Mark Scheifele has put himself in prime position to realize his Olympic dreams. Now he just needs to maintain his high level for another seven weeks or so.
The Winnipeg Jets centre is off to one of the strongest starts of his NHL career, leading his team in scoring and providing strong two-way play going into Friday’s date with the San Jose Sharks.
After dealing with the disappointment of being left off the roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, Scheifele has made it his mission to be included with the group heading to Milan-Cortina, Italy, in a couple months.
Given the fact he was on call as an injury replacement in case one of Sidney Crosby or Anthony Cirelli couldn’t play due to injury last February, we’ll put Scheifele in the pole position when it comes to players helping their cause.
Jessie Alcheh / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele has racked up nine goals and 11 assists in his first 13 games going into Friday night’s clash against the San Jose Sharks.
He could easily slide over to the wing and the combination of skill, hockey intelligence and puck protection skills make him someone that has the ability to move up the lineup to play with the likes of Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon if the right opportunity presents itself.
The early indications are that Scheifele will join Jets defenceman and fellow alternate captain Josh Morrissey in the first Olympic Games involving NHLers since 2014.
With numerous roster projections coming out recently, Scheifele has been impressing most pundits as much or more as the folks making the final decisions for Team Canada.
Even with two more roster spots available for the Olympics, Canada’s coaching staff and management team is going to be tasked with the difficult decision of paring things down to 22 skaters and three goalies.
Coming off a gold medal performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off, it’s expected that the majority of the roster will return, but there will be some players at risk to be replaced when the final list is submitted on Dec. 31 and revealed on Jan. 1.
With that in mind, Dump & Chase takes a look at who is off to a good start and who will need to pick things up if they want to be wearing the Maple Leaf in a few months.
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G Logan Thompson, Washington Capitals: The former Brandon Wheat Kings puckstopper is off to a tremendous start to the campaign after he wasn’t invited to the summer orientation camp in Calgary. The numbers themselves are staggering, including a league-best 1.45 goals-against average and .938 save percentage in nine starts. Thompson is lapping the field when it comes to Canadian goalies and is deserving of one of the three spots. Given how well he’s playing right now, giving him an opportunity to claim the starting job is probably the safest — and smartest — choice.
C Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks: The second-year pro and 2024 first overall pick went into Friday’s action tied for the NHL scoring lead with McDavid and Vegas Golden Knights centre Jack Eichel. That’s pretty heady company for someone that won’t turn 20 until June. His offensive gifts are obvious and he’s working diligently on his two-way game. His play-driving ability should be enough to get him on the roster.
C Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens: The Canadiens captain recently put together a 12-game point streak and had five multi-point games during that stretch. He can be used in all situations and is a dependable two-way forward. The 13th overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft is on the bubble as of this moment but could force his way onto the roster with another strong stretch.
RW Tom Wilson, Washington Capitals: He garnered strong consideration for the 4 Nations Face-Off roster and not having him as a deterrent to the Tkachuk brothers is something Canada likely regretted. Although the fighting element won’t be a factor in this tournament, Wilson isn’t just someone that can impact the game with his fists. He had a career-high 33 goals and 65 points to go with his 100 penalty minutes last season. He’s a Stanley Cup champion and has nearly 100 playoff games on his resumé, which matters to a management group that values experience. It would be surprising for Wilson to not make the grade at this point.
D Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders: The first overall pick in 2025 has already shown that he’s the real deal. His skating ability already prompted Jets head coach Scott Arniel to draw some parallels with Colorado Avalanche D-man and multiple Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar. That’s high praise from someone who doesn’t just throw it around lightly. Schaefer’s offensive impact is obvious, with five goals and 11 points in 13 games while averaging just under 22 minutes of ice time per game. There’s a defensive awareness to his game as well, even if there are plenty of lessons to be learned and mistakes to sift through. Even if it’s as an extra defenceman, Schaefer is making it difficult to not push a veteran off the roster. From where we sit, he’s already leapfrogged Edmonton Oilers blue-liner and playoff dynamo Evan Bouchard when it comes to those who were on the outside looking in.
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G Adin Hill (Vegas Golden Knights), G Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), G Sam Montembeault (Montreal Canadiens): Goaltending was always going to be the weak spot for Canada, and the three netminders who went to the 4 Nations are all off to tough starts. Hill is hurt, with the expectation that he could miss multiple months, so his status is up in the air. Binnington (3.34 GAA, .859 SV%) and Montembeault (3.67 GAA, .855 SV%) aren’t exactly inspiring confidence. Binnington is the only one we’d call a sure thing to head to Italy at this point.
C Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers: The 29-year-old has just five points (3G, 2A) in 14 games for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and just hasn’t looked like his usual powerful self. He’s likely got a lot of rope, especially since he scored 15 times in the playoffs last spring and has proven to be a big-game performer. But the footsteps behind him are getting louder.
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers: With just five goals through 14 games, Konecny could find himself on the outside looking in if he can’t pick up the pace — and fast. He’s still a solid player, but it’s more about what others are doing and the fact he doesn’t have the same championship pedigree to rely on.
D Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings: Father Time is undefeated, and perhaps it’s starting to catch up with the 35-year-old. Doughty (2G, 3A in 15 games) no longer has the same game-breaking ability he once did and is in danger of being passed by younger, more dynamic players.
D Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues: Like Binnington, Parayko’s individual performance is likely being dragged down by the fact his team is off to a horrible start. We still like the player, but there’s no question the 32-year-old (0G, 6A through 15 games) is very much on the bubble.
Around the glass
Puck pranks: Speaking of Binnington, the NHL’s resident villain made headlines this week when he got caught red-handed by a linesman hiding Alex Ovechkin’s 900th-goal puck in his pants.
Binnington later claimed it was all in good fun and he planned to give it to the league’s all-time leading scorer — as opposed to trying to sell it on eBay, for example — but you can never be too sure with him.
The incident prompted former Jets 1.0 PR head Rich Nairn to share a funny story on social media about a similar incident following the final regular-season game at the old Winnipeg Arena on Apr. 12, 1996.
“Wayne Gretzky grabbed the historic game puck after the game and took it to the Kings dressing room. I was sent to retrieve it but the Kings staff said he didn’t have it,” Nairn wrote.
“The Jets owner, Barry Shenkarow, really wanted the puck and asked me to please run out to the Kings team bus to get it before they departed for the airport. After stopping the bus and begging for the puck, it was finally handed over.”
Jerry World: It’s great to see that the NHL Stadium Series is heading to AT&T Stadium — otherwise known as Jerry World — next season.
Having attended a Thanksgiving football game at the multi-billion dollar facility, it’s easy to envision the spectacle that will follow in February of 2027.
The artist renderings are also fantastic and given how many NHL players are fans of the NFL, it will be a thrill for many that take part — and take in the festivities in Dallas as the Stars host a still to be unveiled opponent.
When it comes to games played outside of the regular NHL arenas, there continues to be a buzz that Winnipeg will host the next Heritage Classic as early as next season, as first reported by Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada.
There are still details left to be worked out before the event is confirmed, but it’s prompted plenty of thought about who the opponent should be.
Since the Jets have already hosted the Oilers at Princess Auto Stadium and the Calgary Flames at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, who would you like to see in the next outdoor game here?
The first thought was that the Jets would keep with the western Canadian theme and host the Vancouver Canucks — which would be a fine choice, especially when you consider the past connection between the Manitoba Moose and Canucks as the primary affiliate in the American Hockey League.
But what about welcoming an Eastern Conference club for their one and only visit of the season? That opens the door for the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators to be up for consideration.
Fly-ing high: Former Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers went 11 games without scoring a goal, but he’s dented the twine in consecutive outings for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Both of those goals proved to be game-winners as the Hurricanes earned victories over the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild this week.
Ehlers signed a seven-year deal with the Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent on July 2 and, while it’s true that the transition process didn’t go as smoothly as possible, it’s natural for it to take some time to adjust to a new system after spending the previous decade with the Jets.
The dynamic Danish forward is up to two goals and six points in 13 games.
Ehlers will be back in Winnipeg later this month when the Hurricanes visit the Jets on Nov. 21.
ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca
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Ken Wiebe
Reporter
Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer.
Read full biography
Mike McIntyre
Reporter
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.
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