Even though today may be an off day for the Winnipeg Jets, after they started their five-game road trip with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens last night, it is for certain that Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Winnipeg Jets management team are hard at work with only days approaching till the trade deadline.
The Jets did make a big announcement today. No, it did not involve a trade, but it did involve the Jets 51st overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
The Winnipeg Jets have announced that they have signed Simon Lundmark to an entry-level contract
Although it may be small news around the NHL, this is big news for the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg has just signed twenty-year-old Swedish defenseman, Simon Lundmark to a three-year entry-level contract.
#NHLJets sign Simon Lundmark to a three-year, entry-level contract!
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) April 9, 2021
Lundmark, a 20-year-old defenceman, has spent the past four seasons with Linkopings in the Swedish Elite League.
DETAILS ➡ https://t.co/SSDaVuuiAl pic.twitter.com/Sg9UNzmrHz
According to the Winnipeg Jets website, this contract carries an average annual value of $925,000 per season.
Who is Simon Lundmark?
It has been a couple of years since the Jets drafted Lundmark, so here is what he brings to the table:
Lundmark is a six-foot-two-inch defenseman from Stockholm, Sweden, who is a right-handed shot and has played his whole career in Sweden.
He has risen through the ranks at Linköping HC, who play in the SHL. Originally he made his debut with the under-18 team in 2016-2017 and then featured with the under-20 team in 2017-2018.
In 2018-2019 Lundmark split time with both the under-twenty and senior teams. Then in 2019-2020, he played a majority of the games with the senior team.
This season, Lundmark played in 47 games with the Linköping HC SHL team and has two goals, eight assists, six penalty minutes, and a +1 plus/minus.
Throughout his young hockey career, Lundmark has represented Sweden five times. He has played for their u16, u17, u18, u19, and u20 teams.
This is what Future Considerations Hockey had in their scouting report of the Jets newly signed prospect:
"A solid two-way defenseman, Lundmark is strong in the neutral zone, manages gap control well and uses his stick to force his opponents to the boards. He’s a decent skater who is quite mobile. His positional play is very strong, and he rarely gets caught out of position in his own zone. (FC Hockey)"
Regardless of what scouting report you may read regarding Lundmark, almost all seem to take note of Lundmark’s strong positional play.
As of right now, the Jets have yet to announce where Lundmark will be heading next. There is a chance he may be headed to North America in the near future, or the Jets may loan him back to the SHL.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: What are your thoughts about the Jets signing Lundmark? Leave your comments below!
*All Stats Provided by Elite Prospects*