Jets begin Pro Mini Camp with one goal in mind

WINNIPEG - A summer full of training has prepared all 21 players taking part in the Winnipeg Jets Pro Mini Camp this week, but head coach Paul Maurice said these first few days won't be too heavily focused on player evaluation.
"What we're really trying to do here is get them ready, so in four days from now, they can get some of those nerves out," said Maurice following Thursday's two ice sessions at Bell MTS IcePlex.
"We're going to get them to touch the puck as much as they can. Those defencemen had the puck today more than they will in the next two weeks. The forwards too."

As camp continues over the next four days, the practices will shift from primarily skill work into drills the young prospects will see when they take the ice for Jets training camp.
"Some of it is to lower the anxiety so we can see what they can do," said Maurice. "I'm not taking these four days to grind the hell out of them just to prove how tough the NHL is. That'll happen next week. Now I want them feeling the puck and getting some of the butterflies out and start talking about our game a little bit."
Two players used to these particular drills are defenceman Dylan Samberg and forward Cole Perfetti. Both of them had their first taste of pro hockey with the Manitoba Moose in 2020-21 and were excited to put their off-season training to work on Thursday.

After all, those exact skills were what Samberg felt he improved on most during his 32 AHL games last season.
"I felt more confident out there, especially with skating and getting back for pucks," said the University of Minnesota-Duluth alum, who spent his off season skating with a fellow Bulldog - Neal Pionk.
"He's really a good role model," said Samberg. "He's always there to help, especially with drills, to make sure you're doing it right or helping you in any aspect he can."
Samberg was part of the Jets taxi squad for a brief stint last season, as was Perfetti - who is embracing the opportunity to even be part of a mini camp after his crazy year.
"I didn't even come to camp last year. I was at World Juniors, went home for two days. Then coming here I missed Jets camp, then went up with the taxi squad for a week and a bit there and ended up missing Moose camp. This is really my first taste of what camp would be like," Perfetti said.
"It was a lot of fun and it was a good day today."

The experience the 19-year-old Perfetti gained last season - whether it be on the taxi squad, the World Juniors, the AHL, or the World Hockey Championship - was incredibly valuable.
He learned what it was going to take for a forward at his size - 5'10" and 185 pounds - to excel against the highest level of competition, night after night.
That's why his focus was on building leg strength during his training sessions, both for strength and for speed.
"It was a big summer for me. A lot of it was lower body and explosiveness. That's the thing I wanted to improve on the most was my skating," said Perfetti, who said he worked with his trainer on increasing power and speed in his first three strides. "I think I'm a good skater down in the corners, but you see the top speed in the NHL and how fast you have to be."

Athletes often try to keep the mindset of 'one day at a time,' but it's hard for players like Perfetti and Samberg to not look ahead a little bit.
They could put a Jets jersey on in one (or more) of Winnipeg's six preseason games as they try to make their case for the final roster.
Maurice is open to the idea of playing the team's younger players a bit more in the preseason, which gets underway on September 26.
"I think I'm going to allocate more games to the kids this year to get a better look at them, then scrimmage more in the camp portion," Maurice said. "I've got lots of faith in the young guys we have for those positions. The question will be does it make more sense to have them here or playing with the Moose? Let's get them through a camp."
Wherever they play, both Perfetti and Samberg will continue to develop, just as they did in 2020-21.
But, putting on a Jets jersey is certainly an appealing thought.
"My goal is to earn a spot with the Jets. Come opening day I want to be wearing the jersey and playing with the team," said Perfetti. "That's my goal, that's my mindset right now. Obviously everything is going to happen for a reason. Whatever happens to me, whatever the plan is, I'm going to work my hardest and do whatever I can to reach my goal of playing for the Jets this year."