Winnipeg Jets: 3 Jets Prospects That Can Have an Impact in 2021-2022
The Winnipeg Jets have many prospects waiting to make the jump to the NHL. Here are three prospects that can have an impact with Winnipeg next season.
Over the past couple of weeks, we have written about how the Winnipeg Jets can improve their roster by adding players in free agency or by trading for players.
But what if the Jets can address some of their weak spots and replace departing players by promoting from within their own organization rather than looking for outside help.
Winnipeg has an immense amount of young talent throughout their organization and there are some players who are on the cusp of becoming full-time members of the Jets.
As we take an early look ahead to next season, here are three talented prospects that could have an impact with the Jets during the 2021-2022 season:
3. Mikhail Berdin
Mikhail Berdin was loaned back to Russia, his home country, before the 2021 season to get some crucial game time before professional hockey returned to North America. In his fourteen-game stint with SKA St. Petersburg, Berdin put up some outstanding numbers with a 6-3-2 record, a 2.51 goals against average, and a .912 save percentage.
Upon his return to the Winnipeg Jets organization, and for the second straight season, Berdin was the number one goaltender for the Jets AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
The former 2016 sixth-round draft pick also had some good stats. For back-to-back seasons he finished with a 2.89 goals against average, but his save percentage went down from .910 in 2019-2020 to .897 this past season. During the 2021 season, Berdin appeared in the second-most amount of games among AHL goaltenders and posted a 13-11-5 record.
With Laurent Brossoit and Eric Comrie both being pending free agents, we could see the twenty-three-year-old goaltender get promoted to the NHL for the first time in his career. He has played great in both the AHL, over the past three seasons, and in the KHL, for a brief stint, and has the potential to be among the next wave of great goaltenders in the NHL.
The Jets front office definitely sees Berdin as one of the key parts of the future for the Jets as they gave him a contract extension before this last season. Berdin’s contract is a two-way deal this upcoming season and moves to a one-way contract during the 2022-2023 season.
Berdin may not get the biggest workload as a backup to Connor Hellebuyck but he could have the chance to play a handful of games and have an impact as he continues to rise through the organization as the Jets top goaltending prospect.
2. Cole Perfetti
Perfetti was a player who benefitted from the 2020-2021 OHL junior season getting canceled. After he was drafted as the tenth overall selection in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft all signs pointed to Perfetti playing the subsequent season in junior, but the season was canceled due to the pandemic.
To start 2021 Perfetti represented Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. Although Canada lost in the Championship game, Perfetti’s performances throughout Canada’s seven games definitely made Winnipeg supporters excited for the future. Perfetti put his outstanding playmaking skills on display en route to two goals, and four assists in the tournament.
After the prestigious tournament, the Winnipeg Jets decided to give the nineteen-year-old an opportunity in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose and it was a move that paid off.
Perfetti played extremely well in his first professional season. He finished second on the team in points scored with 26 (nine goals, 17 assists). This stat line also placed him among the top-eight rookies in the AHL in scoring.
Ultimately Perfetti was rewarded for his play throughout the 2021 season by getting named to Team Canada’s roster for the IIHF World Championship in Latvia. Although given limited ice time throughout the tournament, the Whitby native impressed. Perfetti finished the tournament with two goals and a gold medal.
Perfetti has shown that he has a plethora of talent and the potential to be one of the stars of the Winnipeg Jets. He now has two international tournaments under his belt along with an AHL season which are great learning experiences, going against NHL-caliber talent throughout the year.
There is a great chance we could see Perfetti finally make his NHL debut this upcoming season. He has excelled at each level he has played and I expect the same when he makes the jump to the Jets.
1. Ville Heinola
For the past couple of seasons, Ville Heinola’s name was constantly brought into the mix as a prospect who may be ready to be a consistent player with the Jets but that has yet to happen.
But with Winnipeg having three pending unrestricted free agent defensemen and an expansion draft on the horizon this may create a path for Heinola to solidify himself into the Jets’ lineup.
In the prior two seasons, Heinola has appeared in a total of thirteen games for the Winnipeg Jets while amassing a total of one goal, four assists, and a plus-one plus/minus.
Heinola was the odd-man-out of the Jets d-core last season and spent a considerable amount of time on the Jets practice squad. He did feature in 19 games for the Moose and had four goals and seven assists.
The twenty-year-old has the potential to be a terrific offensive defenseman. He is a great skater and his terrific vision with the exceptional ability to always find the open man.
With it looking more and more likely that the Jets will be losing a couple of defensemen from their roster this offseason, this may finally be Heinola’s big chance to make the jump to be a full-time defenseman and be a consistent key part of the Jets’ lineup.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Which prospect do you think will have the biggest impact with the Winnipeg Jets next season? Leave your comments below!
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*All Stats Provided by Elite Prospects*