The Winnipeg Jets are halfway through the 82-game 2024-25 schedule. They had a lot of contributors toward their 27-12-2 record through 41 games — just about every player has chipped in to their surprising success in some way — but here, we’ll look at the top three performers.
3: Mark Scheifele
Scheifele is first on the Jets in goals (23) and second in points(46) but more importantly, in the first year of the seven-year deal he inked last October, is playing like someone worthy of being part of the leadership core.
That wasn’t always the case, as despite the Jets 2.0’s first-ever draft pick long wearing an A on his jersey, he wasn’t always committed to his defensive game or giving full effort without the puck.
Every team needs a guy like Mark Scheifele 😤 pic.twitter.com/erhgaO6Y6t
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) December 11, 2024
Ever since the Rick Bowness era the centre has been committed to being a complete player and he has continued his commitment this season under first-year head coach Scott Arniel, playing key roles on the first line and on the top power-play unit that’s operating an a 30 per-cent-plus clip. His shooting percentage is an astonishing 25, eight points higher than his career average, and he is only two goals shy of the 25 he had in 74 games last season.
Other than a stretch in late November where he was clearly nursing a hand/wrist injury, was unable to take faceoffs, and saw his production dip, Scheifele has been consistent. With 46 points in 41 games, he is on pace to have the seventh point-per-game-plus season of his career and his first since 2021-22. He seems to have been playing with some added motivation since he was left off Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster last month, recording 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in the Jets’ 15 games since Canada announced their Scheifele-less roster on Dec. 5.
2: Kyle Connor
Kyle Connor got off to a scorching start this season and really has never looked back or had a slump.
The winger enjoyed a 12-game point streak to start the campaign and has piled up a team-leading 52 through 41 games. He has been held off the scoresheet just 11 times, his longest pointless streak is only three games, and his team-leading 30 assists highlights the fact he’s an excellent playmaker with great vision in addition to one of the NHL’s best snipers.
Make it a dozen goals on the season for Kyle Connor! 1️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Z5aoRB3bLZ
— NHL (@NHL) November 20, 2024
The 28-year-old also recorded his 500th-career point in late October, is on pace to be the first player in Jets 2.0 history to have a 100-point campaign — he fell seven points shy in 2021-22 — and was selected to represent the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Related: 4 Nations Face-Off Roster Comparison & Power Ranking
Connor and Scheifele, making up two-thirds of a highly-productive first line with Gabriel Vilardi, have found a way to be strong enough at five on five to be viable. That’s a positive development considering the duo’s history of often being caved in at even strength under Bowness and Paul Maurice.
3: Connor Hellebuyck
Hellebuyck has been the cornerstone to the Jets’ success for a long time and it’s been no different this season. Not only has he not regressed from his Vezina Trophy-winning 2023-24 campaign, but his numbers are better than a season ago and he is currently the heavy favourite to capture his third-career award for the league’s best goaltender.
The 31-year-old, whose next win will be the 300th of his career, has a 24-6-2 record, 2.09 goals against average (GAA), .926 save percentage (SV%), five shutouts, and a 23.3 goals saved above expected (GSAA) in 32 starts this season. His goals against average, shutouts, and GSAA are all best in the league among qualified goaltenders.
Hellebuyck, who will be the United States’ starting goaltender at the 4 Nations Face-Off, should be generating some chatter for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player at this point. No goaltender has won it since the Montreal Canadiens’ Carey Price in 2014-15 and Hellebuyck’s numbers aren’t far behind Price’s from that outstanding campaign (44-16-6, 1.96 GAA, .933 SV%, nine shutouts, and 36.7 GSAA.)
Hellebuyck, despite making his 500th-career start earlier this season and being set to reach the 300-win milestone, is never one to brag about his own play and he’s been clear for years that his number-one priority is not having the best personal stats, but winning a Stanley Cup. The Jets could have a chance to do that this season and would not be in the position they are without Hellebuyck between the pipes. He is worth every dollar of the $8.5 million the Jets will tender for his services each of the next seven years.