The Winnipeg Jets are now less than three weeks away from opening their 2026-27 NHL season at home against the Boston Bruins. The Jets are also a bit over a month away from hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Princess Auto Stadium for the 2026 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, with tickets for all games of the 2026-27 season on sale now. The long days of the NHL off-season are almost over, as we’re now six days away from pre-season games.

With the conclusion of the “goals and expectations” series last week, it’s time we turn to more Jets prospects news as we prepare for the NHL pre-season. Before the main club hits the ice on September 19th against the Oilers, Jets prospects played two games this weekend at the 2026 Prospect Challenge in Quebec. Saturday afternoon saw the Jets get a win against the Canadiens prospects, while Sunday the Jets were defeated in a close game against the Maple Leafs prospects.

Saturday’s first game featured the Jets and Canadiens, and it was the first time Jets fans got to see their 2026 1st round pick Viggo Bjork in a Jets jersey. Viggo Bjork played on a line with another top Jets prospect Brayden Yager. Bjork opened the scoring with a nice wraparound goal after a pass on a rush from Yager. Bjork finished the game with 2 points after picking up an assist on the Jets 3rd goal, and this weekend Bjork showed that he’s a player that’s ready to compete for a spot in the NHL this season.

Jets 2026 3rd round pick Samuel Hrenak got the start in net on Saturday. Hrenak had a quiet 1st period but was busy in the 2nd period before allowing his only goal late in the 3rd period. Hrenak finished the game with 22 saves, and he even tried to go for a goalie goal at the end of the game but just missed the empty net. The top power-play unit looked impressive for the Jets in this game, featuring a trio of Bjork, Yager and another former Jets 1st round pick Colby Barlow. Final score – Jets: 3, Canadiens: 1

This afternoon’s (Sunday) game saw the Jets score three times on the power play in a tightly contested battle with the Maple Leafs prospects. Head coach Mark Morrison was impressed by the Jets special teams this game, and the Jets also got a shorthanded goal for their other goal in this game. It’s understandable to lack chemisty (especially on special teams) in a short tournament like this prospect challenge, but the Jets prospects seemed to gain chemisty right away from game one, and the practice where they worked on the power play seemed to pay off.

Jacob Julien scored one of the Jets goals in the 1st period with a nice deflection in front of the net. The 22-year old was praised by coach Morrison for his hand-eye skills on the goal, and noted that he played well both games. Julien experienced his first pro hockey season in 2025-26 with the Moose, and he’ll look to take his next step towards becoming an NHL player this season again with the Moose.

Another prospect that stood out to Jets fans this weekend was Davis Burnside. Although Burnside wasn’t drafted by the Jets, the 22-year old ended his college career last season with Ohio State. Burnside is looking to earn a full-time spot with the Moose this season, and he showed good chemistry with Bjork, who was on his line for both games. The best highlight of the Jets game on Sunday was a nifty between the legs pass from Bjork which set up Burnside for a late period tally in the 2nd period to make it 3-2 Maple Leafs.

The Jets couldn’t go undefeated in this mini-tournament like they did last year, but they didn’t give up without a fight in Sunday’s game. The Jets were losing 5-2 late in the game, but two power play goals made it 5-4 late in the game before the Maple Leafs won it with an empty net goal. Final score – Jets: 4, Maple Leafs: 6.

These two games for this group of prospects will prepare them for their upcoming training camps. A select few (such as Bjork and Yager) will be included in the Jets main camp, while most of the prospects will be fighting for roster spots at the Manitoba Moose’s camp. A few of the most recent draft picks will return back to their junior teams after today, but these two games still give them a great first experience with the organization as they continue to work towards making the team in the future.

With most of the various prospect tournaments around the league ending today, now teams will start preparing for training camps ahead of the NHL pre-season. It’s a shorter pre-season this time around (4 games for almost every team instead of 6) because of the new 84 game regular season, meaning every game will be that much more important for those players that are battling for a roster spot. The Jets open their pre-season in six days in Edmonton against the Oilers with a 7 pm CT puck drop.

The 2026 NHL off-season is almost done, with pre-season games starting in less than one week. All 32 teams are now back on the ice getting ready for the 2026-27 season. Stay tuned here on Daily Faceoff Winnipeg for the latest news on the Jets upcoming training camp, as well as a pair of articles leading up to the Jets first pre-season game on September 19th.

The Toyota Tacoma is the ultimate power play. Its standard i-FORCE engine delivers more power than ever and a towing capacity of up to 6,400 lbs. It helps you take on challenging landscapes with confidence with its available Panoramic Multi-Terrain View Monitor that provides a live, underfloor view of the terrain you’re tackling. It even makes loading and unloading gear effortless with its available Power Liftgate. Whether it’s for early morning practice or weekend away games, the Tacoma is a teammate you can rely on. Visit your local Prairie Toyota dealer during Red Tag Days for limited-time offers.