Winnipeg Jets prospect tiers: Reviewing the top-10 players in the pipeline

Kevin Cheveldayoff has acquired NHL talent for draft capital every year the Winnipeg Jets have been competitive. He struck early last season, trading a first-round pick for Sean Monahan, and then sent more draft picks to New Jersey in exchange for Tyler Toffoli and Colin Miller.

It’s a reality that has cost Winnipeg draft capital in the name of bolstering a playoff-bound roster since Cheveldayoff acquired Paul Stastny back in 2018. It is also a scenario that is likely to repeat itself: Winnipeg remains near the top of the NHL standings and projects to have plenty of cap space. If Cheveldayoff can find a deal for a top-four defenceman or second-line centre, it seems likely he’ll send more draft picks away to make it happen.

The Jets’ prospect pool is depleted by those trades. Winnipeg has made five or fewer picks in five of the past six drafts, asking its scouts to work at a deficit as they try to restock Winnipeg’s “draft and develop” franchise. As a result, the Jets have several draft day wins on their top prospect list but lag behind the NHL’s best prospect pools in depth and top-end talent.

It’s time to talk about some of Winnipeg’s biggest wins, starting with Brad Lambert, whose potential the Jets saw clearly despite league-wide concerns, and continuing through Kevin He — the fastest-rising prospect in the system.

Please note: All stats were collected before Friday’s matchups. 

Tier 1: The blue-chip prospects

1. Brad Lambert, C, 20 (Winnipeg Jets, NHL)

Brad Lambert is proving to be a steal for the Jets in the 2022 draft. You might remember Lambert being heralded as a top talent heading into that draft year — and then his precipitous fall from the top 10 all the way to No. 30. Give Winnipeg credit: The Jets weren’t fooled by the noise about Lambert’s character and compete level. They’ve been rewarded with a blue-chip prospect and a person who’s impressed Moose and Jets staff alike with his drive to improve himself.

He’s NHL-ready to the point of playing in his second and third big-league games this week. Scott Arniel has prioritized him, playing Lambert mostly on the second line and giving him an opportunity on the Jets’ second power play.

Will he stick, though?

It’s funny how these things work. Lambert is the same age that Kyle Connor was when Connor turned his 2017-18 call-up into a 31-goal NHL season. If Lambert finds a way to stay on the big club after Nikolaj Ehlers returns to full health, then he and Connor will have broken into the NHL in the same way, at the same age and with some of the same attributes.

Connor’s ability to explode out of a cutback is tough to match and his finishing ability is unmatched — I’m not saying Lambert will equal Connor — but Lambert’s top speed is elite and his puck skills are strong. If Ehlers gets traded midseason — a nonzero if unlikely possibility — then Lambert would be the automatic call-up. In the meantime, Lambert’s defensive game is the area that needs the most work. Arniel bumped him down the lineup Thursday for veteran Alex Iafallo after a few too many defensive zone shifts against Dylan Cozens’ line.

In the end, Lambert tops this list because he’s close to permanently NHL-ready and because he has the tools to become an impactful top-six forward (or better if everything breaks right.) There’s a chance the all-around abilities of the next two players help them surpass Lambert’s career arc … but we’re deferring to his top-end talent.

2. Elias Salomonsson, RD, 20 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Elias Salomonsson is a 21-minute per night, all-situations, right-handed defenceman in the AHL and he’s very good at his job. He’s tracking ahead of expectations for a 20-year-old playing his first season on North American ice.

What makes him so good?

It’s his hockey IQ. Salomonsson has a strong sense of where the primary threat is in the defensive zone — and secondary and tertiary threats, too. He’s great at scanning the ice and anticipates plays quickly. He doesn’t get beat backdoor or lose coverage. In fact, Salomonsson often steers traffic for his more veteran teammates, communicating who he’s taking and where he wants his partner or a backchecking forward to go.

Everything about him feels safe — one step ahead of the play, with the physical tools to play the body, tie up a stick or knock down an entry attempt with confidence. Salomonsson appears to understand exactly what type of pressure he has on him when he goes to retrieve a puck off of a dump-in. He consistently makes the right decision about whether to use a nearby outlet, try a distant option or keep the puck himself.

I don’t see elite offensive ability — he’s fast without being an elite rusher, smart with the puck without being an elite passer — but he makes such good decisions that I imagine he’ll drive play at the NHL level when he gets there.

Binge-watching Salomonsson’s AHL shifts reminds me of Jets defenceman Dylan Samberg — albeit a little smaller at 6 foot 2, 190 pounds. I don’t get the same fear of physical struggle that I do with Ville Heinola or of coverage concerns that I do with Logan Stanley. The Jets see Salomonsson as a blue-chip prospect, and the more I watch him, the more I agree.

3. Brayden Yager, C, 19 (Lethbridge Hurricanes, WHL)

Brayden Yager caps off the Jets’ top prospect tier. He’s set to play a top-six role for Team Canada at the world juniors, scoring at will in the WHL and picked up an empty net goal for Lethbridge in his Hurricanes debut.

Yager was initially lauded for his scoring ability but has progressively added more dimension to his game. He’s fast, plays a responsible 200-foot game and managed 30 points in 21 games for a badly outmatched Warriors club — a nearly identical scoring rate to Lambert’s 38 points in 28 games for Seattle just two years ago. Now that he’s playing for Lethbridge, a playoff-bound team that will look to add yet more talent, the 2023 WHL champion will get the chance to help lead a second team on a deep playoff run.

You can watch Yager’s first media availability with Lethbridge below.

I think Yager projects as a second-line centre who provides enough scoring to justify top-six minutes and enough defence to help his team win hockey games. I enjoyed his performance at Jets camp and got a particular kick out of the time he put in with Mark Scheifele at the end of this practice.

Tier 2: Players with a chance to play in the NHL

4. Colby Barlow, LW, 19 (Oshawa Generals, OHL)

Colby Barlow is not having a strong 19-year-old season in the OHL and he will not play for Team Canada at the world juniors. He’s scoring fewer goals, generating fewer assists and taking fewer shots for Oshawa than he did as an 18-year-old in Owen Sound. There are concerns that his lack of foot speed hampers his ability to control the flow of play in junior hockey.

We wrote one year ago: If he can add a bit of quickness or creativity in terms of finding space, he’ll be a dangerous scorer as a pro. If not, some of his elite shooting ability will go underutilized. The current concern is that Barlow isn’t building those dimensions, with his foot speed causing most of the difficulty. He’s competitive and unafraid to go to the tough areas of the ice, but he’s 38th in OHL goal scoring so far this season after finishing ninth last season.

Barlow picked up three points Thursday, including two on the power play, and took seven shots on goal. I expect 19-year-old first-round picks to be impact players in the OHL; more games like that would ease the fears.

5. Nikita Chibrikov, RW, 21 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Nikita Chibrikov leads the Moose with 12 points in 17 games, a scoring rate that highlights how hard it’s been for Manitoba to produce offence. He’s shooting more often this season — so much more often that one might expect more than four goals so far. Chibrikov’s wrist shot is a problem for AHL goaltenders, but he’s not getting inside the top of the circles with enough regularity to post big scoring numbers.

This is a teamwide issue. Manitoba isn’t leaning on opponents, chaining shifts together in the offensive zone to open up scoring areas in the middle of the ice. Chibrikov’s increased shot totals come partly from hopeful, distant shots against goaltenders who are well-prepared to handle them.

I still hold his AHL game in high regard — he does a lot of the hard, heavy, forechecking and backchecking things that help teams win games — but his production is running in place on a Moose team that’s struggling to score.

6. Thomas Milic, G, 21 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Part of Winnipeg’s impetus to establish an ECHL affiliation in Norfolk was to give its goaltending prospects professional opportunities. Milic validated that decision last season, earning 18 starts and outplaying most of his older competition. He also developed the mental toughness that comes with the rigors of minor-league professional hockey, earning a call-up to the Moose and playing a big role in Manitoba’s playoff run.

His .866 save percentage in nine AHL games this season is underwhelming. Dom DiVincentiis posted superior numbers (.930) in five games. There is also the matter of Milic’s smaller, 6-foot size, but the Jets have confidence in his approach to his development. Milic lived out of a suitcase last season, moving between Norfolk and Manitoba, but didn’t question or complain about the plan. Instead, he just dug in and worked on his game.

Here’s one of my favourite Milic saves from his stellar, gold medal-winning performance for Team Canada in 2023.

Milic has been described to me as a mentally tough, patient goaltender who has enough athleticism to overcome his lack of size. At his best, he holds his feet really well, reading the play without taking the bait or moving himself out of position in chaotic situations.

7. Dom DiVincentiis, G, 20 (Norfolk Admirals, ECHL)

Dom DiVincentiis is on the Milic program, moving to the ECHL after the Jets claimed Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. He’s had a strong start, posting a .907 save percentage in four games, and Winnipeg believes he can follow Milic’s path through the ECHL and up to AHL success.

DiVincentiis has been described to me as “obsessed” with being the best goaltender he can be. When he was drafted, the 6-foot-2 goalie played smaller than he is, using a wide stance that took away from his coverage of the net, but DiVincentiis worked with Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba’s goaltending development coach, to build a bigger, more patient posture. He was rewarded with OHL goaltender of the year honours in 2022-23.

Living up to that hype proved to be a challenge. DiVincentiis missed the chance to play for Team Canada at the world juniors despite being thought of as a potential starter for that team. DiVincentiis has been resilient since that time, continuing to improve his game. He’s been impressive in the AHL and ECHL early in his first pro season.

8. Chaz Lucius, C, 21 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Chaz Lucius once ranked as high as No. 1 in my books, with the caveat that he needed to stay healthy to take the next step in his development. His surgically repaired ankle has limited him to just three games this season (and he’s been shut down due to injury in four consecutive seasons) but Lucius is doing his best to maintain optimism.

“Now I’m at a point where I can play games consistently,” Lucius told reporters at Moose practice Thursday. “I feel good about where my ankle’s at.”

The hope is that he’s ready to take a consistent role with the Moose, adding a scoring punch to a team that’s tied for the fewest goals in the AHL. If he delivers on that hope, Lucius will do so via his hockey IQ. When he’s healthy, Lucius makes clever, well-timed cuts into space and fast, accurate reads of opposing defenders, frequently making just the right shot or pass to exploit his coverage.

I worry when players for whom hockey sense is the leading skill miss playing time. I think 18-23 is a critical age for the brain when it comes to processing time and space in competitive sports.

9. Kevin He, LW, 18 (Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Kevin He is a tenacious, talented, dynamic winger who forechecks hard, backchecks hard, bulldozes his way to the front of the net and is tied for third in OHL goal scoring. That’s an excellent resume for He, the highest NHL draft pick born in China (No. 109), and it puts him ahead of Barlow and fellow 2024 draft pick Kieron Walton in goals.

We voted He as Winnipeg’s fastest-rising prospect and believe the Jets are thrilled with his development this season. He reminded me so much of Mikey Eyssimont at Jets camp — with a better shot, mind you — and I’ll admit to an optimistic, NHL-bound impression of his future. The best-case version of He’s career sees him surpass Lucius, both goalies and even Chibrikov and Barlow, but we’ll try to remain patient with the impressive 18-year-old.

10. Kieron Walton, C, 18 (Sudbury Wolves, OHL)

Kieron Walton, Winnipeg’s sixth-round draft pick in 2024, leads the Sudbury Wolves in goals (16), assists (23) and points (39.) He’s on pace to more than double last season’s OHL career high in all of those categories, already just two goals and two assists shy of last season’s totals.

Walton is listed at 6-6, 215 pounds, giving Winnipeg a big, rangy, talented centre in its pipeline after years of smaller forwards. He’s leapfrogged a lot of players taken much higher than him in the draft to debut at 10 on this list, including players who have professional experience. It’s also fun to note that, if the OHL playoffs started today, Walton and He would play against each other in the first round.

Tier 3: Longer NHL odds, with lots to like all the same

Alfons Freij, LD, 18 (IF Björklöven, HockeyAllsvenskan)

Danny Zhilkin, C, 20 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Fabian Wagner, C, 20 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Dmitry Kuzmin, LD, 21 (Manitoba Moose, AHL)

Connor Levis, RW, 20 (Vancouver Giants, WHL)

Zach Nehring, RW, 19 (Western Michigan University, NCAA)

Garrett Brown, RD, 20 (University of Denver, NCAA)

(Photo of Brad Lambert: Darcy Finley / NHLI via Getty Images)



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