Yeah, the kids are alright.
A team full of Winnipeg Jets prospects kicked off the annual Young Stars Classic on Friday evening with a 4-3 overtime victory over Calgary Flames rookies in Penticton, B.C.,
Defenceman Dmitry Kuzmin scored the winner on a two-on-none rush with teammate Colby Barlow, who set him up perfectly. Nikita Chibrikov, Connor Levis and Jacob Julien had the regulation goals for Winnipeg.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Jets’ prospect Braydon Yager made a number of impressive plays against the Flames.
It’s a fool’s game to spend much time breaking down a game of this nature, which comes right out of the summer break after one team practice and one morning skate. Plenty of mistakes were made, and systems and structure are in short supply.
However, there were some individual players who stood out and deserve mention.
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Kuzmin had an up-and-down first pro year, splitting last season between the Manitoba Moose and the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL. The 21-year-old, selected in the third round in 2021, was very noticeable in this game, jumping up into the play at times and making some nice reads.
Kuzmin started the play that led to Daniel Torgersson finding iron in the first, then just missed on a rebound chance late in the second which would have given Winnipeg the lead.
On his goal, he showed off solid instincts to join Barlow on the rush during three-on-three play.
The former member of the Flint Firebirds had 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in his final season of junior, so you know the offensive talent is there.
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Barlow, Brad Lambert and Brayden Yager all have one thing in common — they are first-round picks. That will bring about some added scrutiny, along with expectations.
The trio all made solid contributions.
Barlow, as noted, was the playmaker on the game-winner and had some good looks of his own on net.
Lambert, who made his NHL debut in the final regular-season Jets game last April, seemed to always have the puck on his stick. On his first shift, he blew through the Calgary defence and appeared to hit the post on a partial breakaway. In the second period, Lambert set Barlow up for a nifty one-timer that came close to going in. In the third, he made a great backdoor feed to Julien with the Jets on the power-play which led to the goal.
As for Yager, who was making his Winnipeg debut after being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Rutger McGroarty, there was a lot to like. His aggressive forecheck in the first period led to a Calgary turnover which resulted in Chibrikov’s goal seconds later. He then made a heads-up defensive play late in the third period of a tie game, lifting a Calgary player’s stick on the backcheck to take away what would have been a golden chance.
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Thomas Milic had a dream rookie pro season, as the 2023 Western Hockey League goaltender of the year began the 2023-24 campaign in the ECHL, made the All-Star team there, then got called up to the Moose where he quickly earned the No. 1 netminding spot and essentially saved the season for the AHL club.
He looked calm, cool and collected in this one, stopping 20 of 23 shots he faced and having no chance on any of the goals that got by him. The 21-year-old British Columbia product might just be the future backup to Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck if he continues to develop.
He’ll carry a big share of the work with the Moose this year, with one of Eric Comrie or Kaapo Kahkonen expected to join him (with the other serving as Hellebuyck’s understudy).
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It’s safe to say Daniel Torgersson has become a bit of forgotten prospect around here.
The 40th-overall pick from the 2020 draft burst on to the scene in 2022, joining the Manitoba Moose after finishing up with his club team back in Sweden and scoring two goals in his first three games with the AHL club.
The 6-3, 199-pound winger then had a promising rookie season in 2022-23 with 11 goals and nine assists in 69 games. However,last year represented a big step back, as he had just one goal and eight helpers in 52 games, at times watching from the press box as a healthy scratch.
Now 22, Torgersson would be considered a “veteran” at this Young Stars event. He, along with Lambert and fellow Finnish forward Henri Nikkanen, are the only players at this event for a third time.
Torgersson looked like one of the best players on the ice Friday with no less than four great scoring chances.
He hit a crossbar in the first period, just missed on an in-tight deke in the second and then was thwarted on two solid shots later in the frame — the latter coming after making a great defensive play while penalty killing, then stealing the puck in the offensive zone to create a chance.
No doubt the Jets organization liked what it saw, and will be hoping he can carry that type of play over into the coming season.
X: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre
Sports reporter
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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