Winnipeg Jets

NHL – CENTRAL

Arena: Canada Life Centre
Coach: Dave Lowry

2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS

Winnipeg Jets

Team Summary

The Winnipeg Jets are an NHL team playing in the Central Division based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The team is the second iteration of the Winnipeg Jets franchise, with the first team being relocated to Arizona in 1996. The current franchise was the result of another NHL team relocation in the Atlanta Thrashers, moving to Winnipeg in 2011. If you can’t tell, the Jets have quite the history with teams moving away!

Winnipeg is known for its small but ferociously passionate fanbase, filling up the Canada Life Centre with a whiteout during every playoff series. The team hasn’t had much success overall since relocating to Manitoba, but the current core of players over the last few years is the best the team has ever been by a wide margin. 

Currently, team captain Blake Wheeler is the only remaining player still rostered that played in Atlanta before the team’s move to Winnipeg. The winger has been with the franchise for the majority of his NHL career, joining the Thrashers for the 2010-2011 season and serving as the captain of the team since 2016. 

Winnipeg Jets Standings

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The team is a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference of the NHL. The Jets have a passionate fan base and have made several playoff appearances in recent years.

Winnipeg Jets Betting Trends

Team History 

The original Winnipeg Jets franchise was started in 1972 as part of the World Hockey Association, established to compete with the NHL. While the league eventually fell apart, the NHL absorbed the Jets in 1979, initially saving the team but exposing the notably small market to much higher expenses. The team was eventually sold and relocated to Arizona in 1996, despite the fanatic following of their fan base.

Luckily, the passionate fans in Winnipeg would once again get a new team after the Atlanta Thrasher franchise was selected for relocation. There were numerous issues with the Thrashers in Atlanta, most notably meddlesome ownership and neglect resulting in only one playoff appearance in 12 years (which ended in a first-round sweep). The Thrashers officially became the Jets 2.0 in 2011 after being bought by True North Sports & Entertainment; fans of the Jets are known for exclaiming “True North!” during the Canadian national anthem before every game. 

The Jets struggled for the first few seasons after the return to Winnipeg, making the playoffs only once in their first six seasons and exiting after a first-round sweep against the Ducks. However, the team would make a run to the conference finals in 2018 and have since made the postseason for four years in a row. 

2022 Key Stats 

The Jets are a bit dysfunctional this season, currently with a record of 18-16-7 and sitting at sixth in the Central Division. Winnipeg was off to a hot start, but a collapse after the first month or so of the 2021-2022 season resulted in the team dropping off in the standings and long-time coach Paul Maurice “stepping down” from the organization in December. While it isn’t impossible for the Jets to turn the season around and squeeze into the playoffs, the top heavy Central Division continues to be extremely competitive and will make a climb back into the wildcard position quite difficult.

Kyle Connor continues to be the team’s best forward by far, leading the team with 24 goals and 20 assists in 41 games played. Connor has been carrying much of the team’s offense alongside center Mark Scheifele, who has put up close to a point per game pace at 29 points in 35 games. The team is going to be missing Nikolaj Ehlers for a significant amount of time thanks to an undisclosed injury, taking a major hit to the Jets’ usually explosive top six. Pierre-Luc Dubois is the second-highest scoring player on the roster with 32 points in 41 games, currently on pace for a new career-high.

Connor Hellebuyck isn’t having his best year, exposing the Jets’ weak defensive core this season. The goaltender currently has a record of 14-14-6 with an SV% of .909. 

Championships Won by the Team 

The Winnipeg Jets have never won a Stanley Cup in their brief franchise history, with the closest they’ve ever come to a championship being their 2018 playoff run. The team finished the year with a record of 52-20-10, finishing second in both the Central Division and the entire league just behind the Nashville Predators. Winnipeg was considered a serious contender, with captain Blake Wheeler finishing with an impressive 91 points and young Finnish sniper Patrik Laine finishing the season with 44 goals. The defensive core seemed air-tight, and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had an excellent season with a .924 SV%.

The team breezed past their southern border rivals the Minnesota Wild 4-1, taking on the Presidents’ Trophy winning Nashville Predators in a gritty, exciting seven-game series. Winnipeg defeated the team in a decisive game seven, forcing Nashville to pull their Vezina winning goaltender Pekka Rinne with a dominant 5-1 road win. 

The run was cut short after running into Marc-Andre Fleury and the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights season, falling to the team 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals. 

Important Team Events 

One of the most memorable games in Winnipeg Jets history came against the Toronto Maple Leafs in October of 2016. The Leafs and the Jets had won the draft lottery with the first and second overall picks, with Toronto selecting Auston Matthews and Winnipeg selecting winger Patrik Laine. The two teams met early in the 2016 season, with Toronto taking a 4-0 lead by the second period. Winnipeg would rally in the latter half of the second and third periods, finding two goals from Patrik Laine along with goals from Tyler Meyers and Mark Scheifele, tying the game 4-4 and forcing overtime. 

The ending to the game almost seems scripted- with 2:30 to go, Auston Matthews found a chance to end the game on the breakaway, with Michael Hutchinson coming up with a huge stop. Patrik Laine would then immediately get a pass the other way in a two on one, taking the shot and scoring for the game winning goal and completing the hat trick in a total storybook ending to a memorable game. 

Top Players 

While the Winnipeg Jets have only been around since 2011, the franchise records include several players on the Atlanta Thrashers beginning in 1999. Both Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler played in both Thrashers and Jets uniforms, with Little setting the franchise record for games played at 843 and Wheeler setting the record for assists at 486 and points at 717. While Wheeler is still currently rostered and playing on a nightly basis, Bryan Little has been dealing with a serious head injury that will likely spell out the end of his career. 

Ilya Kovalchuck has the franchise record for most goals at 328. Kovalchuk was truly an elite player, only staying with Atlanta for seven seasons but posting 30 goals or more for all but one (29 goals in his rookie season). Blake Wheeler is the next closest, with 231 goals in his time with the franchise. 

Connor Hellebuyck has the franchise records for goaltending and is by far the best netminder the franchise has ever seen. Currently, Hellebuyck has the record for wins at 186 and shutouts at 26. 

Top Coaches 

The Winnipeg Jets have only had three coaches in franchise history since being relocated from Atlanta. Claude Noel was the inaugural coach, leading the team from 2011 through 2014 and bringing the team to their first playoff appearance in the final year of his employment. Unfortunately, the team was swept by the Anaheim Ducks, with Noel finishing his time in Winnipeg with a regular season record of 80-79-18. 

Paul Maurice was the head coach from 2014 until December of 2021, coaching an impressive 601 games with the franchise. Maurice found a bit more success than Noel, finishing with a record of 315-224-62 in the regular season and bringing the team to four consecutive playoff appearances. The team went on a major slump in December, with rumors of Maurice potentially getting fired beginning to emerge. On December 17th, 2021, Maurice announced he was resigning from his coaching duties, leaving the team without a head coach and avoiding termination from management. Dave Lowry has since taken over the position.

Winnipeg Jets 

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Winnipeg Jets Frequently Asked Questions

What year did the Winnipeg Jets enter the league?

Winnipeg had the original Jets franchise in 1979, but lost the team to Arizona in 1996. The current iteration of the Jets joined the NHL in 2011 after the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Who is the best player in the history of the Jets?

Blake Wheeler has been with the team since its relocation, and has been the captain since 2016. Wheeler currently holds the franchise records for assists and points.

How many times have the Jets won a Stanley Cup?

Winnipeg is still looking for their first championship title.

What happened to Patrik Laine?

The Jets’ young star was traded in January of the 2021 season to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pierre-Luc Dubois due to the team being unable to find the proper role for the winger. Laine had shared his problems with the team for some time, culminating in a trade with another disgruntled young forward from Columbus looking for a change in scenery.

Who are the Jets’ biggest rivals?

The Jets have a budding rivalry with the Minnesota Wild, sharing a border with the state and being the closest geographical team to Winnipeg. Jets fans will often make the trek to Minnesota to see their team play, and the games almost always have playoff level intensity. The Jets also have rivalries with the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks thanks to intense playoff matchups.