Lewis trying to make the most of opportunity in Jets camp

WINNIPEG - As far as first impressions go, Trevor Lewis nailed it.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings took to the ice for the first time on Wednesday, as the Winnipeg Jets spent the day in a scrimmage.
Lewis - in camp on a professional tryout - opened the scoring for Team Blue in the first half before setting up line mate Jansen Harkins on a two-on-one in the second half for the eventual game-winner in a 3-2 final over Team White.
"Obviously I felt pretty good out there today," Lewis said. "It's nice having some people I know out there too, to make me feel comfortable. Everybody has been very welcoming and helpful for me, so it's been good."

Jets head coach Paul Maurice joked that the veteran forward perhaps benefitted from not having to skate during the first two gruelling days of camp, so Lewis had some extra jump over the other players. Of course, that was a by-product of his PTO agreement coming together with the Jets just after Christmas. The resulting quarantine was the actual reason Lewis wasn't on the ice.

On a serious note though, Maurice did feel Lewis has the potential to be a step quicker than he was last season.
"These guys constantly change their training programs. He looks lean, he looks fast," said Maurice. "He fit right in. He looked like he had been ready to roll for a while."
The 33-year-old Lewis has 674 career NHL games under his belt, all with the Kings. In the shortened 2019-20 season, the product of Salt Lake City, Utah had six goals and 12 points in 56 games. He sees himself as a versatile forward that can skate well and help on the penalty kill.

He credits the Kings for allowing him to use the team's practice facility in the off-season to keep himself sharp.
"It's definitely the longest I've been off," said Lewis. "I've been skating and working out for a long time. It was a benefit for me to have that much time off, let the body fully recover, and everything feels great."
In 18 career games against the Jets, Lewis has scored twice and added three assists. Two of those five points came inside Bell MTS Place, where he says opponents always know they're in for a tough night.

"Every time we came in here it was always a tough team to play against," said Lewis. "Up front there was always guys you have to watch out for, the power play, it was always tough games against the Jets. It's definitely a great team and they have a lot of good pieces here."
The health of the forwards in camp will determine if Maurice keeps the line of Lewis, Harkins, and Nate Thompson together after Wednesday's skate. Mathieu Perreault, who hasn't skated the last two days was on the ice with David Gustafsson in non-contact jerseys.
Maurice did say that the trio of Lewis, Harkins, and Thompson seemed to gel quite well.
"All three of those guys out there had the same attitude," Maurice said. "They didn't look at that scrimmage as a place to warm their hands up or get back into it. They just went out and did their job as hard as they could."
With his quarantine behind him, Lewis is now focused on making the best impression he can in camp. The first step is done, now he has to build on it.
"When I look at this group, it has a lot of talent and a lot of skill, and a lot of good leadership," said Lewis. "It's a good group and I'll just come in and help in any way I can."