Winnipeg Jets: Prospects Report – Part 3

So how many of the remaining 17 prospects will get the opportunity to don a Jets’ jersey in the future like those players probably will??? Well, since I’ve covered the most highly thought of prospects in Winnipeg’s pool….the success rate is certainly going to drop dramatically from now on. Yet that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any future NHLers left to look at and here are 4 young men that I think have the best shot to reach that dream.

In 2024, the Jets ended up sending their 1st round selection to the Montreal Canadiens when they acquired Sean Monahan in the hope of ending their long quest for a 2nd line center. Unfortunately that didn’t pan out when Monahan opted to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets the following summer, leaving our team with that same 2C hole. To make things worse, the Habs ended up using our pick to select Michael Hage, who is showing positive signs that he will become a long-term top six center in the NHL. That, of course, is always the down side of taking a big swing at the trade deadline.

Therefore Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to wait until the 2nd round of that Entry Draft to add to his club’s prospect pool and he opted to go with defenseman Alfons Freij (37th overall). The then 17 yr old Swede was coming off a fantastic season in his country’s Junior league, piling up 33 pts in 40 gms (0.825 pts/gm) for the Vaxjo Lakers while also chipping in 45 pts in 40 international games (1.125 pts/gm). The defender got the opportunity to play for Bjorkloven in Sweden’s 2nd highest professional league the following season, chipping in 8 pts in 29 gms as a rookie while continuing to play well in International competitions (8 pts in 7 gms). Freij continued up the ladder of his hockey development this year, making the jump to the top league when he joined Timra IK of the SHL. While his offensive stats were still suppressed when playing against the older & tougher competition (11 pts in 42 gms), Alfons continued to shine when playing against his peer group in international competitions (17 pts in 21 gms). The young LD, who has regularly played on the right side, also got the opportunity to make his North American debut after his European campaign concluded. Unfortunately his time with the Manitoba Moose didn’t go that smoothly as he quickly caught a bug that cost him some AHL time, then got banged up in his 5th contest (1 pt).

The early 2nd round draft pick appears to be heading towards an NHL career, as supported by Dobber Prospect’s PNHLe chart projecting Freij in the high end 3rd pairing to low end 2nd pairing range and their 8.0 rating on the NHL Certainty stat.

That doesn’t mean that Alfons doesn’t have work to do to become an NHLer though. The 20 yr old has a lot of the tools that are needed to excel, being an average to above average sized defenseman who already possesses a pro-ready shot (especially 1 timer) to go along with good skating & mobility. The obstacles to reaching his potential include wh