GATINEAU \u2013 With so little preparation time, it\u2019s usually special teams that struggle most at a prospect tournament.<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t the case for the Winnipeg Jets this weekend in Quebec. Even in Sunday\u2019s 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg\u2019s talent was on full display. The Jets scored three power-play goals and added a shorthanded marker, showing plenty of confidence and execution on special teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the power play was good. I think you can look a little bit into some of the skill level that\u2019s out there. You know, Bj\u00f6rck, Freij, Yager, Gustafsson, I could go on and on,\u201d said head coach Mark Morrison.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just seems that there\u2019s the right pieces there in terms of net-front and flanks. I thought they moved the puck really well and created a lot of chances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jacob Julien, a 2023 fifth-round pick, could throw his name into the mix as well. The 22-year-old got the Jets on the scoreboard Sunday, using some nifty hands to tip a Lukas Gustafsson point shot past Leafs goaltender Patriks Plumins to tie the game in the first period. Julien\u2019s net-front presence was one of the more noticeable aspects of his game throughout the afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he continues to take another step. He has a really good stick,\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery smart hockey player, creates a lot of plays by using his knowledge out there. Liked what I saw, for sure, with Julien, and played well both games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julien is coming off his first pro season with the Manitoba Moose and is looking to use his size (6\u20194\u201d, 181 pounds) a lot more in year two in the AHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of the game, right,\u201d said Julien.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny time I can separate the man from the puck, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do. \u201c<\/p>\n
Another player who really stood out this weekend was Davis Burnside, who wrapped up his college career at Ohio State last season. The 22-year-old served as captain of the Buckeyes before joining the Moose in the spring, and now he\u2019s looking to earn a spot in the AHL. Burnside skated on the same line as Viggo Bj\u00f6rck on both Saturday and Sunday, and the two showed some good chemistry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s unbelievable. Just the way he plays speaks for itself. You see all the highlights and then can\u2019t wait to play with him. It\u2019s something that I don\u2019t really get to do often,\u201d said Burnside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever really played with a player like that before. He just makes plays, he\u2019s poised, and a ton of fun on the bench, too. He\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can understand Burnside\u2019s enthusiasm about playing with the Jets 2026 first round pick, especially after the between the leg\u2019s feed Bj\u00f6rck gave the American forward for his shorthanded tally in the second.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was calling for it but didn\u2019t know he was going to go between the legs and add a little flash there,\u201d said Burnside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat just shows his vision. An unbelievable play by him.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GATINEAU \u2013 With so little preparation time, it\u2019s usually special teams that struggle most at a prospect tournament.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":890950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-890949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}