Well…my off-season here at Arctic Ice Hockey hasn’t began well, as it has almost been 2 weeks since my last article on the site. That lapse in time saw a few things happen involving the Winnipeg Jets organization, including the re-signing of bottom six forward Cole Koepke, the True North club getting unlucky at the Lottery Draft and falling to the 8th overall selection, and the Manitoba Moose being eliminated from the American Hockey League playoffs. All that skipped over because I decided to buy a new game for my XBOX and ended up discovering there was a 2 for 1 sale on. As a result, I have found myself playing a lot of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla & Anno 117: Pax Romana to the detriment of everything else.
I wasn’t totally ignoring the hockey world, though I have watched surprisingly little of the playoffs to date. I certainly wasn’t disappointed that GM Kevin Cheveldayoff opted to re-up 4th liner Koepke because he was one of the few Jet players last season to play with speed…though I do have some concerns about his advanced stats in the big leagues. Missing out at the Draft Lottery definitely stung…..and wasn’t made any better when it was discovered that Winnipeg’s #8 ball was right there behind Toronto’s 12 when the draw for 1st overall took place. Close doesn’t really count for much in a case like this….more of a win or lose type of situation. Finally, even though I failed to recap Manitoba’s final 3 games, I did watch all of them and was certainly proud of the effort the young roster displayed. Despite dropping the series 3 games to 1 versus the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Moose made the AHL’s #2 team work very hard to find a way to score on them. Part of that was a great run of tending by Dominic DiVincentiis, who ended up posting a 3-2 record with a 1.45 Goals Against Average and a .955 Save Percentage. But the skaters also did their part by playing the club’s shutdown system to near perfection and frustrating the Griffins throughout the series. In the end, only being able to solve Grand Rapids goalie on 5 occasions over 4 contests made it almost impossible for Manitoba to come out victorious….but it certainly should have proved to Head Coach Scott Arniel and company that the young kids can play a responsible defensive game. It didn’t surprise me that the regular season leading point getter (by pts/gm basis) finished at the top of Moose playoff scoring, but it was great to see rookie Brayden Yager match David Gustafsson’s 4 pts in 7 games.
But I have finally put down the controller for a bit and decided to kick off the summer with a look at some of the prospects in the Jets’ organization. Initially I was planning on ranking all the young players connected to Winnipeg’s hockey club from best to worst…..but quickly ran into problems with that. There were too many variables for my feeble mind….is a future defensive 1st pairing prospect more valuable than a potential 2nd line center? Are the players’ scoring stats on the Moose really indicative of what they could produce at the NHL level or are there other reasons for the low numbers? And how does that compare to offensive production at lower levels like the CHL or NCAA?
So instead I have opted to just randomly go through all the Jets’ prospects that I am most excited about and let you all decide how to rank them…..
It might be surprising to some that I have decided to begin things with a player that wasn’t drafted until 186 other prospects heard their names called…but even before the 2024 NHL Entry Draft took place, there were some already calling Kieron Walton the potential “steal of the draft“. The Hockey Writers noted that his 43 pts in 65 OHL matches during his pre-draft season wouldn’t jump off the page and they suggested that the fact that he did that while playing as the 4th line center indicates that there would be a lot more offensive growth. And right they were…..once the log jam at the center position disappeared the following season, the big forward exploded for 92 pts in 66 games. But by then it was too late for the other NHL teams, since Winnipeg called Kieron’s name in the 6th round (which was even later than the THW advised a team to take a gamble on him – 5th round).
The Toronto-born center played his final Junior campaign in 2025-26, putting up 88 pts in 62 games between the Sudbury Wolves & the Peterborough Petes. While Walton did see his production increase slightly (from 1.394 to 1.419 pts/gm), the season wasn’t without issues. A concussion sustained during Winnipeg’s training camp caused him to miss the start of the OHL season and then the adjustment to being traded mid-season didn’t go as smoothly as he would have liked. After being the go-to guy in Sudbury and putting up 1.606 pts/gm, the Canadian didn’t have the same success with the more talent-filled Peterborough club (1.241 pts/gm). The Petes paid a big price for Kieron at the deadline, so a first round exit must have been extremely disappointing…..though Walton did well scoring 3 goals & 6 points as his club lost the series 4-2.
Dobber Prospects doesn’t update their scouting profiles until August, so the following Potential NHL equivalent (PNHLe) chart is from last summer. Heading into this season, Kieron’s stats suggested that he had top 6 potential and I doubt that this year’s results will change that dramatically.
Despite being quite big, the young forward doesn’t play an overly physical game but makes up for that with his offensive abilities. A strong skater for someone 6’6″, Walton is very creative with the puck on his stick and when you cheer for an offense-starved team like the Winnipeg Jets…that has to excite you. Even though he has averaged 39 goals the past two Junior seasons, the Ontarian is really more of a playmaker than a goal scorer.
The biggest thing that gets me excited about Kieron is his attack mentality when it comes to offense. Not happy playing a perimeter game, the big center often drives the puck into the dangerous areas…..which puts the onus of the defense to make the right play to stop him, often opening up opportunities via mistakes in coverage leaving one of Walton’s linemates wide open. After this year’s dismal Goals For output for the Jets…the thought of another play driver at the forward position brings a smile to my face. Even if we will probably have to wait at least one more season before he permanently dons a Winnipeg Jets’ jersey. I will certainly be signing on for another season of AHL action at FloHockey to watch the kid continue his development with the Manitoba Moose in 2026-27.
POTENTIAL:
Ceiling: NHL 1st line Center or Winger
Most Likely: NHL Middle Six Center or Winger
Basement: NHL Bottom Six Center or Winger
*****
The next player up is one that might have already lost his “prospect” status, since the young Swede got called up by the Winnipeg Jets to cover for injuries and never returned to the AHL. Yet Elias Salomonsson’s youth and potential room for continued improvement has me including him in that category. Drafted in the late 2nd round in 2022 after making his debut in Sweden’s highest league at the young age of 17, the defenseman continued his development overseas for a couple more campaigns before making the jump to the Manitoba Moose in 2024-25.
Instantly, the RD became one of my favourites in the minors as his calmness & smooth skating helped him to make an immediate impact. In the end, the guy his teammates call Sal averaged 0.5 pts/gm as a rookie with the Moose and had the people over at Dobber’s saying that if the defender didn’t make the Jets out of camp, he would get the call up at some point in the season. And right they were, as Elias got the chance to impress the True North fans in 32 NHL games this year. Salomonsson wasn’t eased into the big league either, since injuries on the backend had the young prospect playing over 20 minutes per game in the top 4 to start things off. Later when things returned to normal, he did get the less demanding duties involved with being a 3rd pairing guy…which could be where he starts next season if Chevy keeps all his fellow RDs over the summer.
Once again, the chart below is a year out-of-date so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Swede move more firmly into the 2nd pairing category when Dobber Prospects’ updates them.
I know that I made the comparison to Dylan Samberg after Salomonsson’s rookie season with Manitoba, but that is really not that accurate. He did bring the calm play in the face of forecheckers that the American did, but Elias’ skating and offensive IQ definitely has a higher upside. With guys like Josh Morrissey & Neal Pionk in front of him for powerplay time, it is unlikely he is given much shot with the man advantage, but he certainly is capable of being the quarterback for a successful PP unit.
When it comes to how high Sal could rise up the Winnipeg Jets’ depth chart remains to be seen. I doubt that he will ever become a clear cut 1st pairing option…..but since the True Northers have been running a guy like Dylan DeMelo in that spot for years, it is not like they have that currently. What DeMelo does bring is top pairing level play in his own end and that will be the goal Salomonsson will want to match to become the best option. At least, that is my opinion. The coaching staff did play Morrissey-Pionk quite a bit near the end of the season, so maybe they see that as a potential pairing….I have my doubts that duo would be able to win the Expected Goals battle consistently because they wouldn’t have the strong defensive player they need when the puck is in their own end.
POTENTIAL:
Ceiling: NHL Top Pairing Right Defenseman
Most Likely: NHL Middle Pairing Right Defenseman
Basement: NHL Bottom Pairing Right Defenseman
*****
The final prospect I picked for the opening article is another 2024 Draft selection from the Winnipeg Jets and therefore is now at an age that he is ready to kick off his professional hockey career. It is quite rare for an NHL team to find one player good enough to make the big leagues after the 3rd round…and Chevy & company might have found a pair that draft. Kevin He showed off his tenacious play during his pre-draft campaign in the OHL, putting up 53 pts (0.828 pts/gm) and ultimately inspiring the True Northers to select the Chinese-born forward in the 4th round.
While there was some concern that He couldn’t increase his offensive output anymore than that, he proved the doubters wrong with 75 pts (1.21 pts/gm) and 77 pts (1.283 pts/gm) over the last 2 seasons in the OHL. This past season wasn’t without its hiccups for the Beijing-born winger, since he was moved from the Niagara IceDogs to the Flint Firebirds at the deadline. Unlike Walton, Kevin thrived in his post-move environment and increased his production from 1.107 to 1.438 pts/gm after the deal. Once again though, the move didn’t pay off as Flint was eliminated in six games….but that disappointment certainly wasn’t due to the Jets’ prospect, who piled up 9 points in the series.
Work ethic and strong 2 way play make the mid-sized forward much harder to deal with, while his speed and finishing abilities greatly increase his NHL potential. Dobber’s called He’s CHL production over the past 2 campaign as giving “Winnipeg 2nd round value from a 4th round selection“. They also had him flirting with 1st line potential on last year’s PNHLe chart and it will be interesting to see how only a slight increase in production does when they updated them.
The scouts were quite impressed when Kevin almost averaged 1.5 pts/gm once he joined the talented Firebirds, so I wouldn’t be surprised that he remains a solid top 6 option in their eyes. Even great scoring lines need someone to forecheck and doing the grindy-type things, so that is definitely a possibility in an organization that has a dearth of top six scoring talent.
Many think his explosiveness and style of play is perfectly suited to a middle six role, plus He has the talents to play on either special teams unit. Very much like Walton, I think us fans will have to wait a bit before Kevin becomes a permanent Winnipeg Jet….but I do think he is on the right path. So another reason to go to more Manitoba Moose games next season, as He will join other prospects like Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow, and Alfons Freij. I do predict that the Chinese-Canadian will make it very difficult for them to cut him in training camp though.
Everyone seems in agreement that He’s game will translate perfectly at the NHL level, so I feel pretty comfortable in making the following predictions. Grinders that can score are extremely valuable…especially come playoff time. I could as easily see He eventually playing alongside Kyle Connor & Mark Scheifele on the top line as I could see him filling the role Mason Appleton used to do on Adam Lowry’s shutdown unit. His versatility should make the coaching staff rely on him in all sorts of situations and that is a great way to get on their good sides.
POTENTIAL:
Ceiling: NHL 1st line Winger
Most Likely: NHL Middle Six Winger
Basement: NHL Bottom Six Winger
*****
Well, that is all for the first part of AIH’s look at the Winnipeg Jets’ prospects. I really wish injuries wouldn’t have kept Elias Salomonsson, Kieron Walton, & Kevin He from helping the Manitoba Moose much in the post-season. It would have been great to see if the forwards had any impact on the frequency the mini-Jets created scoring chances….guess I will have to wait until next year.
I know that the True North scouting department have gotten their share of rightful criticism about the lack of impact players coming up through the system over the past few seasons…..but it appears that they might have righted the ship. Yes, I know its too early to call after just diving into 3 prospects….even though finding 3 future NHLers already from 2022 to 2024 is a good start (probably not until 2027-28 for all 3 to make it). I also am aware that the frequency of “hits” is going to drop dramatically as I go on, so the game is truly still up for grabs.
Lets hear some noise in the Comment section to let me know that the AIH faithful are still alive & well. Also, feel free to join me here during the World Championship games, as I will be cheering on the likes of Mark Scheifele, Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan DeMelo, Ville Heinola, etc once the tournament kicks off on Friday.
Team Canada & Finland both kick off the tourney with games against Sweden & Germany….puck drops expected around 9:20 am Central. Here is a link to the full schedule, if interested:
2026 IIHF World Championship | Schedule – 2026 IIHF World Championship
Enjoy your summer everyone!!!