The Winnipeg Jets are now 66 days away from their  2026-27 NHL home (and season) opener against the Boston Bruins at Canada Life Centre. NHL teams have had a month now to explore the free agent market, making trades and signings with the goal of improving their rosters for the upcoming 2026-27 NHL season.

Although it might be way too early to do your yearly NHL fantasy drafts this week, there’s always time to start thinking about who you might want to draft. Last year seven Jets made NHL.com’s “Fantasy Hockey top 200 player rankings” for the 2025-26 season, and this season six Jets made their updated list of the top 250 players (for standard leagues) for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

Picking your two goalies for Fantasy Hockey can be tough, as you’re never really sure when it’s the right time to make to step up and make these picks. Although Connor Hellebuyck’s 2025-26 season was no where near his MVP winning 2024-25 season, he’s still ranked in the top five for goalies. Winnipeg is counting on bounce back seasons from multiple players, including Hellebuyck, who will get you points for the wins (and hopefully shutouts) that he picks up along the 84 game season.

Just like last season, Kyle Connor finds himself just behind Hellebuyck as the Jets’ most valuable Fantasy Hockey player. If you want an elite goal scorer on your team, Connor is your guy. Connor has back to back 90+ point seasons now, and he’s also a  strong bet to pick up powerplay points, which are worth extra points in most leagues. Hellebuyck and Connor’s drop from their ranks last year are likely more to do with an emergence from other elite players from all around the league.

Moving into the 3rd or 4th round of fantasy drafts (depending on how many players are in your league) you will find Mark Scheifele available. Fresh off a career high 103 points, Scheifele continues to be an elite 1st centre for the Jets. Just like Connor, Scheifele will pick up valuable powerplay points, and he’ll be on the ice in key situations. Scheifele’s consistency will make him a desirable addition to any Fantasy Hockey lineup.

It’s quite a big jump until the next ranked Jets player on this list, who happens to be the other forward on Scheifele and Connor’s line. I’m a bit surprised that Vilardi isn’t in the top 100, considering that he just had a season with a career high 30 goals and 69 points. Vilardi wasn’t always on the first line due to injuries around the lineup, but you can expect Vilardi to be on the 1st line to start this season with Scheifele and Connor, making him a good mid to late round addition to the forwards you draft.

The first of two Jets defencemen on this list is the Jets number one defenceman: Josh Morrissey. Morrissey did have a bit of a “down year” in terms of production last season, but I’m still a bit surprised that he’s not a bit closer to the top 100 this season. Morrissey is projected to have around 60 points this season, and he’ll be back on the Jets top powerplay unit. Although it’s sometimes not noticeable, Morrissey averages over a blocked shot per game, a good secondary way of collecting some extra fantasy points in close matchups.

Just squeaking on this list is the Jets next most offensive defenceman: Neal Pionk. After averaging over 30 points per season in his career, Pionk only had 12 points last season. Missing time with injuries certainly factored into his not so great season, but Jets fans are hoping for a bounce back season from Pionk, as he’s still in the very early stages of his current long term contract. Pionk is also pretty consistent with getting blocked shots, which can add a little more value as an extra defenceman or waiver pickup in fantasy.

Cole Perfetti didn’t make the list this year after a subpar 32 point season. Perfetti’s name was included in a short “others to consider” list, as he’s a top candidate to have a bounce back season. Perfetti recently signed his new five-year contract, so having no pressure about an upcoming contract should relieve some pressure from Perfetti’s mindset going into a new season. If the Jets can get some good linemates for Perfetti on the 2nd line, it’ll be at least a 40+ point season for the 24-year old forward.

The Jets’ number one netminder and their top line are once again their most valuable players for Fantasy Hockey this season. Other than the six (+ honourable mention) Jets players on this list, it’s tough to justify any other Jets making this list, although there should be a few other Jets who have good seasons for their given roles. Jets fans should try to get at least one of these players on their fantasy rosters for the 2026-27 season, and now you’ll hopefully be more prepared when drafts begin in September!

The 2026 NHL off-season continues on, as teams are enjoying their last few weeks off before training camps begin in September. Make sure to check out the previous articles in this year’s “year in review” series, and stay tuned for more off-season content leading up to the 2026-27 season in late September! If you want to see NHL.com’s full list, you can check out their article here: “Fantasy hockey top 250 player rankings for 2026-27“. Last year’s Jets Nation article on this same topic can be viewed here: “Seven Jets make NHL.com’s “Fantasy Hockey top 200 player rankings” for the 2025-26 season“.

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