Not long ago, the Winnipeg Jets and True North Sports Entertainment previously announced that they will be moving their AHL affiliate home to Winnipeg next season.

This coincides with a large youth movement to the team, as the organization has many players graduating from junior and college. The AHL gives hockey fans another possible hockey outlet in Winnipeg.

Let’s take a look at some of the players who playing for the Jets’ AHL affiliate after the jump.

Remove Connor Hellebuyck, and the IceCaps are one of the worst teams in the league. They’ve been effectively outshot in the first two periods (a decent estimation of Fenwick-close) and almost every player is at or near career lows for shooting percentage. Because of these factors, all non-rookie AHL players have this and last seasons numbers combined.

Armia has struggled in finding his first goal as an IceCap, despite being an effective scorer for the Rochester Americans with a 0.76 PPG pace this season prior to the trade. Armia is a former first round pick and part of the return package for Zach Bogosian, Evander Kane, and Jason Kasdorf. He’s tall, fast and offensively gifted, but not overly physical; think Blake Wheeler-lite.

Like most IceCaps, Lipon has found his scoring numbers slumping this season. Lipon does two things and he does them very well: distribute the puck and get under opponents skin. Lipon is a physical pest and playmaker hybrid, something that is not exactly that common. While not above the average player size, Lipon is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with any player or fighter.

Kosmachuk was a very successful goal scorer throughout junior. While he struggled early in the season, his offense has picked up in his rookie AHL season. He has a decent wrist shot and a nose for the net. He’s not afraid to get in the dirty areas and can grind it up.

In the AHL Brassard has performed like your prototypical bottom-six winger. All north-south and no east-west. He plays physical and protects the puck well, but not an effective point scorer. Next season will be his final year on his ELC and he will need to pick up some offense if he hopes for a contract extension.

In junior Olsen was well respected for his defensive game, which has translated well in the AHL thus far. Thus far he has scored similarly to Brassard’s rookie season last year, although Brassard did that on a higher scoring team. If Olsen is to play in the NHL, offensive production will not be the reason for his promotion, but he will need to develop a bit more to make the next level.

O`Dell this summer will have a similar contract situation as Zach Redmond did the previous summer. He currently holds RFA status, but will ultimately end up an unrestricted free agent due to insufficient NHL games this season. There is very little chance the Jets’ affiliate sees their best offensive player over the last three seasons return.

Albert earned himself an ELC after playing a few seasons on AHL only contracts for the IceCaps. He has developed a bit of a scoring game, but his value comes in his defensive play and elite (for the AHL) penalty killing.

Cormier is a recognizable face for most Jets fans, as he’s been a pretty common call up when the injury bug has impacted Winnipeg. He plays a physical game and is respected for his face off abilities. Like many of these players though his NHL window is all but closed.

Holland came with Budaj as a return for Eric Tangradi, since then he has not contributed much. In 19 games with the IceCaps Holland has one assist and only seven shots on goal.

The Jets’ AHL affiliate may gain much of their offensive production back from Petan in what they could lose with O`Dell. Petan has been an elite point scorer in the WHL for three consecutive seasons. His combination of skating, tenacity, and IQ makes him a likely candidate for effective transition into pro despite his smaller stature.

De Leo is the only player on this list not currently signed to a NHL contract next season. Due to his birthdate, the Jets could choose to play De Leo in the AHL or let him play out his OA season in the WHL much like they did with Lukas Sutter. De Leo has been a strong scorer although he might not be ready as an overall player.

While De Leo and Lodge are more likely to under perform their AHLEs due to play style, Copp is probably a player likely to over perform his AHLEs due to his play style. Copp already plays a very pro-like game and has played in the NCAA against older competition than his junior compatriots. There is a chance that Copp makes the Jets, replacing Jim Slater.

Lodge looks very much like an underdeveloped Mark Scheifele. He is tall and lanky with awkward skating mechanics, but also possessing great offensive skills, especially in puck distribution. At one time Lodge was the target for inconsistent effort and playing too much on the perimeter criticism, but these have decreased in his most recent season. 

At 6’6, Blomqvist is extremely tall. He does not use that size of his to be overly physical with bone-crushing hits, but he does use it to shield the puck while driving to the net or distributing from the boards. For someone of his stature, Blomqvist possesses very soft hands and can make plays in small spaces.

AHL teams tend to have a very large turnover in non-NHL contract players. While the IceCaps have been pretty loyal to their players, the added variable of an AHL franchise moving to St. John’s to replace the Jets’ affiliate leaves most of these players as unknowns to return.

Jason Jaffray has been a leader on the team and a staple to the organization even back in the Manitoba Moose days. He is getting older though and has struggled with injuries.

Kyle MacKinnon is a decent secondary AHL scorer for the bottom-six and an excellent penalty killer.

Chase Balisy was a rookie signed by the IceCaps after not being offered an ELC from the Nashville Predators. He started off strong as the IceCaps best offensive producer early, but has since settled down.

The Jets affiliate is not nearly as strong on the backend as it once was when it hosted Paul Postma, Zach Redmond, Arturs Kulda, and Derek Meech. Kichton though is a pretty strong player, especially on the offensive end of the ice. His point production has faltered like many of the IceCaps, although predominately in the assist column.

O`Neill plays a very high-event game. He likes to pinch and can often cause odd-man rushes against, but also produces a tonne. His defensive game has improved over the past few seasons. O`Neill was a player given a NHL contract after a few seasons servicing the IceCaps on an AHL only contract, much like Albert.

Brouillette was added to the organization for some additional depth in case of call ups. He has been a decent point producer at the AHL level and has sustained high shooting percentages for more than one season. Brouillette can handle top-four minutes effectively.

Ellerby is a familiar face to Jets fans as he was a regular roster player for Winnipeg in the 2013-14 season. He is a decently effective AHL defender while being strong enough to call up in a pinch.

Melchiori was once considered one of the Jets better prospects. He is big and physical defensive defender who can also move the puck with strong skating and puck distribution. The game though hasn’t come together for the young defender.

Kostalek does not project as an offensive producer at the pro-level. Neither his slap shot nor his wrist shot is overly powerful. He has picked up a decent amount of points though in junior by pushing the play forward effectively and also getting pucks at the net for his teammates to redirect or rebound. Kostalek has played pro-level previously as a sixteen year old in the Czech professional league.

Both of these players graduated from Colorado College this past week and were given ATO to practice and play with the IceCaps. If they impress, they will either get an AHL or NHL contract for next season. Neither have been overly effective in the NCAA level, although have played for very weak teams. Stoykewych is more of a puck mover and Harstad is more defensive with a hard slap shot.

Serville is a former teammate of both Andrew Copp and Jacob Trouba over at Michigan. Like Harstad and Stoykewych, Serville has not produced at the NCAA level despite playing for a fairly strong team. Serville has not been offered a ATO like Harstad and Stoykewych, so his probability of being seen in Winnipeg next fall is even less likely.

The IceCaps lost a lot of defensive depth over the past three seasons.

None of these defenders are particularly effective at the AHL level to play regular top-four minutes.

Hellebuyck, also known as rookie sensation, has made a clean transition into pro-hockey after graduating from the college last season with the NCAA’s best career save percentage of all time. While 1617 shot sample isn’t large enough to define talent with high certainty, his strong start just adds another plus to his already impressive resume. To compare, Ondrej Pavelec had a 0.912 AHL career, while Michael Hutchinson carried 0.917 AHL career numbers.

Comrie is another promising young goaltender. He graduates the WHL next season with a 0.916 career save percentage, and one of the better performers relative to league average in CHL history. With Hellebuyck likely in the AHL for another season, it will be interesting to see if the Jets play Comrie in the ECHL for more playing time.

Olkinuora was a promising free agent signing after posting solid numbers in the NCAA. He has had ups and downs, but goaltenders are voodoo as they say. The Jets may extend Olkinuora to play as Hellebuyck’s back up next season, although they could always go with another option as well.

Budaj came with Holland from the Eric Tangradi trade. The IceCaps seem to have no confidence in Budaj, and his performance has not exactly seemed to give any evidence that there should be some. It is likely that the Jets move on.