WINNIPEG, Manitoba – After six years of Winnipeg hosting what was dubbed “The Pre Season Classic”, an NHL exhibition game at the MTS Centre, an event that sold out six consecutive years, True North Sports & Entertainment started a new tradition that the Winnipeg media are calling “The Pre Pre Season Classic” and after fifteen years the Winnipeg Jets are back and opened training camp in Winnipeg, and it was open to the public.
The MTS Iceplex, a facility built at the Pointe West Autopark at the West end of Portage Avenue, is a facility that holds four sheets of ice and is home to the Winnipeg Jets practice facility. An “open to the public” training camp event was held on the “Winnipeg Free Press Ice” sheet, one of the ice surfaces and holds roughly 2,000 people. Jets fans did not disappoint with 1,500 packing the free event.
The Jets entered the ice surface and took their first skate as a team to the booming noise of 1,500 fans and some players were seen smiling on the ice.
“There was never this many people and this type of noise at an Atlanta Thrashers camp,” one Jets player commented. “We can hardly wait for an actual game.”
The noise in the Iceplex was loud and an indication of what the MTS Centre will sound like come game day.
The Jets brass hosted a medical day on Friday at the training facility where all the players had their weight, height and other stats recorded, they also did speed work on their bikes for oxygen tests.
Winnipeg’s big defenceman Dustin Byfuglien was asked about his off season weight which has been the talk of Winnipeg since his arrest in Minnesota this summer for “drunk boating”. All of his teammates had his back saying he looks the same as last year. The media were saying that “Big Buff” was in the area of 286 to 300 pounds. But after his official weigh-in Saturday, Buff tipped the scales at 266 pounds, two pounds lighter than his Atlanta weight.
Winnipeg’s training camp was split into three groups because with 65 players reporting to camp that is too many bodies for one sheet of ice. There are roster players (Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Zach Bogosian and players under one-way NHL deals), group two is AHL contracted players and then invites, every team invites players on what the NHL calls Professional Tryout Contracts or PTO’s. This year the Jets have invited NHL veteran goalie David Aebischer to camp and Aebischer will try for at least a spot on the Ice Caps bench in St John’s. If not, he will return to Europe to play.
There are as many as five players in camp who are said to be pushing for a roster spot, which could make things interesting for head coach Claude Noel and his staff.
The players in the spotlight include Edward Pasquale, a goalie who had a great showing at the Young Stars Tournament, he did not allow a goal in 4+ periods of play in Penticton.
Add in Jason Jaffray has played for the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose and will be pushing for a spot on the NHL roster, Jaffray is a great addition to any club, but still has some development issues, thus he should be a regular call-up, but will more than likely patrol the ice in St. John’s.
Zach Redmond and Ivan Telegin will more than likely end up in St John’s after making a great case for themselves in training camp. Mark Scheifele, the Jets’ first round draft pick will put the most pressure on the brass of the Jets to put him on the roster, Scheifele still needs to define his game, however his development has come along from last year’s form in junior, I project he will make the Jets roster out of camp.
Even with all the weight talk around Big Buff, Jets Captain Andrew Ladd being questioned about his ability to be a leader also being in question, the Jets had a great first practice in front of their hometown crowd.
The Jets will now be moved behind the closed doors of the MTS Centre, and will be available to media only, until they take to the ice on Tuesday night in Winnipeg when they welcome back Scott Arneil (Moose Head Coach), to the MTS Centre for the first time since he left last spring for the coaching job in Columbus.
This is the first of the Jets seven preseason games. Preseason or regular season, one can be sure that the Winnipeg Jets faithful will lift the roof off of the MTS Centre, so look out downtown Winnipeg the boys are back in town.
