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Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Arniel's second chance a season of firsts
All the effort Scott Arniel put into rebranding himself was time well spent. Although his second chance as an NHL head coach didn't lead directly to the promised land, Arniel showed over the course of the season that he was the right choice to replace Rick Bowness as the bench boss of the Winnipeg Jets. Certainly his familiarity with the organization was a benefit, dating back to his time as the captain and eventually head coach of the Manitoba Moose, but this hire was about an opportunity that Arniel worked extremely hard for. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel coached the Jets to the team's first Presidents' Trophy win in his first season at the helm. When that chance came, the Winnipeg resident wasn't about to let it slip through his fingertips. Whether it was a historic 15-1 start, an 11-game winning streak down the stretch, posting the best record in franchise history (56-22-4) or capturing the first Central Division title and Presidents' Trophy in franchise history, Arniel pushed a lot of the right buttons this season. His passion and intensity were evident, but so was his calming presence. 'Arnie had a great demeanour on the bench, he never wavered. He never got too high or too low. He always kept the ship steady,' said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo. 'Great messages throughout the year. He was more focused on the process than the results and worried about our game because he knew we were building towards Game 83 and the playoffs. There was great leadership back there for us that really set the tone for our leadership group and that sprinkled throughout our whole organization.' That leadership resulted in six playoff wins — which was four more than the previous two springs combined — but ultimately was 10 wins shy of the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup. So while Arniel was quick to express his gratitude to his players for all of their hard work along the way, he admits he will be asking them for more when they check back in for training camp in September. 'A whirlwind, honestly. It seems like yesterday I was sitting here talking to you guys about how thankful I was about getting a second chance,' said Arniel. 'For me, it's a dream come true to be back doing it. For me, this is the start of something that I'm hoping ends with us one day holding that Stanley Cup.' Since being hired for the job on May 24 of 2024, Arniel has not shied away from that goal and the Jets took some important steps towards accomplishing it over the course of the 101 games they played, including the exhibition season. 'Obviously to come in, us having the success we did early, means that we had a good camp and we were prepared and ready to start the season,' said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. 'And then throughout the year, obviously to win the Presidents' Trophy and have the year we did, a ton of that falls on him. The relationship a lot of guys had, especially the defencemen, but all the returning players from the last few years with him, really helped. 'We wanted to be pushed, we talked about that in exit meetings, we talked about that in the media. And he pushed us and found which buttons to press, but also what areas in our game could we tangibly improve, and I thought he did a great job isolating those areas.' Arniel's ability to build on the foundation put in place during Bowness's tenure — when Arniel was an associate coach — was essential, as was putting his own stamp on the structure and how he deployed the personnel. 'I thought he did an unbelievable job. He should win the Jack Adams, to be honest,' said Jets captain Adam Lowry. 'He does such a good job of communicating his expectations, communicating with players, so you know where you stand with him. He's hard on us at times but he's extremely fair. 'He does a really good job of pushing to get the most out of us. As he gets more experience, he's only going to grow in that role and his confidence in himself and the way he views the game.' Arniel is up for NHL coach of the year with Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals and Marty St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens. As proud as he is to be included on the list of finalists, Arniel spent plenty of time since the Jets were eliminated to sort through some of the things he'd wished he had done differently. 'I have a whole bunch,' said Arniel. 'There's moments, there's things that happened. For me there's areas that you'll look at, whether it's lineup or matchups or little things. We put ourselves in a position to get home here for Game 7 (against the Dallas Stars), after not winning Game 1, and it didn't happen. 'That sort of grabs at you. That's a part that really bothers me a bit about that we didn't get that chance to come home for Game 7. Because I really liked our chances.' Prior to taking questions from the podium after his team eliminated the Jets in the sixth game of the second-round series, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer offered the ultimate compliment to Arniel and his entire staff. 'I can't imagine there's a better-coached team in the league than what that coaching staff did with that group,' said DeBoer, noting he thought Arniel should get the nod as the Jack Adams Trophy winner. 'I'm a little biased because we work in the West, but, (the Jets) won the Presidents' Trophy. They give you nothing, they play hard, they play as a team, great leadership.' MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel says he's still bothered that the Jets didn't get the chance to play Game 7. It's been well documented that things didn't go as planned for Arniel in his first stint as an NHL head coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010 to 2012. For all of the talk about lessons learned over the course of the past season for the Jets, Arniel applied plenty of those to how he approached this task. There's a lot to be proud of and a whole lot left to tackle — and Arniel knows that's exactly what he's signed up for. 'That's why we're here and it's what this group wants,' said Arniel. 'And we've got to do all the right things to get there. But for me, maybe a month from now, we'll sit back and kind of look at certainly the great things that happened but, at the end of the day, we didn't win. We're not playing Edmonton (in the Western Conference final). And that's the one thing that is still sort of gnawing at me a little bit. But, you know, real proud of our hockey team, real proud of, certainly, all the things that went on over the course of the year. 'Yeah, it's been quite a year for me.' The exit meetings held during the past two days were the start of an off-season project that will include a full homework project for the Jets' players and members of the coaching staff. The 15-minute sessions were the appetizer to what will likely be one-hour chats that encompass individual and team plans for the upcoming campaign. Since this group made it clear that they want to be pushed like an elite team, that's going to be the new normal for a Jets club that yearns for additional post-season success. 'One of the things that came through in our exit meetings in talking to some of the players, there was the accountability that he was able to hold the players to,' said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. 'We talked about it going in and extensively in the interview process. Communication is such a key thing when it comes to coaching. Going back to when we made the decision to ultimately hire Arnie, it was that familiarity and that knowing that he was right for this group here to help push them. He knew where the strengths and the weaknesses of the players were. And again, he's continued to grow. 'Probably the most important thing that I've seen was the human side of Arnie. When you want to develop that family atmosphere, you have to be able to bark at the guy but then be able to say 'good morning' and have a cup of coffee with him the next day. That's an important trait today, and I think the guys respect that.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Respect is a necessity in the pursuit of hockey's Holy Grail. 'We haven't achieved what we're all trying to achieve. And that's to win a Stanley Cup,' said Arniel. 'And if you're not in this game to do that, not really sure why you're playing. Like last year, and those other years, there was big learning. Just learning what playoff hockey actually means. This year, we learned it, we lived it, we grew through it. But our goal now is to win the Stanley Cup. 'We know we have done a lot of good things. But now, we know what it takes. We still have more to do. We scratched the surface this year, so now it's about what happens moving forward.' X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Global News
Jets' GM and coach are proud of what players accomplished, but want improvements
When each player met with Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff for season-ending talks this week, they were given verbal pats on their backs. 'The first thing we did was that we complimented them,' Arniel said Wednesday as he and Cheveldayoff held their final media availability. 'We told them how proud we were of the year we had, the things we accomplished as a group. Just the fact that we won the Presidents' Trophy, that we were consistent for 82 games, all those things that we did.' The Jets won the trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and NHL-best 116 points in the regular season, but were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 overtime loss last Saturday. It was one round better than the previous two seasons, but disappointing for a group that was aiming to hoist the Stanley Cup. Story continues below advertisement The next steps are something Arniel plans to discuss in-depth with each player during the upcoming two weeks after he gets input from his assistants. 'There's a lot of things for me that happened over the course of this playoffs that are extreme positives,' Arniel said. 'There's some things again that we're going to have to grill our group on to get better at, so that when we hit this again next year that we're better prepared for it to have the outcome fall in our favour.' Jets captain Adam Lowry is confident players will dig deep to reach another level next season. 'There's a lot of optimism that with another good summer, guys really pushing to get better to work on their game and to find ways to improve, that we can come back next year and put ourselves in a spot to be successful again,' he said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Put ourselves in a spot to go on another playoff run and hopefully this one ends in late June instead of late May.' Arniel, who's up for the Jack Adams Trophy for the league's top head coach, just finished his first year as Winnipeg's bench boss. He was associate coach the previous two seasons to now-retired Rick Bowness. 'One of the things that came through in our exit meetings in talking to some of the players, there was the accountability that (Arniel) was able to hold the players to,' Cheveldayoff said. 'The fairness. That word came out several times in conversations with the players. Hard but fair.' Story continues below advertisement Cheveldayoff said he believes the team can improve again next season. 'We're fortunate we have a real strong core of guys that are going to push, pull and prod,' he said. 'A lot of different guys that are on the good side of (age) 30, I guess, in the sense that there's still capacity for them to grow. 'That's the group of guys that we're going to challenge to help take us to that next level. And again, it can't be underestimated, we have the best goaltender in the world.' Connor Hellebuyck is likely to win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie, and third of his career. He's also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. He boosted his franchise record with 47 regular-season wins and had the league's best goals-against average (2.00) and most shutouts (eight). But Hellebuyck struggled at times during the post-season, including being pulled in three road games against the Blues. The Jets never won a road game in their series against St. Louis or Dallas. Winnipeg has eight pending unrestricted free agents, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who's playing for Denmark at the men's world hockey championship. 'When we get a chance to talk to him, we'll put our best foot forward with him to try to make our case to be a unique Jet-for-life type player and we'll see where it all goes there,' Cheveldayoff said. Story continues below advertisement 'The relationship is great and he did contribute to the success of this organization on many fronts and we hope that's something that can continue.' Ehlers recorded 24 goals and 63 points in 69 regular-season games. He added five goals and two assists in eight playoff games after returning from injury. 'I think I'd echo the statement of everyone in this room, that we'd love to see Nikky back,' Lowry said. 'He's a huge part of our team. He's a game-breaker. He's great in this room.' Lowry and top-line winger Kyle Connor are both heading into the final year of their contracts and could be offered extensions. 'That's kind of how I picture myself, as a Winnipeg Jet for life,' Lowry said. 'I love the city, love playing in front of these fans and I think that's something that hopefully we can take steps towards getting that out of the way this summer.' Cheveldayoff wasn't dismissing that possibility – for both Lowry and Connor. 'I believe they're a big part of our success, and want to keep it that way,' he said. The Jets also have six pending restricted free agents such as defenceman Dylan Samberg and forwards Gabe Vilardi and Morgan Barron.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets' GM and coach are proud of what players accomplished, but want improvements
WINNIPEG – When each player met with Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff for season-ending talks this week, they were given verbal pats on their backs. 'The first thing we did was that we complimented them,' Arniel said Wednesday as he and Cheveldayoff held their final media availability. 'We told them how proud we were of the year we had, the things we accomplished as a group. Just the fact that we won the Presidents' Trophy, that we were consistent for 82 games, all those things that we did.' The Jets won the trophy with a franchise-record 56 wins and NHL-best 116 points in the regular season, but were eliminated from the playoffs in Game 6 of their second-round series with the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 overtime loss last Saturday. It was one round better than the previous two seasons, but disappointing for a group that was aiming to hoist the Stanley Cup. The next steps are something Arniel plans to discuss in-depth with each player during the upcoming two weeks after he gets input from his assistants. 'There's a lot of things for me that happened over the course of this playoffs that are extreme positives,' Arniel said. 'There's some things again that we're going to have to grill our group on to get better at, so that when we hit this again next year that we're better prepared for it to have the outcome fall in our favour.' Jets captain Adam Lowry is confident players will dig deep to reach another level next season. 'There's a lot of optimism that with another good summer, guys really pushing to get better to work on their game and to find ways to improve, that we can come back next year and put ourselves in a spot to be successful again,' he said. 'Put ourselves in a spot to go on another playoff run and hopefully this one ends in late June instead of late May.' Arniel, who's up for the Jack Adams Trophy for the league's top head coach, just finished his first year as Winnipeg's bench boss. He was associate coach the previous two seasons to now-retired Rick Bowness. 'One of the things that came through in our exit meetings in talking to some of the players, there was the accountability that (Arniel) was able to hold the players to,' Cheveldayoff said. 'The fairness. That word came out several times in conversations with the players. Hard but fair.' Cheveldayoff said he believes the team can improve again next season. 'We're fortunate we have a real strong core of guys that are going to push, pull and prod,' he said. 'A lot of different guys that are on the good side of (age) 30, I guess, in the sense that there's still capacity for them to grow. 'That's the group of guys that we're going to challenge to help take us to that next level. And again, it can't be underestimated, we have the best goaltender in the world.' Connor Hellebuyck is likely to win his second consecutive Vezina Trophy as the league's top goalie, and third of his career. He's also a finalist for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. He boosted his franchise record with 47 regular-season wins and had the league's best goals-against average (2.00) and most shutouts (eight). But Hellebuyck struggled at times during the post-season, including being pulled in three road games against the Blues. The Jets never won a road game in their series against St. Louis or Dallas. Winnipeg has eight pending unrestricted free agents, including winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who's playing for Denmark at the men's world hockey championship. Ehlers recorded 24 goals and 63 points in 69 regular-season games. He added five goals and two assists in eight playoff games after returning from injury. 'I think I'd echo the statement of everyone in this room, that we'd love to see Nikky back,' Lowry said. 'He's a huge part of our team. He's a game-breaker. He's great in this room.' Lowry and top-line winger Kyle Connor are both heading into the final year of their contracts and could be offered extensions. 'That's kind of how I picture myself, as a Winnipeg Jet for life,' Lowry said. 'I love the city, love playing in front of these fans and I think that's something that hopefully we can take steps towards getting that out of the way this summer.' Cheveldayoff wasn't dismissing that possibility – for both Lowry and Connor. 'I believe they're a big part of our success, and want to keep it that way,' he said. The Jets also have six pending restricted free agents such as defenceman Dylan Samberg and forwards Gabe Vilardi and Morgan Barron. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
Economic Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele plays for his late father as Jets face elimination in NHL Playoffs
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Winnipeg Jets are no strangers to pressure, but Saturday, May 17 brought a different kind of weight, one not measured in goals or saves but in grief and resilience. Just hours after learning of the sudden death of his father Brad, Mark Scheifele made the difficult decision to suit up for Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Dallas Stars Jets captain Adam Lowry, visibly shaken, described Brad Scheifele as a man whose energy filled every room. 'It's a terrible loss,' Lowry said. 'It's tough to put into words how gutted we all feel for Mark and his family.'The team first learned of the news on the way to their morning skate, when head coach Scott Arniel addressed the locker read: NHL suspends Panthers minority owner Douglas Cifu over 'unacceptable' social media posts 'Mark doesn't want those guys to hang their heads or be down. He wants to win,' Arniel said. 'That's what they're all talking about. We want to get a win for Mr. Scheifele, get a chance to get ourselves back home for a Game 7.'Arniel confirmed Scheifele will play in the critical game, saying it was what Brad would have wanted. 'As he said, that'd be wishes of his dad. He would want him to play,' Arniel shared. 'We got to see him earlier in the St. Louis series, and he's with us. Mark really wants to play for him tonight.'Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff echoed the organization's full support. 'We're a family, and we're going to do everything we can to support our family,' he said. 'As an organization, we're doing everything we can to support him and give his family our most sincere condolences.'Scheifele has been a critical part of the Jets' Stanley Cup Playoff campaign, with 10 points in 10 games, including four points in this series against Dallas. He finished the regular NHL season with 87 points in 82 games, underlining his role as the team's offensive read: Utah Mammoth unveiled as NHL's newest identity after fan-led rebranding With elimination on the line and emotions running high, Winnipeg's game Saturday night at American Airlines Center is about more than advancing to Game 7, it's a tribute to family, to loss, and to the power of playing through heartbreak.
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Just leave it all out there'
The Winnipeg Jets are fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night inside Canada Life Centre. But head coach Scott Arniel said the wildfire situation in various parts of the province brings some much-needed perspective their on-ice predicament. 'This is hockey. This is sport. That's real life,' Arniel said following the morning skate. 'It's getting close to home for all of us. There's a lot of people that are in tough situations right now. You pray for the safety for all of those people, but also for our first responders, our firefighters, everybody that's in the middle of that.' JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Thursday he hopes the team can get a win tonight, especially as a morale boost for those affected by the wildfires. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Thursday he hopes the team can get a win tonight, especially as a morale boost for those affected by the wildfires. Arniel, whose ties to this community run all the way back to the early 1980s and the 1.0 Jets era, said the organization is thinking of those on the front lines and everyone potentially in harm's way. 'We hope they're safe and doing what they have to do to protect everybody. It is unfortunate and we've seen it across this country there the last few years,' he said, adding the Jets would go out and try to do their part by giving people something to cheer about. 'At the end of the day, hopefully we can go out and win a hockey game for those people,' said Arniel. 'We know that they're all a part of — they may not be in the building (Thursday night) but they are a part of Manitoba and Winnipeg and they're behind the Jets.' Is there such a thing as a first-place curse? That seems to be the case this spring, where all four division champions were in danger of having their Stanley Cup dreams shattered in the second round of the playoffs. The Pacific Division winning Vegas Golden Knights were eliminated on Wednesday night in five games courtesy of the third-place Edmonton Oilers. The Jets (Central) and Washington Capitals (Metropolitan) both entered play Thursday trailing 3-1 in their best-of-seven series to the second-place teams in their divisions (Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes), needing three straight wins to keep playing. And the top team in the Atlantic during the regular-season, the Toronto Maple Leafs, must win two straight elimination games starting Friday night against the third-place Florida Panthers. What gives? 'When you get in the playoffs, all that stuff — other than having home ice — kind of goes out the window. Whatever team is up and running and playing their game consistently for five, six, seven games, however long it takes, that's what it's about at this time of year,' said Arniel. 'And there's a different brand of hockey that you often hear guys talk about. You see it some nights through the 82 games, but during the playoffs it's another animal. It's a whole different type of hockey. And the teams that can play it consistently the most are the ones who usually are standing at the end.' Winnipeg, Washington, Vegas and Toronto finished first, second, third and fourth-overall in the NHL standings. Yet none of them may ultimately escape the round of eight. Luke Schenn has been here before. Thursday night will be the 10th playoff elimination game he's played over the course of his career. The two-time Stanley Cup champion had gone 5-4 in those situations, including the dramatic Game 7 triumph earlier this month against St. Louis. FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets' Luke Schenn (right) said Thursday his little brother, St. Louis Blues' Brayden Schenn (left), is rooting for the Jets. FRED GREENSLADE / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Jets' Luke Schenn (right) said Thursday his little brother, St. Louis Blues' Brayden Schenn (left), is rooting for the Jets. So what advice did the oldest, most experienced player on the Jets have for his teammates? 'It's one game at a time really, that's all it comes down to,' Schenn said prior to the pivotal puck drop in downtown Winnipeg. 'Obviously you kind of learn some things throughout the series, make adjustments, and at the end of the day you play for the guy in the room next to you and just leave it all out there. You don't want to hesitate in a game like this, you want to be on your toes, be aggressive, and just it's exciting. These are the games that are exciting, that you play for.' There have been 32 teams to rally from 3-1 deficits to win a series, which equates to about a nine per cent chance. Schenn, who hasn't been on any of those teams, said the key is to not look too far ahead. 'You look at it and you obviously think it's no question a tough task, especially a team that is playing pretty well right now,' he said. 'You kind of dumb it down a little bit almost and just kind of think of one thing at a time. There's no point thinking about the next one.' The Los Angeles Kings are the last Stanley Cup champions to erase a 3-1 deficit on their way to hockey history, doing so in 2014 in the first round against the San Jose Sharks. They actually went a step further, as they originally trailed 3-0 before winning four straight contests. 'If you want to win the ultimate prize, there's tons of adversity and that's why it's so hard to win,' said Schenn, pointing to what the Jets already did against the Blues. The trade deadline addition was held out of the Winnipeg lineup in Game 3 in Dallas but was back for Games 4 and 5. It sure sounds like that may have been injury-related rather than performance-related. 'There are some other things, I guess, just going on behind the scenes,' said Schenn. 'Different changes for different reasons and, at the end of the day, I'll keep that between what's going on behind closed doors.' Schenn has been speaking daily with younger brother, Brayden, who is the captain of the St. Louis team which took Winnipeg to the limit in the first round. Brayden is now skating with Team Canada at the World Championships currently being held in Sweden and Denmark. 'I talked to him (Thursday) morning, he's having a good time over there and just obviously paying attention. Obviously he's rooting for the Jets now, there's no question about that,' said Schenn. X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyreReporter 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. Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
