Rookie Camp, IceCaps, and Being a Leader

Well, well, well, I apologize for the lack of content recently. The last week has been really hectic for me in my real life, but I should be back in the saddle now with the NHL on the horizon.

I’m patiently waiting for NHL 15 to arrive at my house because that’s the first sign of NHL coming back into my life. In a few short (okay, but it will feel long) days the rookie tournament will be going on in Penticton and that will signal the start of hockey season for the Winnipeg Jets.

In other Jets news, the farm club is making headlines while a leader on the club makes a statement on a young teammate.

All eyes will be on the sexy names such as Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers and Nic Petan. Morrissey should stand out after his incredible season with the Prince Albert Raiders, and he has a great chance to make some noise at the Jets camp.

It will be interesting to see which goalie will prove to be the furthest along in development with Eric Comrie and Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is older and has posted serious numbers at the college level, while Comrie may have more wow potential playing in the WHL. I think Hellebuyck could turn out to be the best goalie participating in the entire tournament.

Many believe that Scott Kosmachuk has a chance to make the Jets on opening night competing against Carl Klingberg for a winger spot. This tournament will be a good chance to see if he’s ready to even challenge at camp.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on Brenden Kichton. The Edmonton native and former New York Islanders draft pick (2011 5/127) could turn out to be a steal for the Jets as a 2013 7th round pick. In his first year as a pro, Kichton scored a very impressive 48 points for the St.John’s IceCaps, leading the team on the blueline.

According to various reports, it’s believed that the Winnipeg Jets franchise has been planning to grow their players on the farm in another city. That city is believed to be Thunder Bay. 

Earlier this summer the True North group agreed to a one-year extension with St.John’s which they will likely continue to do until the arena complex in Thunder Bay is ready to house an AHL squad.

Geographically, moving the farm to Thunder Bay will mean the team will save some dollars to keep eyes on their players, and saving money is always good for a low-market team. 

More information can be found in this article by Matt Vis.

With NHL camps set to open in less than a week, a lot of players have arrived in their cities early to meet with media and prepare for the opening days of camp. Blake Wheeler recently spoke with Craig Custance of ESPN and had a few things to say about stud forward Evander Kane.

It’s been beaten to death that Kane has some attitude problems as he enters his 6th NHL season. Wheeler didn’t seem too call out the youngster on his attitude, but rather his performance.

Wheeler told Custance “he’s coming to the stage of his career where he’s no longer a young guy. He needs to step up and be a leader on our team.” 

I happen to like the statement Wheeler made, because it doesn’t cause any drama and really is just one teammate hoping to light a fire under another. Kane is an incredible hockey player, and if he really gets going then 30 goals is totally in the headlights.

Blake Wheeler is one of the team’s best players as well, but he also leads the club with his play and attitude. If Kane has any respect for his veteran teammate, you’d have to think that he’s chomping at the bit to become that guy. Kane has told media he wants to be in Winnipeg, but he also wants to be in the playoffs. Ball’s in his court now.

I haven’t really looked into it yet, but i’m assuming the rookie tournament will be available for viewing online, so i’ll be keeping an eye on the Jets youngsters and will write something before and after each game. I’ve been chomping at the bit myself to get ready to get my hockey writing career going and watching real games instead of writing speculation pieces will amplify that.

I’m hoping to catch the Jets pre-season game against the Oilers live at Rexall when i’m in the city visiting my girlfriend, and i’ll take a lot of photos and will post a live blog.

Here’s to the saviour that is the NHL season coming back into our lives. I won’t miss the summer at all.