Development Camp Comes to a Close for Jets Prospects

The future is bright for the Winnipeg Jets, if the team’s young prospects have anything to say about it.

The team is at a precipice where they are veering away from the old guard. Longtime Jets captain, Blake Wheeler, signed with the New York Rangers at the start of free agency, after the Jets bought out the final year of his contract. 

Besides Wheeler, Mark Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck are both set to become UFAs following the 2023-2024 season, and after an underwhelming past two seasons, the Jets seem to be looking to turn over a new leaf. The sorely-needed change could very well come from the promising pool of prospects the team has accumulated.

Standouts

Taking place for the first time since 2019, after a COVID-19-induced hiatus, the Winnipeg Jets development camp saw 27 young players show off and hone their skills. The participants, overseen by the team’s player development director Jimmy Roy, consisted of both drafted and undrafted players.

Also present were five familiar faces to the Jets pipeline – Tyrel Bauer, Parker Ford, Carson Golder, Brad Lambert, and Chaz Lucius – who have all made previous appearances with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. 

Two standouts from the camp were the Jets’ first-round picks from this year and last, Rutger McGroarty and Colby Barlow, who were selected 14th- and 18th-overall, respectively. McGroarty, who recently finished his Freshman year with the University of Michigan, and Barlow, the most recent captain of the OHL’s Owen Sound attack, showed off their gregarious personalities throughout the development camp. 

Per Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun, McGroarty described himself and Barlow, both forwards, as “two high-energy guys, very laughable guys, always smiling, always having fun.”

Even given how much hard, physical work goes into development camp, Roy made it a point to discuss the importance of fostering not just skills, but relationships as well. The prospects focused on team bonding, including teaming up to get through an escape room.

Team Bonding

Mitchell Clinton quoted Barlow as saying that “It feels like I’ve known these guys for 10 years, and I’ve only been here for six days.”

The team’s social media admin were also all in on content creation during development camp, quizzing the young players on the origins of their nicknames or their favorite Taylor Swift songs.

The Instagram reins were even handed over to McGroarty (aided in large part by frequent appearances from Barlow) for a takeover on the team account’s story, giving a player’s-eye-view of the Camp experience.

Though that experience is certainly not universal, with players anywhere from their early-to-mid-20s to the youngest prospects being just 18 or 19 years old, the development camp provides a week-long opportunity for those new to the Winnipeg Jets system to get a taste of playing together.

Bauer, as one of those more seasoned prospects, shared that, “Some guys are nervous,” per Clinton. “We’re just trying to make everybody feel comfortable no matter what happened with the draft, or anything like that. When you come here, everybody is equal. That’s the environment we want to set for each other.”

Whether the Jets and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff opt to trade any other big names this off-season remains to be seen – and, if so, whether they will be as impressive as the Pierre-Luc Dubois trade with LA. In any case, the team’s investment in their young prospects will be a key piece in the not-quite-rebuild.

Stay tuned for more NHL content, including off-season moves and prospect updates.

Featured content courtesy of WinnipegJets.com

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