Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Monday 14 May 2018

The Jets built Cup contender by drafting, developing talent

By LARRY LAGE postseason appearance in
AP Hockey Writer 2015 lasted just four games
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) against Anaheim.
— Not many people, if any, Coach Paul Maurice, like-
expected the Winnipeg wise, was afforded the op-
Jets to have one of the portunity to lead the team
NHL’s best teams this sea- for fourth-plus season this
son. year. He made the most
Vegas Golden Knights as- of it by helping the Jets go
sistant general manager 52-20-10 during the regular
Kelly McCrimmon was one season.
of the few. When Winnipeg had high
The former owner, general draft picks, as it often did
manager and coach of the as a struggling team, it
Western Hockey League’s didn’t miss.
Brandon Wheat Kings said Patrik Laine, a 20-year-old
he watched Winnipeg play winger, was drafted sec-
20 times last season, giving ond overall two years ago
him a peek at what was to and is one of the league’s
come. best young players. He
“It was pretty easy to see had 70 points in the regu-
that it was going to hap- lar season and scored his
pen,” McCrimmon said. fourth goal of the playoffs
“This year, certainly it has.” in Game 1.
The Jets earned 114 points Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers (27), Mark Scheifele (55), Dustin Byfuglien (33) and Patrik Laine (29) Mark Scheifele, selected
during the regular season, celebrate Byfuglien’s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 1 of No. 7 overall in 2011, leads
trailing only Nashville. the NHL hockey playoffs Western Conference final, Saturday, May 12, 2108, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. all postseason scorers with
Winnipeg advanced in the Associated Press 12 goals and has aver-
playoffs for the first time The Jets clearly looked like have the best chance of man led by Dustin Byfuglien aged more than a point
since moving from Atlanta the better team in a 4-2 win winning the Stanley Cup, , and 24-year-old Connor per game the past two
in 2011. The Jets lost only Saturday night in Game 1 especially if it wins Game 2 Hellebuyck has been one seasons. On the back end,
once to Minnesota in the of the Western Conference at home on Monday night. of the best goaltenders this defenseman Jacob Trou-
first round, and eliminated finals against Vegas, the The Jets have a pair of fan- postseason. ba has been exceptional
the top-seeded Predators darling of the NHL in its ex- tastic lines up front along How has a franchise, which in the playoffs as the fran-
on the road in Game 7 of pansion season. with two solid ones and a has largely been an af- chise hoped he would be
the second round. Suddenly, Winnipeg might strong group of defense- terthought in the league, eventually after taking him
U.S. routs Norway 9-3 at hockey gone from finishing fifth or No. 9 overall in 2012.
The Jets have also hit on
worse in its division the pre-
vious three seasons to hav-
some late-round picks, in-
worlds, Germany upsets Finland ing one of the world’s best cluding Hellebuyck, whom
hockey teams?
they took No. 130 overall six
“They put on a clinic in years ago.
By KAREL JANICEK Canada. The Czech Re- of confidence going into drafting and developing,” “Hit home run after home
Associated Press public beat France 6-0 for the next game against Fin- McCrimmon said. “Along run in the draft,” captain
HERNING, Denmark (AP) its second consecutive land.” with that, great patience Blake Wheeler said . “A lot
— Captain Patrick Kane shutout. Kane scored with Dylan Larkin and Cam At- and leadership from Mark of our marquee players are
scored two goals for the a slap shot from the right kinson had a goal and Chipman as an owner. guys we drafted and have
second straight game and circle on a power play to a couple assists, Charlie “What they did takes time.” taken huge steps in the last
added an assist to lead open the scoring and add- McAvoy got a goal and an Unlike other NHL teams, year or two to be impact
the United States to a 9-3 ed another power play assist in another high-scor- which fire general manag- players.”
victory over Norway for its goal almost from the same ing victory for the U.S. ers and coaches if they Winnipeg didn’t draft its
sixth straight win at the ice spot for a 2-0 lead. “Our goal is to keep win- don’t quickly have success, best player, Wheeler, but
hockey world champion- The forward leads the tour- ning, to keep getting bet- the Jets have allowed gen- the franchise acquired
ship on Sunday. nament with 15 points for ter,” Atkinson said. eral manager Kevin Chev- him from Boston in a trade
Defending champion Swe- five goals and 10 assists. Alec Martinez, Anders Lee, eldayoff to build a champi- while it was in Atlanta in
den also recorded its sixth “A good performance by Colin White and Neal Pionk onship contender since hir- 2011 and has built around
win, 5-3 at the expense of the team tonight,” Kane had a goal apiece. ing him in 2011 when they him. That same year, the
Switzerland, while Finland said. “We had a lot of dif- Norway got its goals from left Atlanta. He was just 20 Thrashers took advantage
was upset by Germany 3-2 ferent guys to contribute Kristian Forsberg, Ken An- games above .500 in his first of Chicago’s need to get
in overtime — a day after and chip in, which is good dre Olimb and Mathis five seasons as Winnipeg’s rid of salaries by dealing for
the Finnish team outplayed to see, and give us a lot Olimb.q GM, and its only previous Byfuglien.q