The Winnipeg Jets have played 22 games and have completed over a quarter of the season. Connor tackled the defense and the goalies, so it’s my turn to look at the Jets’ forwards.

The Jets’ 17-4-0 record is still unbelievable. They have dropped 3 of their last six games. Let’s give the Jets a letter grade—not based on whether this guy can score 100 points in a season, but judging them based on their own ability. I am proud of these guys and can say with my whole heart that I am a fan of all the Jets forwards, so there aren’t any bad grades.

We are in the prime veteran Mark Scheifele era. At this point, I would take 2024 Scheifele over 2018 Scheifele. He is much smarter with the puck and has really come into his own as a guy who plays hard in his own defensive zone. A good offense is an even better defense, and that is starting to show in Scheifele’s game. All through the offseason, all we heard from the “mainstream” sports media was that Scheifele has the worst contract in all of hockey, yet he is on pace for 100 points this season. This first year of the looks like a value deal for the Jets with this contract when you add in all the veteran leadership he brings to the team.

Kyle Connor has been nothing short of great this season and will undoubtedly be on Team USA at the 4-Nations Faceoff. In my preseason predictions, I had Connor as the first Jets 2.0 player to score 100 or more points. He is on pace for 104 this season. He has become a defensive asset rather than a liability and has turned into a solid 200-foot player. He is a +8 player so far this season. I think we can expect more from the Michigan-born player, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he found a way to score 110 points in a healthy season.

In the preseason, I thought Vilardi would score 50 goals and be a total power-play merchant. I was wrong. He has scored 8 goals this season so far, 3 of which have been on the power play. That being said, the chemistry between him and Scheifele is starting to grow. He is winning 66% of his faceoffs this season as he has taken over for Scheifele who is dealing with an ailment. I think he can be a little more aggressive in front of the net, looking for loose rebounds. If he stays healthy for the full 82 games, he should reach 65 points. His contract does expire after this season, and if he wants a bigger contract, he might need to score a few more points.

Nikolaj Ehlers is right on pace for what I expected from him this season, somewhere between 35-40 goals. He’s currently on track for 38, which would be fantastic for the highest-scoring Danish-born player in history. He’s the guy who needs to be driving the second line. Although they were off to an “unproductive” start to the season with the first three games, the second line has been one that can get red-hot and then ice cold and it seems like Perfetti and Namestnikov run with Ehlers.

We do need to see a little more from Ehlers on a consistent basis, but he is making an impact on the Jets’ top power play and has seven points with the extra-man unit—just as many as he did all of last season.

If you go to the videos on Jets Nation’s social media, right before the season, I went on a three-minute rant about how Vladislav Namestnikov wasn’t the right guy for the Jets’ second line and that Brad Lambert should be there. Boy, was I wrong. Namestnikov has been nothing short of stellar. At the age of 32, he’s on pace for a career-high in points. He is in the final years of his prime and could eclipse 50 points for the first time in his 12-year career. He clearly spent the summer working on his faceoffs, going from a 36% success rate to a 48% success rate on the draw.

On top of all that, he has been quietly driving the second power play unit, with 6 assists on the extra man this season. When you look at his 2 million-dollar-a-season contract that Kevin Cheveldayoff signed with the Russian forward, it’s an absolute steal.

I am going to give Perfetti a little grace here; he still hasn’t played a full 82-game NHL season and doesn’t drive the second line as much as I think he should. That being said, he has become more aware on the ice and isn’t setting himself up for failure or injuries anymore. He is on pace for 42 points this season, which would be a career high, and is showing that he is getting better every season. He does have 3 goals and 7 points on the second-unit power play. He is getting more than half of his points with the extra man, so I want to see more 5-on-5 play from the young forward. Great job on the power play—he’s only going to be better from here.

Nino Niederreiter, much like many of the Jets, is looking for a career-high in goals and points this season. He already has 9 goals. He could score a total 30 goals this season, no problem. He has the third-most goals for the Jets so far this season and is on the third line. Many in the NHL world are calling that the best third line in hockey, and Nino is a big part of that. He gets in front of the net, finds loose pucks, and gives just as much as he takes. Although he isn’t getting as many points on the second power-play unit, he is a big reason why Perfetti and Namestnikov are successful on the power play.

I was worried that the 4-year, $16 million contract was going to blow up in the Jets’ face, but it clearly hasn’t. Niederreiter and the rest of the third line are the long-term result of good guys working hard and good chemistry.

A few seasons ago, on the Jets Nation Radio podcast, I would say something along the lines of, “If Adam Lowry is playing on your fourth line, you’re probably winning a cup.” He could take you to the big show anywhere in your bottom six. He takes on some of the highest-skilled forwards in the NHL and is on pace to break some personal records. He could score 20 goals and 60 points for the first time in a season. Even if it ends up being 17 goals and 45 points, that’s a good look for your third line.

I’ve been more than impressed with his leadership, and even when I got to talk to him for a brief moment this past summer, he was a stand-up guy. He is the perfect leader for this team. He is killing penalties with Kyle Connor, has no power play time, and is still a +17 on the season.

If I had to describe Mason Appleton, the hockey player, to a spice, I would say flour. There is nothing spicy about him, but he is fundamental to the Jets’ third line. The forecheck and drive from Appleton are amazing—he’s the guy you need who wants to chase the puck and get it for the team. Sure, he doesn’t score clutch goals and just pads the team’s stats, but he, like his teammates, is on pace for a season-high in points and goals. Appleton has zero penalty minutes this season—could he be the guy to bring the Lady Byng back to Winnipeg?

Morgan Barron is getting the lowest letter grade today. He is a solid fourth-line winger—he hits, he is great at forcing turnovers, and only gets 29% of his starts in the offensive zone. Yet, he is able to force his line to move the puck down the ice and get the other Jets forwards time to do what they need to do.

It did take Barron 20 games to score his first goal of the season—he was snakebitten to start the season—but you could see the weight of not scoring melt off the guy.

I have been so impressed by Kupari this season. He is a solid fourth-line center and the Jets’ only right-shot centerman on the team. With that, he is taking more faceoffs and has clearly worked on that side of his game, going from winning 47% of his faceoffs last season to now winning 57%. His speed is unreal, and if his hands could keep up with his feet, he would be an unreal NHLer. He has only scored 2 goals and 3 points this season but only gets 19.2% of his starts in the offensive zone, which forces him to be a better defensive player.

He saw limited time last season because of an injury and then the lineup was too full for him. He has worked hard to overtake David Gustafsson in the fourth-line center role. He probably won’t reach a career-high in points this season, but could reach 6 goals, which would be a new career-high for the 24-year-old Finnish player.

Iafallo is coming off a two-goal performance against the Minnesota Wild, where he scored his 100th NHL career goal. He has accepted the limited role of a fourth-liner with the Jets and is making Barron and Kupari look significantly better than they are. He has become the Jets’ new Swiss Army knife this season because he could play up and down the lineup. He has also added a meaner streak to his game.

If things go right for Iafallo, he could reach a new high in goals for the season; he would just need 13 more goals between now and the end of the season. He is another big piece on the second power play, scoring six of his 8 points with the extra-man advantage.