Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has been replenishing the team’s prospect pool in recent years. It’s been a while now since a draft pick has become a core player (although Cole Perfetti is close) and most of the current core is from their early drafts after relocation.
However, as a new-look Jets 2.0 emerges — and as new head coach Scott Arniel is set to put a bigger focus on youth after a number of veterans departed in free agency in 2024 — a number of viable young players Cheveldayoff and the organization hope will be impactful NHLers are now on the cusp of turning pro, breaking out, or being swapped for other assets.
Here, we’ll take a look at the Top 10 Prospects in the Jets’ system for 2024-25.
The exact definition of a prospect varies from person to person and publication to publication, but here’s the criteria for this article:
- The player must be 23 years old or younger
- The player must have played fewer than 100 NHL games
- The player must be either signed to an NHL contract or selected in an NHL Entry Draft. Players signed to AHL contracts don’t count.
10: Domenic DiVincentiis: 207th Overall (7th Round,) 2022
- Position: Goaltender
- Shoots: Right
- Potential Upside: NHL starter
Domenic DiVincentiis saw his numbers dip the season after being named Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Goalie of the Year but he still cracks our top 10. In 2023-24, his third season with the North Bay Battalion, the now 20-year-old posted a 3.14 Goals Against Average (GAA,) .895 Save Percentage (SV%), and one shutout. Those were worse numbers that in 2022-23, but he still posted an impressive 27-9-5 record and was named OHL Goaltender of the Month for February.
He suffered a lower-body injury in Game 2 of the Battalion’s first-round playoff series against the Kingston Frontenacs, which ended his playoffs early and rendered him a spectator to his team’s run to the Conference Final.
Despite some struggles in his most-recent campaign, the 2022 7th-rounder often dominated the OHL. When he won Goalie of the Year honours, he posted a 36-9-2 record, 2.33 GAA, .919 SV%, and five shutouts before going 11-6-3 with a 2.44 GAA, .926 SV%, and one shutout in the playoffs.
DiVincentiis, who signed an entry-level contract (ELC) last July, has aged out of junior hockey and will turn pro this season. With the Jets signing Eric Comrie and Kaapo Kahkonen — one of whom will back up Connor Hellebuyck and one of whom will play in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Manitoba Moose in tandem with Thomas Milic, who we’ll focus on later — DiVincentiis may have to start in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals.
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If his progression continues, he could become a viable NHL goaltender in just a few seasons and be a massive steal of a pick.
9: Dmitry Rashevsky: 146th Overall (5th Round,) 2021
- Position: Right wing
- Shoots: Left
- Potential Upside: NHL forward
Dmitry Rashevsky is an often-overlooked Jets’ prospect due to playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, but the Russian right winger has continually improved since being drafted three years ago. last season, his fourth with Dynamo Moscow, he set a new career high in points with 43 (24 goals, 19 assists) in 67 games, and five goals and two assists for seven points in 10 playoff games.
The Russian product is not in a rush to sign an ELC with the Jets as he still has one year left on the two-year deal he signed with Dynamo in summer, 2023. It can be complicated to get Russian players over to North American due to the war in Ukraine, but NHL teams are increasingly managing to do so.
Rashevsky is 23 and has been playing in arguably the world’s second-best professional hockey league since he was 19, so if he were to come to the Jets, he could be NHL ready. If je doesn’t want to sign with the Jets, the organization could trade his rights to another team he is interested in going to.
A few weeks ago at Jets’ summer development camp, Cheveldayoff had this to say about the status of conversations with Rashevsky: “We’ve been talking with his North American agents to try to see where he is at within that realm. We had a Zoom call with him and his representatives last year. We would like to try to obviously go that direction (to come to North America) but every situation is literally different when it comes to that, but we’re hopeful.”
8: Chaz Lucius: 18th Overall (First Round,) 2021
- Position: Centre
- Shoots: Right
- Potential Upside: Middle-six NHL centre
Chaz Lucius’ skills aren’t in question, as he possesses great speed and acceleration, a high hockey IQ, and two-way ability. However, his durability certainly is in question as he has had four season-ending surgeries in as many seasons. While the organization hasn’t written him off, he drops to eighth in our list this time around because he looks like a compromised asset and has already lost significant development time.
Most recently, in 2023-24 — his first full professional campaign — he had to have season-ending ankle surgery after recording 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) with the Moose in 17 games.
His repeated need to go under the knife has limited him to 71 games since the start of 2021-22. It’s hard to judge what he’d do with a full season, because the Jets have never seem him play one.
In January, 2023, while playing with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks after winning bronze with the United States at the 2023 World Juniors and his first stint with the Moose, he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and ended his season. It was terrible timing as he was dominating, recording five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in just six games.
In 2019, he underwent a knee surgery that involved replacing the bone marrow with bone marrow from his back and the recovery required him to spend six weeks in a wheelchair and another six weeks in a heavy brace, “basically learning how to walk all over again.” (From ‘Jets prospect Chaz Lucius proving he can get through anything,’ Winnipeg Sun, Sept. 13, 2023.)
In 2020-21, after being drafted, he sustained a hand injury and then had to have an ankle surgery which ended his first and only season with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers after just 24 games.
Lucius skated at the Jets’ summer development camp in early July in a yellow non-contact jersey and was said to be slightly ahead of schedule in his rehab and recovery process.
“I would have loved to see what would have happened if I played the whole (2023-24 season)”, Lucius said at camp. “I think definitely my opportunity next year would be a bit different. But I’m in the situation I’m in, I can’t control that. The only thing I can control now is just getting back and feeling 100 per cent and playing hockey again, that’s the most important thing.”
“I know what I need to do,” he continued. “Whether that’s a whole year in the AHL or maybe if I’m playing great hockey I can hopefully get a game or two next year, that would be awesome as well. First and foremost, I just need to stay healthy and prove I can play consistent hockey.” (from ‘Lucius a well of untapped potential,’ Winnipeg Free Press, July 5, 2024.)
You can bet the organization will be keeping close tabs on Lucius and his health this AHL season. At some point, they’ll need to stop banking on him becoming an NHL regular if he can’t stay healthy. He still has two years left on the ELC he signed in 2022 as it slid once.
7: Elias Salomonsson: 55th Overall (Second Round,) 2022
- Position: Defence
- Shoots: Right
- Potential Upside: Two-way NHL defender
Elias Salomonsson is likely to come to North America for this season and his arrival is highly anticipated. By all reports, his skills as a two-way defensemen — especially his skating and puck-moving ability — have burgeoned greatly in Sweden, and as such, his post-draft stock has skyrocketed.
Salomonsson, who will be 20 by the time the campaign gets underway, spent the bulk of 2023-24 with the Swedish Hockey League’s Skelleftea AIK. The right-shooter had two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 31 games, which is the most he’s played for the top Skelleftea club in four seasons with the organization. He went on to put up one goal and five assists for six points in 16 playoff games and helped Skelleftea win the championship after losing in the final in 2023. He also played four games with the Skelleftea junior team, scoring three goals and adding two assists for five points.
Salomonsson represented Sweden at the 2024 World Juniors and got off to an inauspicious start as he was ejected just 25 seconds into the opening game against Latvia for hitting Emils Veckaktins from behind; he was issued a one-game suspension as a result. After serving his suspension — which made him the most-penalized defender in the tournament — he played a key role on a stingy and stifling Swedish blue line that allowed just 15 goals in seven games (and only nine through the first six games prior to the gold-medal game, which they lost to the U.S.) Salomonsson has been described as someone who plays on the edge and with a bit of sandpaper — two good assets, as long as he picks his spots to agitate correctly and doesn’t take stupid penalties.
Salomonsson signed his ELC with the Jets two years ago but it slid twice as he stayed in Sweden so it still has three years on it. He won’t likely jump right to the NHL, but should get meaningful minutes with the Moose and be a call-up candidate as the season goes on.
6: Thomas Milic: 207th Overall (7th Round,) 2022
- Position: Goaltender
- Catches: Right
- Potential Upside: NHL starter
Milic, an “undersized” goaltender by today’s standards, had a strong rookie season and will be looking to continue to develop in his sophomore campaign as the undisputed Moose starter. The former WHL standout with the Seattle Thunderbirds started his campaign in the ECHL with the Admirals, amassing an All-Star nod by posting an 11-3-3 record, 2.45 GAA, .908 SV%, and a pair of shutouts.
In the back half of the season, he took over the Moose starter’s role from Collin Delia and Oskari Salminen, who were both struggling mightily and have both departed. As one of the AHL’s youngest goalies, Milic posted a 19-9-2 record, 2.72 GAA, .900 SV% while capturing his first professional shutout and playing an instrumental role in helping the Moose make the Calder Cup Playoffs after a historically-bad first half that included an 11-game losing streak.
Milic was also one of the three goaltenders on Canada’s 2023 Spengler Cup team, but was injured in the third period of his only start, on Dec. 28 against host HC Davos in round-robin play.
While he is only 21 and needs more time in the AHL to develop, it’s conceivable he could be Hellebuyck’s backup in the near future as both Comrie and Kahkonen are on short-term deals of two and one year, respectively. Hellebuyck is locked up for seven more years, but a few seasons down the line, his workload could be eased. Milic is the goalie in the organization with the best chance of being equipped by then to be the 1B in a tandem situation.
5: Ville Heinola: 20th Overall (First Round,) 2019
- Position: Defence
- Shoots: Left
- Potential Upside: Top-four NHL defenceman
It has been a long time since the Jets drafted Ville Heinola with the hopes he’d blossom into a top-four offensive defenseman. It hasn’t been an easy path for the Finn over five seasons, but it appears his big chance has finally arrived.
Heinola played well enough last preseason to make the Jets, now-retired head coach Rick Bowness said, but a fractured ankle suffered in the final preseason tune-up quashed the opportunity the defender earned. He instead spent four months rehabbing before getting back up to speed with the Moose in the second half. He suited up for 41 games for the Moose in top-pairing and top power-play roles, recording 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists.)
The 2019 20th-overall pick — now 23 and with a two-year bridge deal under his belt signed July 15 — has played just 35 NHL games in four seasons, recording 11 points (one goal, 10 assists.) He is cerebral and intelligent talent whose anticipation, reads, passing ability, and skating are all outstanding. The organization still has high hopes for him.
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Heinola has played 152-career AHL games and it’s clear he is too good for the level. He needs meaningful NHL minutes to further develop the defensive side of his game and is no longer waiver exempt, so trying to send him down would be fraught with risk. Nonetheless, he will have to impress a new coaching staff — Arniel and new assistant coaches Davis Payne and Dean Chynoweth — if he wants to establish himself as a big-league regular. The path appears open for him to do so.
Brenden Dillon’s departure in free agency to the New Jersey Devils has vacated a top-four left-side spot on the Jets’ defensive core. Even if Dylan Samberg — after two solid seasons on the third pairing — wins that job, Heinola could snag Samberg’s old spot.
4: Nikita Chibrikov: 50th Overall (Second Round,) 2021
- Position: Right wing
- Shoots: Left
- Potential Upside: Top-six NHL forward
Chibrikov recorded 47 points (17 goals, 30 assists) with the Moose in his first season in North America, good for fourth on the team. The 21-year-old Russian’s quick adjustment to the North American play-style earned him an April call-up to the Jets for the team’s final game of the regular season against the Vancouver Canucks and it was a night to remember for Chibrikov as he scored a third-period goal that turned out to be the game winner.
Chibrikov, a player with a relentless forecheck and a ton of high-end skill, played top-line right-wing and top power-play roles with the Moose last season, and at the very least, should play those roles again this season. He has an outside chance of earning a Jets’ roster spot this season, but a bottom-six logjam will work against him as he’s not ready for a top-six role yet.
His first real chance for full-time NHL work seems to be 2025-26, after Mason Appleton and Alex Iafallo hit the market as unrestricted free agents.
3: Brayden Yager: 14th Overall (First Round,) 2023 (Selected By Pittsburgh Penguins)
- Position: Centre
- Shoots: Right
- Potential Upside: Top-six NHL forward
Yager is the only player on the list who wasn’t drafted by the Jets, and is the newest prospect in the organization. Cheveldayoff landed the centre in an August, 2024 trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for Rutger McGroarty, the Jets’ 2022 first-rounder who was disgruntled for a reason he never disclosed and refused to sign an ELC.
Cheveldayoff did well in getting a prospect who immediately slots so high on the list in return for a guy who, whatever reason, didn’t think the Jets were a good fit for him.
Yager, 19 years old and hailing from Saskatoon, has spent the past four seasons with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors and last season, popped off a career-high 95 points (35 goals, 60 assists) and added 27 more points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 20 playoff games as the Warriors won the Ed Chynoweth Cup and competed in the Memorial Cup.
“The thing that jumps out at you about Yager’s game is his shot and his willingness to use it, THW’s Devin Little wrote in a prospect profile. “He’s got a quick release and hits his target with deadly accuracy.”
Other assets in Yager’s toolbox include his willingness to be active all over the ice, a high compete level, relentless backchecking ability, and strong playmaking skills that complement his shot. Opposing defenses and goaltenders can never be sure if he’s going to shoot the puck or dish it, making his play multifaceted and less predictable.
Yager is not eligible to join the Moose for 2024-25 as any Canadian Hockey League player who is not 20 by the end of a calendar year cannot join an AHL team full time (Yager turns 20 in on Jan 3. 2025, three days after the cutoff.) He’ll return to Moose Jaw for one final hurrah and should be on Canada’s World Junior roster for the second-straight year (he had two goals and three assists for five points in five games at the 2024 tournament. He could get a few games with the Jets early in a season — he can play as many as nine without losing a year off the ELC he signed with the Penguins in July, 2024 — if he impressed in training camp.
The facts he’s under team control and that Cheveldayoff was able to end the McGroarty saga before the season began should make Jets fans excited for what impact Yager may have in the future.
2: Colby Barlow: 18th Overall (First Round,) 2023
- Position: Left wing
- Shoots: Left
- Potential Upside: Top-six NHL forward, leadership group member
While McGroarty was once seen as a potential Jets’ captain of the future, Barlow — known for his wicked shot, maturity beyond his years, strong work ethic, his leadership skills — has now taken that status.
The 18th-overall pick at last year’s draft played his third season with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack and second as captain in 2023-24, scoring 40 goals and adding 18 assists for 58 points in 50 games. The left winger missed some time with a midseason back injury, which quashed his chance of playing for Canada at the 2024 World Juniors. He also had one goal and two assists in four playoff games.
Barlow then joined the Moose for the final stretch of the AHL season, appearing in three games and recording his first three professional points by scoring one goal and adding two assists.
Barlow was invited to Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase (July 26 to Aug. 3), his first chance to showcase why he deserves to be on the 2025 roster after missing last year’s tourney due to the injury.
Like Yager, he is not eligible to join the Moose for 2024-25 as he doesn’t turn 20 until February, 2025. This may be a bit of a wasted season for him as a result, as he has clearly demonstrated he’s ready for the stiffer competition of professional hockey. At the very least, captaining the Attack for a third season will give him a chance to further develop his leadership skills and he will get a better chance to represent Canada at the 2025 World Juniors.
1: Brad Lambert: 30th Overall (First Round,) 2022
- Position: Centre
- Shoots: Right
- Potential Upside: Top-six NHL centre, leadership group member
Brad Lambert takes our number-one spot entering 2024-25 considering his outstanding 2023-24 season with the Moose and the potential for him to bust out big. Last season, his first full campaign as a pro, he led the Moose in points with 55 (21 goals, 34 assists) and was a reliable threat in top-line-centre and first-unit power-play roles. It was a huge step forward for him to play consistently well, as he has been inconsistent in seasons past.
The now-20-year-old Finn got a well-deserved call up at the end of the season and made his NHL debut against the Canucks alongside Chibrikov on April 18, tallying his first big-league point on a first-period assist.
2023-24 was actually Lambert’s second season in the AHL, and the growth from his rookie stint was obvious. In 14 games in 2022-23, he struggled at times to adjust to the stiffer competition and North-American-sized ice, recording just two goals, one assist, and a minus-9 rating.
Lambert was eventually sent to the Seattle Thunderbirds after playing for Finland at the 2023 World Juniors and he dominated the WHL, posting up 17 goals and 21 assists for 38 points in 26 games and six goals and 20 for 26 points in 17 playoff games. One key was Thunderbirds’ head coach Matt O’Dette moving Lambert back to his natural position — centre.
He’s been a centre ever since, and while you can’t hand a top-six role to a guy who’s played one NHL game, Lambert is certainly a candidate for the second-line centre spot vacated by Monahan. He should be an impact NHL scorer sooner than later and at least be given a chance to strut his stuff at training camp and during the six-game preseason slate.
Related: Jets Have 4 Options for Second-Line Centre in 2024-25
Lambert showed up to and participated in the Jets’ summer development camp — which he didn’t have to do — and that speaks well to his character and dedication to developing. “He comes in now with a little swagger to him and carries himself within this group as a leader,” Moose head coach Mark Morrison said at development camp.
