Winnipeg Jets Prospects Evaluation 2011 to 2015

in Jets Flight Control

In anticipation of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, I have prepared two posts that evaluate the cumulative draft and develop progress of the Winnipeg Jets.

Drafting is the single best way for a sports franchise to build success so its not surprising that Winnipeg Jets Management has made draft and develop its central strategy. This post (and the one that preceded it) will break down how the Jets have done with their 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 draft picks up to the end of 2014-15 season (which is why this evaluation goes from 2011 to 2015).

I have created a table that tracks each draft prospect taken by the Jets according to a very simple, transparent statistic called ProGames (ProGms).

ProGames counts the number of NHL and AHL games that a drafted player accumulates for their new team. NHL games played count as 1.0 ProGms while AHL games played count as 0.5 ProGms, and these are accumulated across both Regular Season and Playoff Games. So a drafted player who plays 20 NHL and 10 AHL games for his new team will accumulate 25 ProGms for his team.

While the goal of the draft is to have each draftee become an NHL player that plays for the Winnipeg Jets, this is neither guaranteed or realistic. I believe that having players that play for the Jets’ AHL club is a demonstration of player development and is also critical for success. Playing for a farm team creates internal pressure and competition that is a hallmark of the best teams.

Note that not all of the players are Draftees. Between 2011 and 2014 the Jets did sign two Undrafted Free Agents which I believe is important to capture since it still demonstrates the choosing and development of talent.

 

2014 Entry Draft
Number/Round Player Pos Drafted From 2014-15 Status NHL GP AHL GP ProGms Exit
#9 in Round 1 Nikolaj Ehlers L Halifax Mooseheads [QMJHL] Major-Junior Pro Contract signed
#69 in Round 3 Jack Glover D U.S. National Under-18 Team [USHL] College Right still held
#99 in Round 4 Chase De Leo C Portland Winterhawks [WHL] Major-Junior Pro Contract signed
#101 in Round 4 Nelson Nogier D Saskatoon Blades [WHL] Major-Junior Right still held
#129 in Round 5 C.J. Franklin F Sioux Falls Stampede [USHL] College Right still held
#164 in Round 6 Pavel Kraskovsky F Yaroslavl (Russia Jrs.) Europe Pro Right still held
#192 in Round 7 Matt Ustaski F Langley Rivermen [BCHL] College Right still held
7 Drafted – 2 Pro, 5 Rights ProGms 0.0 0/7
2013 Entry Draft
Number/Round Player Pos Drafted From 2014-15 Status NHL GP AHL GP ProGms
#13 in Round 1 Josh Morrissey D Prince Albert Raiders [WHL] Major-Junior/Pro 0 28 14.0
#43 in Round 2 Nicolas Petan C Portland Winterhawks [WHL] Major-Junior Pro Contract signed
#59 in Round 2 Eric Comrie G Tri-City Americans [WHL] AHL Pro 0 5 2.5
#84 in Round 3 Jimmy Lodge C Saginaw Spirit [OHL] AHL Pro 0 1 0.5
#91 in Round 3 J.C. Lipon R Kamloops Blazers [WHL] AHL Pro 0 161 80.5
#104 in Round 4 Andrew Copp C U. of Michigan [CCHA] NHL-AHL Pro 1 0 1.0
#114 in Round 4 Jan Kostalek D Rimouski Oceanic [QMJHL] Major-Junior Pro Contract signed
#127 in Round 5 Tucker Poolman D Omaha Lancers [USHL] College Right still held
#190 in Round 7 Brenden Kichton D Spokane Chiefs [WHL] AHL Pro 0 162 81.0
#194 in Round 7 Marcus Karlstrom D AIK Jrs. (Sweden) Europe Pro Right still held
Free Agent Juho Olkinuora G U. of Denver [WCHA] AHL-ECHL Pro 0 15 7.5
Free Agent Axel Blomqvist F Victoria [WHL] Major-Junior Pro Contract signed
10 Drafted + 2 Undrafted Free Agents – 3 AHL, 5 Pro, 4 Rights ProGms 183.0 0/12
2012 Entry Draft
Number/Round Player Pos Drafted From 2014-15 Status NHL GP AHL GP ProGms
#9 in Round 1 Jacob Trouba D U.S. National Development Team [USHL] NHL Pro 134 0 134.0
#39 in Round 2 Lukas Sutter C Saskatoon Blades [WHL] Unsigned Re-drafted by another NHL team X
#70 in Round 3 Scott Kosmachuk R Guelph Storm [OHL] AHL Pro 0 70 35.0
#130 in Round 5 Connor Hellebuyck G Odessa Jackalopes [NAHL] AHL Pro 0 58 29.0
#160 in Round 6 Ryan Olsen C Saskatoon Blades [WHL] AHL Pro 0 60 30.0
#190 in Round 7 Jamie Phillips G Toronto Jr. Canadiens [OJHL] College Right still held
6 Drafted – 1 NHL, 3 Pro, 1 Rights, 1 Lost ProGms 134.0 1/6
2011 Entry Draft
Number/Round Player Pos Drafted From 2014-15 Status NHL GP AHL GP ProGms
#7 in Round 1 Mark Scheifele C Barrie Colts [OHL] NHL Pro 160 10 165.0
#67 in Round 3 Adam Lowry L Swift Current Broncos [WHL] NHL Pro 84 90 129.0
#78 in Round 3 Brennan Serville D Stouffville Spirit [OJHL] College Right still held
#119 in Round 4 Zach Yuen D Tri-City Americans [WHL] Unsigned Re-drafted by another NHL team X
#149 in Round 5 Austen Brassard R Belleville Bulls [OHL] AHL Pro 0 108 54.0
#157 in Round 6 Jason Kasdorf G Portage Terriers [MJHL] College Traded on Feb 11, 2015 to Buffalo X
#187 in Round 7 Aaron Harstad D Green Bay Gamblers [USHL] AHL ATO 0 5 2.5
7 drafted – 2 NHL, 1 AHL, 2 Rights, 1 Lost, 1 Traded ProGms 348.0 2/7
30 Drafted + 2 Undrafted Free Agents – 3 NHL, 4 AHL, 10 Pro, 12 Rights, 2 Lost, 1 Traded ProGms 665.0 3/32

So after four drafts the Winnipeg Jets had accumulated 665.0 ProGms (up from 314.5) with 30 prospects. Two prospects were never signed so were redrafted by another team. It will be intriguing to follow and track how the Jets strategy of draft and develop supports their on-ice success, and 2014-15 may be a positive sign of the strategy working. The ProGms more than doubled and the Jets made the playoffs for the first time in seven years as a franchise.

About The Author:

Chris Billows is a knowledge seeker who believes in social responsibility, a health care professional, and a business dabbler. The Journals of Doc Surge is his personal blog. Doc Surge (a cool synonym for Billows) is inspired by Doc Brass from the Planetary Comic series who in turn was inspired by the 1930s pulp hero Doc Savage.

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