, but he often created rebounds out of those shots on net for his fellow teammates to feast upon.

S55 Victor Ball, Left Wing, Maine Timber Timber

Inactive. Sadly, Victor Ball for the Maine Timber has gone inactive, though he remained effective with the Maine Timber, contributing 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) this season.

S54/S55 Graduates

S55 Zakkira Diporov, Right Wing, Detroit Falcons Falcons

Zakkira Diporov had a pretty good season all things considered, with 27 points good enough for 3rd in team scoring on a rebuilding Detroit Falcons squad. With 12 goals and 15 assists, and over 110 shots on goal, Diporov also laid the most hits for the Falcons squad with 134 hits - some of which earned the ire of the officials, resulting in a 50 PIM record for the season. His 89 shot blocks also led the Falcons in that category, as he was heavily relied on by the coach on both sides of the ice, and on both special teams, averaging well over 2 minutes shorthanded and nearly 3 minutes a game on the man advantage. On special teams, Zakkira chipped in 9 power play points (5 goals, 4 assists) and two shorthanded points (1 goal, 1 assist), just behind Sammy Blaze who led all Falcons in scoring this season. Moving up to the Winnipeg Jets this season, Diporov will be relied on to provide stout defense on the 3rd line while chipping in offensively, and the heavy-hitting power forward should be a good fit there.

S54 Pojo Biscuit, Left Defense, Anchorage Armada Armada

Biscuit built on a great S55 season with another good season in Anchorage in S56, where he was 2nd in defender scoring just behind Alexei Petrikov with 27 points, comprising 10 goals and 17 assists. Pojo Biscuit also led the Armada with PIMs, spending 36 minutes in the no-no place, and was also the luckiest Armada (Armadan?) on the ice with a PDO of 101.2. Biscuit eclipsed 100 shots as a defender - not an easy task - and was a crucial part of the powerplay, notching 4 goals and 2 assists for a total of 6 points on the man advantage. His 76 shot blocks tops the charts for the Armada, he handed out 93 harsh hits this year, and 28 takeaways highlight his active stick. This season, he will be coming up to the Winnipeg Jets where he will likely be paired with veteran blueliner Tor Tuck, who recently signed a one-year contract with the Jets. Tuck will have lots to teach this young defender, and the two should be able to anchor down the 3rd pairing quite solidly.

Ending Remarks

This edition of the Winnipeg Jets Flight School Prospect Report is chock-full of new prospects to talk about! This year, the pipeline is full; the cupboards are stocked; the pool is pee-free; the wings are waiting - whatever phrase you want to use, the future looks bright in Winnipeg. Out of ten prospects currently in the minors, nine are active, and two are set to join the team in the upcoming season, instantly improving the third pair and the third line with their tough, no-nonsense attitudes. The season after that sees more talent ripening to join the Jets, and as older players age out there will be room made for the torrent of talent coming up to the big leagues.

Though the Jets lost quite a bit of TPE this off-season - two big-name, 1500+ TPE defensemen left; Adam Barron through a trade that he requested, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic Jr. through free agency, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves in a hopeful situation with promising prospects that will be ready to step into the SHL in a few more seasons. This sets up a window for them in two to three seasons to contend, as the current super teams face an aging roster and a cap crunch as their star players ask to be paid; the Jets should look toward that opening and maximize their chances there as chaos and turmoil hits the SHL landscape.

As always, this is your Flight Instructor, signing off for now! Fly safe!

Thunfish · 11-24-2020, 07:36 PM

I hereby pass my approval of this message via video game horn.

Muerto · 11-24-2020, 07:54 PM

Nice write-up Roasty!

***Chevy*** · 11-24-2020, 10:20 PM

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