In recent years, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets has been adding prospects to the squad. Cole Perfetti is almost a core player, but it has been a while since a draft pick turned into one, and the most of the current core came from their early drafts following relocation.
But as a new look Jets 2.0 take shape, and with new head coach Scott Arniel expected to prioritize youth after several veterans left in free agency in 2024, there are a handful of young players that Cheveldayoff and the team believe will have an effect. Now, NHL players are either about to make their professional debut, go pro, or get traded for other assets.
The Top 10 Prospects in the Jets’ system for 2024–2025 will be examined here.
The precise meaning of a prospect is subjective and differs between publications, but the following are the standards for this piece:
Domenic DiVincentiis, ranked 207th overall in the seventh round 2022
Despite having a lower season total after winning the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Goalie of the Year award, Domenic DiVincentiis still makes our list of the top 10. With the North Bay Battalion, the now-20-year-old played in three seasons (2023–2024) and finished with 3.14 goals against average (GAA),.895 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout. Even though those were lower than in 2022–2023– he nevertheless finished with a strong 27-9–5 record and was awarded OHL Goaltender of the Month in February.
In the second game of the Battalion’s first-round playoff series against the Kingston Frontenacs, he sustained a lower-body injury that terminated his playoff career early and prevented him from participating in his team’s journey to the Conference Final.
Though he had some setbacks in his most recent year, the 2022 7th-round pick frequently controlled the OHL. Prior to going 11-6-3 with a 2.44 GAA,.926 SV%, and one shutout in the playoffs, he had a 36-9-2 record, 2.33 GAA,.919 SV%, and five shutouts when he was named Goalie of the Year.
After turning pro this season, DiVincentiis, who signed an entry-level contract (ELC) in July of last year, has aged out of junior hockey. DiVincentiis might have to start in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals due to the Jets signing Eric Comrie and Kaapo Kahkonen, who will both play in the American Hockey League (AHL) alongside Thomas Milic, who we’ll talk about later. Comrie will back up Connor Hellebuyck.
If he keeps improving, he might be a tremendous steal of a choice and develop into a reliable NHL goaltender in a few seasons.
9: Dmitry Rashevsky: Fifth Round, 2021, 146th Overall
Being a member of the Kontinental Hockey League makes Dmitry Rashevsky an often-overlooked Jets prospect; yet, since being chosen three years ago, the Russian right winger has only gotten better. He achieved a new career best in points last season—his fourth with Dynamo Moscow—with 43 (24 goals, 19 assists) in 67 games, as well as five goals and two assists for seven points in 10 postseason games.
The Russian product still has one year remaining on the two-year contract he signed with Dynamo in the summer of 2023, so he is not in a rush to sign an ELC with the Jets. Because of the conflict in Ukraine, it can be difficult to bring Russian players to North America, but NHL teams are increasingly succeeding in doing so.
Rashevsky, 23, may be NHL ready if he joins the Jets after spending the better part of his career playing in what is perhaps the second-best professional hockey league in the world since he was 19. The Jets have the option to trade Je’s rights to another team he wants to play for if he decides not to sign with them.
Regarding the state of talks with Rashevsky, Cheveldayoff stated a few weeks ago at the Jets’ summer development camp, “We’ve been talking with his North American agents to try to see where he is at within that realm.” Last year, we spoke with him and his associates over a Zoom call. Naturally, we would like to try to travel in that direction (to North America), but each circumstance is genuinely unique in that regard, so we remain optimistic.
8: Chaz Lucius: First Round, 18th Overall 2021
Chaz Lucius has unquestionable skills because he has excellent acceleration and speed, a strong hockey IQ, and two-way ability. But after four season-ending surgeries in as many seasons, his durability is undoubtedly in doubt. Even though the company hasn’t given up on him, he now ranks ninth on our list since he appears to be a compromised asset and has already lost a lot of development time.
Most recently, he had to have season-ending ankle surgery in 2023–24, his first full professional season, after tallying 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 17 games with the Moose.
Since the beginning of 2021–22, he has only been able to play in 71 games due to his ongoing need for surgery. The Jets have never seen him play a full season, so it’s difficult to predict what he would do in one.
He terminated his season with a shoulder injury that necessitated surgery in January 2023 while playing for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks following his first stint with the Moose and his bronze medal with the United States at the 2023 World Juniors. It was ill-timed because he was playing brilliantly, amassing 15 points in just six games with five goals and ten assists.
He had knee surgery in 2019 and had bone marrow from his back replaced. He had to recuperate by using a wheelchair for six weeks and wearing a bulky brace for an additional six weeks, “basically learning how to walk all over again.” (From Winnipeg Sun, September 13, 2023, “Jets prospect Chaz Lucius proving he can get through anything.”
He was drafted in 2020–21, but his first and only season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers ended after just 24 games due to a hand injury and subsequent ankle surgery.
Early in July, Lucius skated in a yellow non-contact jersey during the Jets’ summer development camp. He was reportedly progressing through his rehabilitation and recovery process a little faster than expected.
At camp, Lucius remarked, “I would have loved to see what would have happened if I played the whole (2023–24 season).” “I’m pretty sure my opportunity will be a little different the following year. But I have no control over the circumstances that I find myself in. The most important thing right now is just getting better, feeling 100%, and playing hockey again. That’s all I can manage.
He went on, “I know what I need to do.” “It would be amazing if I could play in the AHL for an entire season, but if I can just play a few games next year, that would also be amazing. My main priorities are to maintain my health and demonstrate my ability to play hockey on a regular basis. (from Winnipeg Free Press, “Lucius a well of untapped potential,” July 5, 2024.)
You can be sure that during the AHL season, the organization will be closely monitoring Lucius’s health. If he can’t remain healthy, they’ll eventually have to give up on him becoming a regular in the NHL. The ELC he signed in 2022 slid once, so he still has two years left on it.
Elias Salomonsson, ranked seventh overall in the second round 2022
This season, Elias Salomonsson is expected to visit North America, and his arrival is much awaited. His post-draft status has soared because, by all accounts, his two-way defenseman abilities, particularly his skating and puck-moving ability, have substantially improved in Sweden.
Salomonsson, who will be 20 years old when the season starts, played most of 2023–24 with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Hockey League. In 31 games, the right-shooter recorded two goals and nine assists for 11 points—the most he has ever had for the elite Skelleftea club in his four years with the team. After losing in the 2023 final, he went on to record one goal and five assists for a total of six points in 16 playoff games, which enabled Skelleftea to win the title. In addition, he participated in four games with the Skelleftea junior squad, totaling five points from three goals and two assists.
Salomonsson, who played for Sweden in the 2024 World Junior Championship, had a rough start to the tournament. He was sent off after hitting Emils Veckaktins from behind in the opening game against Latvia, and he was suspended for one game. He played a crucial part on a tight and oppressive Swedish blue line that allowed just 15 goals in seven games (and only nine through the first six games prior to the gold-medal game, which they lost to the U.S.) after serving his suspension, which made him the most penalized defender in the tournament. Salomonsson is said to play on the edge and with a little sandpaper, which are two positive traits as long as he chooses his locations to agitate properly and avoids taking careless penalties.
Salomonsson’s ELC, which he signed with the Jets two years ago, still has three years left on it because it slid twice while he was living in Sweden. Although it is unlikely that he will make the NHL straight away, he should play significant minutes with the Moose and be considered for a call-up as the season progresses.
Thomas Milic, ranked 207th overall in the seventh round. 2022
By today’s standards, Milic is a “undersized” goaltender, but he had a great rookie season and will want to improve even more in his sophomore season as the Moose starter. Starting his season in the ECHL with the Admirals, the former WHL star with the Seattle Thunderbirds amassed an 11-3-3 record, 2.45 GAA,.908 SV%, and two shutouts, earning him a nomination to the All-Star team.
He replaced Oskari Salminen and Collin Delia, who were both having a lot of trouble and had left the team, as the Moose starter in the second half of the season. AHL rookie goalkeeper Milic finished with a 19-9-2 record, 2.72 GAA, and.900 SV%. He also recorded his first professional shutout and helped the Moose advance to the Calder Cup Playoffs despite a historically poor first half that had an 11-game losing streak.
One of the three goalies on Canada’s 2023 Spengler Cup squad, Milic was hurt during the third period of his lone start on December 28 during round-robin play against host HC Davos.
Though he is still only 21 years old and needs more time in the AHL to mature, given that Comrie and Kahkonen are both signed to one-year contracts, it is possible that he may serve as Hellebuyck’s backup in the near future. Hellebuyck’s contract is set for seven more years, but after a few seasons, his workload may be reduced. With the strongest likelihood of being ready to play first base in a tandem situation by then, Milic is the organization’s goalie.
Ville Heinola placed fifth overall in the first round. 2019
Ville Heinola was selected by the Jets in the long-ago draft with the expectation that he would develop into one of the team’s top four offensive defensemen. The Finn’s journey hasn’t been easy over the past five seasons, but it seems like his big break has finally come.
The now-retired head coach Rick Bowness stated that Heinola played well enough in the previous preseason to make the Jets, but the defender’s opportunity was dashed by an ankle fracture sustained during the penultimate preseason tune-up. Rather, he underwent four months of rehabilitation before rejoining the Moose in the second part of the season. With the Moose, he played in 41 games in both top-pairing and top power-play positions, scoring 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists).
The 23-year-old, 20th-overall pick from 2019 has only played in 35 NHL games over the course of four seasons, totaling 11 points (one goal and ten assists). He signed a two-year bridge agreement on July 15. He is a gifted athlete with a sharp mind and exceptional anticipation, reading, passing, and skating skills. The group still has a lot of expectations for him.
After 152 AHL games in his career, Heinola has proven himself to be too excellent for the league. It would be dangerous to try to send him down because he needs significant NHL minutes to improve his defensive skills and is no longer waiver exempt. However, if he hopes to become a big-league regular, he will need to make an impression on Arniel and the new assistant coaches, Davis Payne and Dean Chynoweth. It looks like he can go in that direction.
One of the top four left-side spots on the Jets’ defensive line has become available due to Brenden Dillon’s free agency departure to the New Jersey Devils. Heinola may take Dylan Samberg’s seat even if Samberg wins the job after two strong seasons in the third pairing.
Nikita Chibrikov placed fourth overall in the second round. 2021
In his debut season in North America, Chibrikov scored 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) with the Moose, good for fourth on the club. The 21-year-old Russian’s rapid adaptation to the North American style of play earned him a call-up to the Jets in April for the team’s regular season finale against the Vancouver Canucks. Chibrikov’s third-period goal proved to be the game-winning goal, making it a night to remember.
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