Zach Bogosian, And His 2008 Draft Compadres
Dimitri Filipovic
October 17 2012 08:57AM
A lot can happen in four years. Every four years we have a leap year, we get to watch the spectacle that is the Winter Olympics, and we're treated to the World Cup. Four years is also the length of time a running back in the NFL tends to remain relevant.
For these purposes, though, the four year window has a different sort of significance. It has been four years since the much-heralded 2008 NHL entry draft. On June 20th, 2008 we witnessed 12 defensemen get taken in the first round, with four of the first five picks being blueliners.
Taking a defensemen that high is a questionable strategy, given what we know about their developmental curves and success rate of panning out. But it's hard to argue with the results of this particular draft.
Click Past the Jump to Read More.
Chatting With Jets Prospect Carl Klingberg
Dimitri Filipovic
October 15 2012 09:52AM
This past week, I wrote about the fact that despite the NHL being locked out, there are things going on that should peak the interest of Jets fans. One of the main attractions that I mentioned are the St.John's IceCaps, who just kicked off their 2012-13 season.
The team is filled with intriguing Jets prospects, that could easily be called upon to make an impact in Winnipeg once the season finally starts. One of those guys is Carl Klingberg, who was one of the leading point getters for the 'Caps last season.
I had the opportunity to talk to him recently, about a medley of subjects.
Click Past the Jump to Read the Chat.
What Can We Expect from Alex Burmistrov?
Dimitri Filipovic
October 12 2012 10:10AM
When you're selected 8th overall, you enter the picture with rather large expectations. In a vacuum, 48 points in 150 career games is not an acceptable scoring rate for an offensively gifted forward. But the problem with that is that you can't necessarily evaluate what Alex Burmistrov has done thus far in a vacuum, just by looking at his point totals.
From his 2010 draft class, 20 fellow first rounders have yet to lace up the skates in an NHL game. Of the ten that have, only Tyler Seguin and Cam Fowler have played in more games than Burmistrov. But for me, the most important fact to take into account is that he has yet to turn 21 years old.
While there are many casualties of the lockout - fans, employees, older players with only so much playing time left in their legs - the young Russian center may very well be one of its biggest beneficiaries. What can we expect from Burmistrov for not only this year, but the future as well?
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What To Watch For During The Lockout: Part 1
Dimitri Filipovic
October 10 2012 09:49AM
All is not lost, Jets fans.
It must seem like last season was a cruel April Fools joke by the 'hockey gods' - after 15 years of being out of commission, Winnipeg was given a taste of professional hockey goodness, only to have it taken away all over again. But this time around, there are Jets-related stories to follow throughout the fall, to quench your thirst for puck.
A number of prominent Jets have taken their talents overseas, for as long as the lockout drags on. ESPN has recently announced that they will be televising KHL games, which is an interesting wrinkle to this ongoing saga.
We'll get to the specifics of it all in Part 2 of this series, but today, we'll be focusing on the North American options - junior hockey, NCAA hockey, and the AHL.
What The Jets Need To Do To Take The Next Step In '13
Dimitri Filipovic
September 27 2012 09:14AM
(Welcome Dimitri Filipovic to JetsNation. Dimitri is normally a Canucks blogger, but has agreed to fill in around here from time to time)
The 2011-12 season was a great one for the Winnipeg Jets franchise.
In the spring of '11, things seemed bleak for the then moribund Atlanta Thrashers, having lost their signature player (Ilya Kovalchuk), and nearly everything else imaginable. The team had missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season (after having qualified for the first time back in '06-'07) and had no real following. If you were once a Thrashers fan, and you take offence to that, I apologize. But you're a rare breed.
Even though they failed to make the playoffs in their first season in Winnipeg, they gave ample reason for renewed optimism. There are numerous exciting young pieces present - that should be there for the long haul - with reinforcements on the way, in the form of strong prospects. And their fans are all sorts of rowdy. That's something that you can build off of and get behind. There's still plenty of growth, and development that needs to take place, but what we saw last year was encouraging.
But remember, if you're not moving forward, you're moving backwards. And it's time for this franchise to do the former. What needs to happen for them to build off of last year's revitalizing season?
Read Past the Jump for More.
