WINNIPEG, Manitoba – The Winnipeg Jets took to the ice at the MTS Center for day three of training camp. After a successful scrimmage match on Sunday the coaching staff was looking forward to more physical play on Monday.
When talking about more physical play and the Winnipeg Jets in the same sentence Dustin Byfuglien comes to mind straight away, but the first player to bring the physical play was Adam Lowry.
Lowry is the son of former NHL star Dave Lowry who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1983 and is now the assistant coach with the Calgary Flames.
Adam Lowry brought some physical play but the 6’4 176 lbs, Lowry picked the wrong target. Lowry’s target was “Big Buff” and Byfuglien made Lowry look bad, Byfuglien is a 6’5 266 lbs defence men who didn’t take kindly to Lowry’s attempt, Buff pinned Lowry to the boards and made him look inexperienced.
Byfuglien has taken many new players into the boards to show them what physical play really is. Byfuglien even sent a pair of skaters into the net on Saturday.
The Jets did not release their rosters for the two preseason games on Tuesday. Monday was the big day and some of the big players that will hit the ice in Winnipeg Tuesday night are Andrew Ladd, Zach Bogosian and of course Byfuglien.
The Jets will be sending some vets to Columbus as well; Evander Kane and Tanner Glass are among that group. Also heading to Columbus are GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and Ice Caps Head Coach Keith McCambridge. While Claude Noel and Assistant GM Craig Hesinger remain in Winnipeg
The Jets are getting ready to split their squads into two groups more than once this preseason as they have an extra special game in their schedule. The Jets will be sending a team to St John’s, Newfoundland to play the Ottawa Senators in Kraft’s annual Hockeyville Celebration.
The Jets are playing a lot of rookies in their games because by NHL rules only 8 vets need to be dressed for a preseason game so in Noel’s words “a lot of players will get ice time not a lot of vets in the first few games”.
