It’s often easy to look at the negative when it comes to professional sports. It was a disappointing 2015–16 season for the Jets, but there were some encouraging aspects within the mess. Instead of rehashing the low points, let’s take a look at the top five stories from this past season.
Perhaps the biggest positive story was the play of Mark Scheifele. The 23-year-old really came on strong this season, especially down the stretch while playing on a line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler. Scheifele was third in league scoring after the all-star break as he racked up 37 points in 33 games. Only Sidney Crosby and Joe Thornton had more points in the second half of the season. Scheifele scored an impressive 29 goals on the year, which led the team and doubled his previous career totals. He looks to be a solid first line center next year, possibly taking that role from Bryan Little.
A big part of Scheifele’s success was playing beside Blake Wheeler. Wheeler posted a career high 78 points and finished in a tie for sixth in league scoring. Wheeler’s strong play resulted in a roster spot on Team USA at the World Cup of Hockey next fall. After representing his home country at the last Olympics, Wheeler will have a much bigger role this time around. With Andrew Ladd traded at the deadline, all signs point to Wheeler being named the next Jets captain.
Teaming up with Wheeler on Team USA will be none other than Dustin Byfuglien. Snubbed from the last Olympics team, Byfuglien has proven to be a much more reliable and consistent player over the last two seasons under Paul Maurice. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff rewarded the big man with a five-year contract extension that will keep him in Winnipeg until 2021. Byfuglien had perhaps his best season as a Jet as he posted 53 points (19 goals, 34 assists) and led the team with over 25 minutes of ice time per game, a career high. He also had his healthiest season since 2010–11, as he played in all but one game.
An injury to Ondrej Pavelec early in the season led to top goalie prospect Connor Hellebuyck getting an earlier than expected start to his NHL career. After posting solid numbers in the AHL for the Moose, Hellebuyck continued to impress after being called up to the big club. He got the majority of starts while with the Jets and earned 13 wins in 26 games. He also posted an impressive save percentage of 0.918 and a goals against average of 2.34. He is certainly the Jets goalie of the future, but with Pavelec under contract until 2017, it’s unclear what his role will be at the start of next season.
A few days after the season ended, the Jets made news by signing prospect Kyle Connor to an entry level contract. Connor decided to leave the University of Michigan and start his pro career at the age of 19. He had a dominating season for Michigan, posting 71 points in 38 games, and he was nominated for the Hobey Baker award. This annual award is given to the top NCAA men’s hockey player. The seventeenth overall pick in the 2015 draft has a good chance of making the Jets’ roster next season.
So there you have it: five positives from an overall negative season. Let’s keep the positivity going as we look ahead. The Jets will be one of the youngest teams next year and have a bright future ahead of them.
