The Jets entered 2021-22 in reset mode. “We were taking a step back and had very little in terms of expectations. We notified our veteran core prior to the year that when moves could be made we would be doing it. This culminated in the move of our captain Drew Doughty to acquire youth and prospects. With a bottom 5 finish, we were exactly where we predicted we would be with a lottery pick. We anticipate another tough year as we continue to stock the cupboards,” GM Hansford was quoted today post draft.

Draft selections:

Pick 5 – This pick was moved out pre-draft when the Sharks offered Jack Eichel. Jack is a bit older, but we see his career and control we still have as being the best player available for what we would have been able to draft at position 5. He is an elite, first-line centre that will be the focus of our rebuild.

Pick 36 – Zach L’Heureux – NHL pick 27 - QMJHL prospect was a point per game player in his year +1 season. He is described as a gritty, two way forward that will hit anything that moves. Sounds like a guy I want on my team.

2021-22 Stats:  46 GP 22g 34a 56pts 64 PIM

Pick 52 – Daniil Chayka – NHL pick 38 - OHL rearguard, many had pegged as first round pick in his draft year, and in our BRHL year +1 draft. Smooth skating puck mover had a solid year and could develop into a number one dman in the BRHL.

2021-22 Stats:   53 GP 7g 32a 39pts 22 PIM

Pick 68 – Prokhor Poltapov – NHL pick 33 – Russian forward Poltapov was rated from 30-45 in most NHL ratings prior to the NHL draft and finished in that spot. In our draft he fell to the Jets in the 3^rd round. Is this the Russian factor and approach teams are taking given the war in Ukraine? Perhaps but I don’t give our GMs enough credit for such a take! He was used across multiple levels including 17 games in the KHL. While he didn’t strike a lot of points in the top Russian league, this is common for teenagers and not a concern for the Jets.

2021-22 Stats: 55GP 8g 14a 22 pts 14 PIM; 0 pts in 17 KHL GP

Pick 70 – Samuel Helenius – NHL pick 59 – Finnish moose is massive human being at 6’6” first caught our scouts eyes at the WJC with 4 pts in 2020-21. This season he split between Liiga (48 gp), U20 1 gp, and the AHL with the Ontario Reign for 12 games. He may spend 2022-23 in North America and might make his BRHL debut next season.

2021-22 Stats: 61gp 4g 7a 11pt 82 PIM

Pick 79 – Tristan Broz – NHL pick 58 – American forward played on the deep UMinnesota Gophers team that reached the final four. While not lighting the lamp playing further down the lineup, Broz had a solid freshman year. With several players leaving (Chaz Lucius, Ben Meyers et al), Broz should take a larger role this season and see him develop more.

2021-22 Stats: 36g 6g 5a 11pts 10 PIM

Pick 100 – Ville Ottavainen – NHL pick 99 – Ottavainen is pro-sized already at 6’5” and near 220lbs. He has been playing pro in the top Finnish league the last several season. While viewed by most as a shut down defender, he is developing this skill more as seen by his offensive uptick this past year.

2021-22 Stats: 45 gp 7g 8a 15 pts 71 PIM

Pick 125 – Vyacheslav Peksa – NHL pick 185 – With our last pick of 2022, we looked for goaltending and settled on Peksa, a 6’2” Russian goaler. He had an outstanding year +1 draft for this NHL TML prospect. We aim to draft one tender per season (if Rex allows it!) and hae high hopes based on his excellent MHL season.

2021 Stats: 56gp 1.79 GAA 0.936 Save Pct; 9 SO