Team: Winnipeg Jets
General manager: Kevin Cheveldayoff
First-round pick: 9th
Number of picks: Six (Rounds 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
Recent first-round picks: C Mark Scheifele (2011), C Alexander Burmistrov (2010), LW Evander Kane (2009), D Zach Bogosian (2008), C Daultan Leveille (2008)
Team needs: Cheveldayoff has another top 10 pick, so it’ll be interesting to see if he sticks with his best-player-available strategy.
Outside of Evander Kane, there isn’t a 30-goal scorer on the Jets roster. The Jets also lack size in their forward group and could use another power-play presence.
While depth on defence is an organizational strength for Winnipeg, the club desperately needs to add a reliable stay-at-home defenceman. The way the first round of the draft is expected to shake out, better value should be available on the back end. Only four of the top 12 rated players, according to International Scouting Services, are forwards.
With Dustin Byfuglien and Zach Bogosian already on the roster, adding a defence-first blueliner would be an obvious move for Cheveldayoff.
Likely first-round target: Radek Faksa, C, Kitchener Rangers
Other options: There should be a bevy of options available if the Jets decide to upgrade their blueline.
The best fit would be Griffin Reinhart, who has potential to be a shutdown player at the pro level. The 6’4″ defenceman is strong at both ends of the ice and has shown strong shot-blocking ability in his junior career. Reinhart, who would be an excellent fit with Byfuglien or Bogosian, has NHL bloodlines; his father, Paul, played for the Calgary Flames.
The Jets could consider other options on defence, including Jacob Trouba, Morgan Rielly and Cody Ceci.
Great moments in draft history: While most of these Jets’ draft history occurred as the Atlanta Thrashers, the most memorable moment occurred at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, when True North chairman Mark Chipman made a major announcement before the first-overall selection in Minnesota.
The relocation from Atlanta was complete, but the franchise didn’t reveal its team name until last year’s draft, where Chipman announced the Jets name would return to Winnipeg. Thousands of ecstatic fans celebrated at the MTS Centre upon hearing news of the new/old name.
The team later selected Mark Scheifele with its first-round pick, but the locals were simply fired up that the Jets were back in Winnipeg.
A steal at No. 9: D Bryan Leetch, New York Rangers, 1986, Avon Old Farms H.S. (Conn.)
Sportsnet Says: “There is a school of thought that the Jets may be looking for a good, stay-at-home defenceman. That may be the case. Have also heard they may go for a forward because the need is serious enough. The Jets aren’t afraid to go “off the board” as we saw last year. They are thin up front in the organization and have their most assets on defence and a need for help up front.” – Scott Morrison, HOCKEY CENTRAL
Sportsnet.ca will continue to preview the rest of the Canadian teams throughout the week as we approach the 2012 NHL Entry Draft on June 22.
