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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets\u2019 Walker Duehr (71) and Jonathan Toews (19) during training camp at Hockey For All Centre in September.<\/p>\n
Duehr \u2014 who was signed as a college free agent by the Calgary Flames in April of 2021 after completing his NCAA career with Minnesota State University-Mankato \u2014 is a hard-working right-winger who plays a feisty game and has equalled his AHL career high for points with 26 (12 goals) in 39 games with the Moose.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah the hockey world is funny the way it works out sometimes. It\u2019ll be good to play against them,\u201d said Duehr, who has 92 NHL games on his resume with the Flames and Sharks. \u201cI just want to play a simple game, (play) fast, hard, and be disruptive out there. Be physical and be good in my own end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Duehr, who turned 28 in November, isn\u2019t going to be eased into action either, as he was skating alongside Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist during Saturday\u2019s on-ice session at the Honda Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a big-bodied guy,\u201d said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. \u201cHe can really skate. He\u2019s having a really good year down with the Moose, especially shorthanded. He\u2019s done a real good job on the (penalty) kill. I think he\u2019s near the top of the league in shorthanded goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll throw him in there (Sunday) and let him go out and do what he does best.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Jets dealing with several injuries up front, Duehr could get an extended run.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a pretty seamless transition. The organization has been great to me,\u201d said Duehr. \u201cMy time with the Moose has been amazing. The coaching staff and the guys on there do a great job, and we\u2019re a close group down there. It\u2019s been a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe more minutes than I\u2019m used to, up at this level for sure. Just being able to try to be consistent production wise, bringing the effort, and being a good role model for some of the young guys down there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arniel said that Namestnikov is week to week after getting tangled up with Jets captain Adam Lowry, who was tripped on the play by Ryan Poehling of the Ducks before crashing into Namestnikov.<\/p>\n
The Jets are hoping to have top centre Mark Scheifele in the lineup on Sunday after he seemed to be favouring his right knee near the end of Friday\u2019s overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n
There was one piece of good news on the injury front as defenceman Haydn Fleury is expected to return on the third pairing with Luke Schenn, replacing Ville Heinola.<\/p>\n
Fleury has been sidelined since crashing awkwardly into the end boards in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 6.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s obviously a veteran guy. Not having the four d-men that have been out here, it\u2019s been hard,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cI\u2019m happy to see him back and getting the chance to play. We weren\u2019t sure how that was all going to play out. His feet, his ability to move, and his skating will certainly be effective.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jets have taken three out of four available points coming out of the Olympic break, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime on Wednesday before losing 5-4 in overtime to the Ducks on Friday.<\/p>\n
The inability to close out the game after building a pair of two-goal leads was something the Jets were still lamenting on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t KYUSUNG GONG \/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets centre Vladislav Namestnikov is checked for an injury during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks, Friday in Anaheim, Calif.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an absolute roller-coaster of a game, highs and lows,\u201d said Jets forward Alex Iafallo, who had a goal and an assist on Friday. \u201cWe have to find a way to win those ones, hold that lead.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sharks beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 Saturday afternoon and they\u2019re another one of the teams the Jets are trying to chase down in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n Finding a way to try to neutralize Sharks star Macklin Celebrini will be a tall task.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a super special kid,\u201d said Duehr, who appeared in eight games with the Sharks last season after he was claimed off waivers. \u201cThe whole world just saw it at the Olympics. Great kid on and off the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the second of three meetings this season between the two teams, with the Sharks earning a 2-1 victory on Nov. 7 when Will Smith scored the game-winner with 4:21 to go in regulation time.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re another one of these young teams in the West that have been playing real well all year,\u201d said Arniel. \u201cThey\u2019re a team that plays quick. We saw them early in the year and we saw a little bit of their transition. Again, it\u2019s a young team that\u2019s going to try and push the pace. We have to be smart in how we approach them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Connor Hellebuyck, who made 35 saves on Friday, is expected to get the call in goal for the Jets, while the Sharks will counter with Alex Nedeljkovic after Yaroslav Askarov faced the Oilers on Saturday.<\/p>\n Following Sunday\u2019s action, the Jets will open a season-high eight-game homestand, beginning with Tuesday\u2019s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.<\/p>\n Arniel revealed that winger Nino Niederreiter underwent surgery to repair the lower-body issue he\u2019s been dealing with and he remains week-to-week.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey has resumed skating in Winnipeg, though Arniel isn\u2019t sure if he will be a participant with the full group in practice on Monday.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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