The goalie whisperer Friendship, trust at core of coach Flaherty's relationship with Jets netminders

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1 Winnipeg Free Press The goalie whisperer Friendship, trust at core of coach Flaherty's relationship with Jets netminders By: Mike Sawatzky Connor Hellebuyck, Michael Hutchinson and Wade Flaherty live on goalie island. Hellebuyck is the presumptive No. 1 puckstopper of the Winnipeg Jets while Hutchinson is his backup. Flaherty, meanwhile, has been the club s goaltending coach since the franchise relocated from Atlanta prior to the season. They are a close bunch, discussing their craft constantly and reviewing video on a daily basis. It s like a secret society with a restricted membership. Flaherty is a mentor and a friend. "The relationship is built on trust," says the 48-year-old Flaherty, who had a 20-year pro career including 120 games in the NHL. "So, with that being said, I ll have conversations with my goalies that I m not running to the coaching staff and saying, Hey, he said this. A lot of this stuff is kept internal, between the three of us. Because if they don t trust me, we re going to have problem." Friendship is at the very core of the relationship, too. This is crucial at times such as this, when Hellebuyck has started 16 of Winnipeg s last 20 games and eight of the last 10. Professional jealousy could put the whole teammate dynamic in serious jeopardy. "Hutch has a great attitude he s a great person," says the 23-year-old Hellebuyck, who has a record with a 2.67 goals-against average and a.910 save percentage. "At this level, we re mature enough. We know it s a game, it s a job, but at the end of the day, it s not each other s fault for what s going on in our personal lives, it s how the business goes. You re not going to play every night. When I m on the bench, I m going to be his No. 1 fan." Says Flaherty: "It s a healthy competition. The goalies are pulling for each other and want the other to have success and that s what you want as a goalie coach... My part is to keep (Hutchinson) upbeat and ready for the next opportunity to get back in the net." While Hellebuyck has garnered most of the playing time in the past six weeks, Hutchinson has earned Flaherty s respect by continuing to push his teammate in practice. "It s really the consistency of their practising," says Flaherty. "You know what? Goalies are going to have their good days and their bad days... understanding the process you re going through comes from that communication we re talking about, and letting them know as best I can, the direction of everything."

2 Hutchinson, 26, has been paying his dues for a while. For three seasons to begin his pro career in the Boston Bruins organization and now, in his third year with the Jets. In 11 games this season, he has a record with a 3.05 GAA and a.898 save percentage. "Flats and I have a good relationship and have since Day 1," says Hutchinson. "Helly, as soon as you meet him, you start talking goalie talk and you re pretty sure you re going to get along with (him). It was pretty instant the chemistry." Does it help neither is an established NHLer and both are at similar points in their careers? Hellebuyck isn t sure, but admits during his first season in the Jets organization, he enjoyed the benefits of playing with a veteran goaltender, Peter Budaj. Hellebuyck played in 58 games while Budaj saw the ice in only 19. It was a nearly perfect introduction to pro hockey for a college guy from Commerce, Mich. "I was with Budaj in St. John s (in the AHL)," said Hellebuyck. "He treated me like a best friend, too. He s a stellar guy and not everyone s like that. "I can t really answer that question, but based on how goalies are, but there s probably not too many problems out there." Rule changes will bring smaller, streamlined goalie pants to the NHL this season. Winnipeg Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson likes the new pants so much he s been wearing them in advance of the league s official unveiling. I got mine about a week-and-a-half ago and jumped in in the first practice and actually loved them, Hutchinson said Wednesday. I ve been wearing them ever since... I actually find I move better in them and they don t make that much of a difference. Changes to the design and fit of the pants and, at some future date, to chest protectors, is intended to give shooters a better opportunity to score. Fellow Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck isn t so sure the change will have the desired effect. He has experimented with the redesigned pants in practice, but doesn t expect to use them in a game until they become mandatory sometime in the new year. It also gives the shooter more to look at, which could give them more confidence, said Hellebuyck. That s all goaltending is: a battle of inches... Production and design delays have interrupted plans to introduce streamlined chest protectors this season. Hellebuyck is more concerned about these alterations as a health risk. What worries me more is getting the stingers, said Hellebuyck, who estimates he gets about five painful puck strikes per practice with his current gear. Right now, the chest protectors are built (that way) for a reason... Mike Sawatzky

3 html Laine's lights-out shooting wows linemate Little By: Mike Sawatzky Patrik Laine puts the puck through the five-hole of Detroit Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek during the shootout at the MTS Centre Tuesday night. Veteran Winnipeg Jets centre Bryan Little isn't easily impressed, but he's been amazed by the play of rookie teammate Patrik Laine. Since his return from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for 23 games, Little has often skated on a line with the 18-year-old Laine, who entered Wednesday's action in a tie with Sidney Crosby for the NHL lead in goals with 17. "He's got one of the better shots I've ever seen and he's getting to the point now where he's so good it's not surprising anymore how often his shots find the back of the net," Little said following the club's optional practice Wednesday afternoon at the MTS Centre. "He's a real talented kid and a good guy in the room and look forward to watching a lot of him in the future." The role for Laine, a right-winger from Finland and the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, has expanded to become so much more than what would normally be placed on rookies. "I don't know if anyone expected him to come in and make this big of an impact right away," said Little. "Everyone knew he was a great player and had a great shot but the way he's stepped in, he's been a huge part of our team and a huge part of our offence." The special attention Laine is already drawing is something he will have to get used to if he isn't already. "People are going to be more and more aware of how good he is," said Little. "You already see that on the power play, they're trying to take away his shot. Similar to (Washington Capital's Alex) Ovechkin and (Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven) Stamkos, trying to cheat a bit on him. He's probably going to get that a lot the rest of his career just because his release on his shot is so dangerous." Missed opportunity The Jets frittered away a 3-1 lead on Tuesday night at the MTS Centre, allowing the Detroit Red Wings to tie the game before beating Winnipeg 4-3 in a shootout. "I think it's best if we put that game behind us," said Little. "We had a great chance to get two points and we didn't come through couldn't hold onto the lead. It's disappointing losing any hockey game but we'll take out point and focus on what's ahead." Trouba finding his rhythm Jacob Trouba has played 14 games since ending a contract impasse with the Jets. He's averaging 24:04 minutes of ice time while registering three assists and 12 penalty minutes.

4 The blue-liner is also getting special teams playing time, and perhaps most importantly, the right-hander is getting his ice time on the right side, which was the publicized reason for an earlier trade request. A longer term injury to defenceman Tyler Myers has also contributed to his playing status. "It's nice to play the minutes you've gotta keep earning the minutes," said Trouba. "Yeah, it's what I wanted to do. "It's a function of some injuries and some other things. It's just how things have shaken out but, yeah, it's where I want to be and keep on earning." Trouba insisted he isn't bothered by his low offensive production. "I've never really been one to push the offensive side and make it happen," said Trouba. "When it's there, take it, when it's not there, I'm a defenceman and my job is to keep the puck out of my net. That's my first priority." Scheifele skates, status uncertain Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who has missed three consecutive games with a lower-body injury, skated before the club's Wednesday practice but is still listed as day-to-day. His status will be reevaluated Thursday morning before that night's game against the visiting New York Rangers. Winnipeg Sun Manitoba Moose help out at Siloam Mission BY KEVIN KING, WINNIPEG SUN The Manitoba Moose dished out a major-league assist on Wednesday night, working in the kitchen and on the serving line at Siloam Mission after dropping off a significant clothing donation. Donning Santa hats with their jerseys, the Winnipeg Jets AHL affiliate first gathered in the basement of the humanitarian organization s facility on Princess Street to present over 1,500 pounds of clothing donated through the team s "Share the Warmth" game on Nov. 5 and at Red River Co-op locations through November. Judy Richichi, Siloam s director of major gifts and corporate relations, was presented with a team jersey and supplied a pep talk for the players before they headed to the kitchen to help with meal preparation before serving hundreds of the city s less fortunate. I ve lived it and I ve been there, so you walking in with your jerseys on and your hats on is going to excite a lot of people, she told the team. Just go out there, give em a good time and let em know you care about them. And that s the first chance of hope that allows them to continue to just look forward

5 Dan Hursh, the Moose s vice-president of operations, said it was important for players and staff to get a sense of Siloam s role in the community. Obviously you provide services year-round that are so important, but I think at this time of year it especially hits home for a lot of people. Jets know who they are, now BY PAUL FRIESEN, WINNIPEG SUN What you see is what you should get, Thursday against the New York Rangers and for the rest of the season. Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice says his team has laced up the blades enough times and got enough players back from the infirmary that it should be honed in on its identity. It should be fairly close to now, the coach said, Wednesday. We've only got four or five guys out of our lineup now. That, believe it or not, should be a reasonably manageable number. Everybody has to fight with some injuries over the course of the year. Off our road trip we've played fairly close to our game. The Jets have bounced back from that disastrous five-game journey to win four of six. But as impressive as the last two on the road were wins in St. Louis and Chicago the last two at home, a 6-3 loss to Edmonton and Tuesday's 4-3 shootout loss to Detroit, have been spotty, at best. But that's the grind of the 82-game NHL season, Maurice said. Good luck trying to duplicate your best game every night. So at we would be pretty comfortable with our game. Actually, being comfortable might have been the problem as the Jets coughed up a 3-1 lead against the Red Wings. We got a little complacent and comfortable with how we'd been playing, and kind of got off it, defenceman Jacob Trouba said. That's something we're just going to have to learn as a team. You've got to stay on it. When we're good we play a certain way. It's not an easy way to play and it's not always the prettiest way to play, but that's what works for us. HAPPY CAMPER? Trouba appears to have landed exactly where he wanted to be when he asked for a trade going into this season: getting serious ice time playing the right side. His 25:07 on Tuesday marked the seventh time in the last eight games he's logged at least 24 minutes.

6 It's a function of some injuries and some other things, just how things have shaken out, Trouba said. It's where I want to be and something I've got to keep earning. Originally pegged for the left side due to the presence of Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the right, Trouba says he doesn't worry what'll happen when Myers returns from injury. We've got to do what we can to put the best team on the ice, he said. We're all here to accomplish the same goal, which is to win games, get to the playoffs and make something happen there. With no goals and three assists in 14 games, Trouba hasn't exactly jumped into the offensive side of things. I've never really been one to push the offensive side or make it happen, he said. When it's there, take it. When it's not there, I'm a defenceman and my job is to keep the puck out of my net. That's my first priority. If you score five goals and you let in five goals, you're pretty much in the same spot as if you didn't score any. FINNISH PHENOM, REVISITED What would a day be without somebody marvelling at the exploits of rookie Patrick Laine? We're still kind of all amazed with how good he is and what kind of numbers he's been able to put up, Bryan Little said. People are going to compare him to different superstars... it's just hard to put a finger on how he's able to do it. Little says opposing teams are going to pay more and more attention to the Finnish sniper. You're already seeing that on the power play a bit. They're trying to take away his shot, similar to Ovechkin and Stamkos, trying to almost cheat a bit on him. And he's going to get that probably a lot the rest of his career, just because his release and his shot is so dangerous. Laine's 17th goal of the season against Detroit leaves him with a shooting percentage of 21.8, a number that's not usually sustainable. With him it could be, Little said. He's got one of the better shots I've ever seen. Maurice says he wouldn't put a ceiling on what kind of numbers Laine can put up. It's a high shooting percentage, we get that, Maurice said. This is a different kind of shooter. We're still learning about this guy. There's more offence for him. There are more places for him to get to. Makes you wonder where the Jets would be without him. I don't know, Little said. I don't know if anyone expected him to come in and make this big an impact right away. He's been a huge part of our team and a huge part of our offence. LAST ONES ON THE ICE

7 It appears Laine is far from satisfied. He and Nikolaj Ehlers were doing extra drills long after their teammates had left the ice, Wednesday. Ehlers is mired in a 14-game goal drought, despite chances by the bushel. I'm still scoring points, we're winning games -- it's not a big deal for me, Ehlers said. So I'm not too worried. But I wouldn't mind that one goes in soon. LITTLE CONSOLATION While the Jets hung on to salvage the loser point, Tuesday, the mood the morning after reflected the point lost. It definitely feels like we lost, Little said. We weren't satisfied with our complete game. It's how we prepare for (Thursday) and how we bounce back from that loss. Playing his fourth game since returning from sick bay, Little saw his three-game goal streak end, but sees mostly positives from his team. We've been pretty consistent over the last four or five games. It's just one bad period, a couple lapses, and that's all it takes in this league. SICK BAY UPDATE Centre Mark Scheifele will skate in the morning before the Jets make a decision on him for Thursday's game. He's not at 100%, but better than he was (Tuesday), the coach said. Jets need to keep up the fast pace as they take on the struggling Rangers By Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun Five keys to the game Feet to the throat The Rangers come limping into town with a mark in their last 10 and a host of forwards on the injured list. They're just a shell of the team that's scored more goals than anyone, averaging 3.59 per game. So the Jets had better be at their fast-paced, hard-checking best and make them want to get out of Dodge ASAP. Feeding off the Finn

8 The Jets are going to ride Patrik Laine's hot streak as long as they can. Opposing teams have taken notice, though, and head coach Paul Maurice will be increasingly challenged to get the right matchups for the rookie. The Jets are when Laine scores at least once. Grabbing at Grabner New York speedster and leading goal-scorer Michael Grabner is expected to return from Austria, where he was attending his grandmother's funeral. With 13 goals, and with Rich Nash out of the lineup, Grabner poses the biggest threat to the Jets. Winnipeg's defence corps has to be wary of his quicks and can't let him get behind them. Some slump-busting It would help, and take some of the heat off Laine, if some of the slumping Jets would break out of their funks. Nikolaj Ehlers continues to play great, but can't find the net. Drew Stafford has yet to find his scoring touch. How about 60 minutes? The Jets always say they don't worry about the other team and can only control their own play. Unlike Tuesday's uneven game against Detroit, they'd be wise to turn in a three-period effort and let the chips fall where they may. Big Matchup Rangers vs Laine We don't know how Alain Vigneault plans to neutralize the NHL's co-leader in goals, but you can bet he'll have a plan. When Laine is held off the board, the Jets' record is a less-than-stellar Global Winnipeg (VIDEO LINK) Tossing teddy bears at the Moose game The Manitoba Moose and the Christmas Cheer Board are teaming up to help get some toys for those in need, with the annual Teddy Bear toss, taking place on December 10 Manitoba Moose defenceman Peter Stoykewych playing for hometown team By Mitch Rosset Reporter/Anchor WINNIPEG Getting noticed is all part of being a professional hockey player. But people recognize Manitoba Moose defenceman Peter Stoykewych more than others.

9 Why you ask? It s because he s the hometown kid playing for the hometown team. Me and my family would go to games all the time, said Stoykewych. We would sit up in the nosebleeds of the old Winnipeg Arena and we would watch the Moose. The 24-year-old Winnipegger is in his second season with the team. According to him, the Moose are a big part of his identity. It s really not just a logo to me, it s sort of who I am, said Stoykewych. It s where I come from. Stoykewych s path to the pros started in the Assiniboine Park Minor Hockey Association. He played for the Bantam AA Assiniboine Park Rangers before moving on to the Bantam AAA Winnipeg Monarchs. Stoykewych also spent time with the Midget AAA Winnipeg Wild and Manitoba Junior Hockey League s Winnipeg Blues. Everybody gives you things that you carry forward, said Stoykewych. A lot of those things aren t necessarily things that happen on the ice. It s a lot about growing up and being a good person. Skills he was also taught while attending St. John s-ravenscourt School. I would come out to the Dutton Arena for gym class, said Stoykewych. I spent a lot of time on that ice. Working on goals inspired by his hockey heroes. A lot of the time, that s why we play as well, said Stoykewych. It s so the kid that has that dream up in the nosebleeds will chase it. Associated Press Jets have their work cut out against visiting Rangers By The Associated Press WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- If there ever was a David versus Goliath matchup in the NHL, the New York Rangers versus the Winnipeg Jets is it. Hockey's largest population base versus its smallest, a team with more than 90 years of history versus one with just five (in its most recent incarnation), a squad with four Stanley Cup victories and a perennial contender versus one with not only zero championships but not a single playoff game win. Heck, the original Jets history goes back to the days of the World Hockey Association when the Rangers outbid virtually every other NHL team to sign Swedish superstars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson away in 1978.

10 So, yeah, you could say the Jets are polishing up their slingshots in advance of facing the blue shirts Thursday night at 7 p.m. (CST) at the MTS Centre. This is the second and final meeting between the two squads. The Rangers defeated the Jets 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 6. The Jets have been relying heavily this season on super rookie Patrik Laine, who not only leads all first-year players with 17 goals, but is tied with some guy named Sidney Crosby atop the NHL goal-scoring parade. The Winnipeggers will need some help from some slumping players to take the pressure off the 18-year-old, including his linemate, Nikolaj Ehlers. The 20-year-old notched 15 goals and 38 points last year but has only managed four goals and 19 assists while playing primarily on the top line this season. He is currently mired in a 14-game goal drought but he's not losing any sleep over it. "I'm still scoring points, we're winning games -- it's not a big deal for me," Ehlers told the Winnipeg Sun. "So I'm not too worried. But I wouldn't mind that one goes in soon." He's not getting much sympathy from Laine. "He can't score in Playstation, either," he said. Presumably, Henrik Lundqvist is between the pipes whenever the two youngsters play the video game version of the Rangers but that won't be the case on Thursday as backup Antti Raanta will get the start. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said he believes Lundqvist, who hasn't cracked the top 10 in goals against average, save percentage, win and shutouts this season, has another level. "He's our top player, you know. He's been doing it for quite a few years. I would tell you that you look at any team right now that's winning and they are getting consistent Grade A goaltending. We're no different than anybody else. We need consistent Grade A goaltending," he told the New York Post. Both teams will be without key cogs in their wheels. The Jets hope to welcome center Mark Scheifele back after missing three games with a lower-body injury but they'll still be without defenseman Tyler Myers (lower body) and forwards Nic Petan, Shawn Matthias and Joel Armia, all out with lower-body injuries, too. The most notable absence in the Rangers lineup is center Rick Nash, who is out with a groin injury. Others who won't be suiting up include forwards Pavel Buchnevich (back spasms), Matt Puempel (concussion) and Mika Zibanejad (broken leg). If the game turns into a battle of specialty teams, the ice will definitely tilt in favor of the New Yorkers. The Jets' power play is 21st in the league, operating at 15.5 percent, a significant drop from the Rangers, who are currently in ninth position and 21 percent. The Rangers kill off 84 percent of all the penalties they take, good for 10th in the NHL, far ahead of the Jets, who emerge unscathed from 80 percent of their short-handed situations, or 24th best.. TSN.ca (VIDEO LINK)

11 By the Numbers: Patrik Laine Jets rookie Patrik Laine scored his 17th goal of the season on Tuesday night to tie Sidney Crosby for the NHL lead. SportsCentre takes a closer look at the numbers of Laine's red-hot start to his rookie season. (VIDEO LINK) Laine playing without fear That's Hockey takes a closer look at the makeup of Patrik Laine and why he isn't afraid to shoot from everywhere and pull some ridiculous moves in the shootout. Sportsnet.ca Is Patrik Laine s 40-goal pace sustainable? BY ANDREW BERKSHIRE The talk surrounding Patrik Laine leading up to the draft was that it was possible he could be the best pure goal scorer since Alex Ovechkin. The parallels were easy to see when you watched him play: he loves to shoot from Ovechkin s patented spot on the power play and he has that same wicked release. However, even the most lofty projections didn t have him tied for the league lead in goals over a quarter of the way through the season, and put him on pace for 48 goals if he plays every game this season. Despite how dynamic Laine has looked, his 21.8% shooting percentage has raised a few eyebrows about how sustainable his goal scoring will be. Every player among the top-five scorers in the NHL this season have been scoring on a similar number of their shots, but when you combine that with the average distance Laine has been shooting from, there s reason to be suspect of the pace he s currently on. To get an idea of what kind of scoring should be expected from Laine this season, I figured we should compare him to the top scorers from last season based on median shot and goal distance, to see if he s truly that big of an outlier. Laine clearly loves to shoot from a distance, with his median shot being over eight feet further from the net than the next longest distance shooter in Ovechkin. That is a bit worrying, but it s interesting that Laine s median goal distance is closer than Vladimir Tarasenko s, even if it s eight and a half feet further out than the average for last season s top scorers. Using this data we re left with the question: is Laine s shot better than all of those players? It s a possibility -- his shot is absurdly good -- but to have a better shot than Alex Ovechkin is a very big task. The problem with projecting Laine to be a 40-plus goal scorer with the way he s

12 shooting isn t just that he would need to be a better shooter than Ovechkin, he would need to be much better, considering he s shooting more often from further out and less often overall. Looking at Laine s shooting rate compared to those same top scorers, it seems to me that while he s below average in shot attempts and scoring chances, there is a bit too much of an overreaction to his low numbers, considering players such as Patrick Kane and Jamie Benn were in similar ranges and hit 40 goals. In single seasons, you don t necessarily need the shot rates of Ovechkin or Tarasenko. However, the combination of shot rate and shot distance that Laine has currently produced doesn t look like that of a 40-goal scorer, even if he has the best shot in the world. That doesn t mean he won t hit that mark in the future, but we have to remember that Laine is just 18 years old and won t be 19 until mid-april. That s important to consider when he s compared to Ovechkin, who made his NHL debut at age 20 and immediately put up 425 shots on goal and scored 52 times. Laine isn t doing what Ovechkin did, but as a teenager he shouldn t be expected to. There is legit criticism of Laine in terms of his shot attempt differentials -- he s a -7.1% relative Corsi so far this season, which is terrible. However, not all great scorers are possession drivers, and lots of talented players can outperform their Corsi. Laine may be unlikely to maintain his scoring pace this season, but his ability to score at 18 years old can t be underestimated. It s very rare for a prospect to jump on to a top line in the NHL as a teenager and immediately dominate both goals and shot attempts. I wouldn t worry about him. PRACTICE Paul Maurice Head coach Paul Maurice provides an update on Mark Scheifele, and talks about Patrik Laine's continued success PRACTICE Bryan Little Bryan Little reflects on last night's game, and looks ahead to Thursday's matchup with the Rangers PRACTICE Jacob Trouba Jacob Trouba talks about his role so far this season, and how he's enjoying playing big minutes

13 PRACTICE Patrik Laine Patrik Laine talks about what went wrong in last night's shootout loss, and what he expects from the Rangers on Thursday