The Winnipeg Jets introduced Scott Arniel as the new head coach of the organization on Monday morning, and in his introductory press conference, he said all the right things. After stepping in for Rick Bowness, who guided the Jets to a 52-24-6 record a season ago, Arniel said he wants to remain a strong five-on-five team while improving drastically in the special teams department.
He also brought up the integration of young players and analytics into their organizational formula, which a large portion of the Jets fanbase will be delighted to hear.
Jets Organization Will Hold a Summer “Summit” Regarding Analytics
After being eliminated in the playoffs by an analytically forward team in the Colorado Avalanche, new coach Arniel and the Jets organization are planning to hold a “summer summit” to incorporate more analytics into their process going forward.
“It is something that I’d like to put forward,” Arniel said on Monday morning. “I think as an organization we’ve talked about having a summit this summer, getting on board as an organization in that area, and moving that forward. We do have players that are interested in it, so it will be something that we look to.”
This was a clear emphasis of his introductory press conference. Every team in the National Hockey League now has an analytics department, and as Arniel alluded to today, they will be using their analytics group more often going forward.
“It’s such a big part of the game,” Arniel said when explaining the use of analytics on Monday. “The biggest thing for me is to get ahead of the curve. It’s easy to grab your analytics when things are bad and say ‘You’re terrible at this area and that’, but for us, it’s to find the areas, obviously that you’re good at and continue to build on, but also find trends from across the league. Why do they have success on a yearly basis? Maybe, why do they have success in the playoffs?”
It will be very interesting to follow this development and see how the Jets handle the incorporation of analytics into their organization, and what trends they deem are valuable enough to replicate heading into next season.
Scott Arniel Describes Young Players as “Vital” in Today’s NHL
Another aspect of Arniel’s presser that fans are sure to enjoy was the endorsement of young players being “vital” in today’s NHL. Arniel was asked about the Dallas Stars, and specifically Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven, as young players who are making a huge impact for a Western Conference contender.
“I think they’re vital,” Arniel said when asked about younger players having an impact. “Especially in this day and age, with the salary cap, you’re going to have your elite players, there’s only so much pie to spread around, and you need your players to step in and help you. You look at those two young kids in Dallas, they are making a huge impact on that team.”
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Cole Perfetti is naturally the first “young player” who comes to mind when looking at the Jets roster. He is 22 years old heading into next season, and he will need a new contract as a pending restricted free agent (RFA). He posted 19 goals and 19 assists last season in 71 games and looks primed to take over a consistent top-six role.
While Perfetti played his first fully healthy season in the league, he spent the back half of the year being jockeyed in and out of the lineup and then was put in the press box for the first four games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before playing Game 5. While Arniel described young players as “vital”, he reminded everyone that the players need to be ready for the opportunity.
“The other side to that, is they need to be ready,” Arniel said regarding youth in the lineup. “You can’t just throw young guys into situations and hope they have success. We want these guys to be Winnipeg Jets for years, we don’t want them to be one and done or 1-2 years and done. It’s important that they get the full development, and when it’s their time to play here, they’ve earned that opportunity and they have success when they get here.”
Between the incorporation of analytics and the endorsement of young players needing to play a role on the team, fans will be joyful after hearing Arniel’s first press conference. With the head coaching search in the rearview mirror, Kevin Cheveldayoff will now look to his pending RFAs and unrestricted free agents (UFAs) as the offseason rolls along.
