Scheifele on cusp of passing idol Hawerchuk as Jets' all-time scoring leader

CHICAGO -- Mark Scheifele summed up in one word what Dale Hawerchuk meant to him.

“Everything,” the Winnipeg Jets forward said.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. I really wouldn’t. He’s a guy who taught me so much at such a young age and also just instilled the confidence in me to be the player that I am and the passion in me to want to get better, to want to improve. Obviously, I still wish he was here today to be watching.”

If Hawerchuk were here today, he’d be watching his once-teenage mentee breaking his records. Scheifele needs one point to pass him for the most points in Jets history, and he could get it when Winnipeg faces the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, SN). 

Scheifele has 929 points (378 goals, 551 assists) in 981 regular-season games with the Jets. Hawerchuk, who died of stomach cancer at age 57 in 2020, had 379 goals and 550 assists in 713 games with Winnipeg.

Scheifele drew even with Hawerchuk when he had two goals and an assist in an 8-3 win at the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

“Obviously it’s an incredible honor,” the 33-year-old said Friday. “Tying him is amazing, but I probably won’t really do that reflection until I get one more. But honestly, it’s just so incredible to just be able to chase Dale, someone who meant so much to the Winnipeg community and especially my life. It’s a pretty humbling thought in my brain.”

The NHL announced on Sept. 24 that the statistical history of the Jets now will include both iterations of the franchise; the original team that played in Winnipeg from 1979-96, and the current version established in 2011, which also includes their time as the Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011).

Scheifele broke the record for the current iteration of the Jets on Oct. 18, 2025, when he passed Blake Wheeler with his 813th career point, prior to the records being consolidated.

The statistical history of the Arizona Coyotes franchise will encompass the years they were active, from 1996-2024, and will not be included in Jets history.

This season, Scheifele has 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 20 games, second on Winnipeg to longtime linemate Kyle Connor (24 points; 16 goals, eight assists). Entering Saturday, he has 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 50 career games against the Blackhawks.

“To be the (No. 7) draft pick for the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 (in the 2011 NHL Draft) and now to be in a position to pass Dale in total points, he’s going to catch him on goals in different scenarios, that just shows you the type of player ‘Scheif’ has been for this franchise for a number of years,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.

“He’s led in that category (with) that offensive style he plays (and) has been fantastic at it. He’s gotten better as he’s gotten older. I know for him it’s a pretty emotional moment to get there. He’s not there yet, but still it’s pretty impactful for him and his family.”

The impact Hawerchuk had on Scheifele was immeasurable; Scheifele was committed to play hockey with Cornell University in the summer of 2010 when his rights were traded from Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League to Barrie, where Hawerchuk was coach.

After a talk with Hawerchuk, Scheifele chose Barrie over Cornell.

“It’s pretty crazy to think about it, that long ago and how that changed the course of my life," Scheifele said, "Honestly, it was just a connection I had with him. I felt like we were speaking the same language. I felt we were on the same wavelength, and he just invigorated me just by talking hockey with him and talking about what he saw in my game and all of that.

“It’s just one of those things that invigorates you as a guy and a hockey player. Yeah, I literally left that meeting like, ‘Yeah, I need to play for this guy.’ To now look back on it, that was the best decision I’ve ever made in my career. It’s pretty cool.”

As Arniel said, Scheifele has gotten better with age; he had an NHL career-high 103 points (36 goals, 67 assists) in 82 games last season, which topped his previous career high of 87 points (39 goals, 48 assists) in 82 games in 2024-25. 

Teammates have learned plenty from him.

“To keep it short," forward Gabriel Vilardi said, "I'd say his work ethic and how good he is at protecting pucks, bringing two guys into him and finding the open man, which is really all hockey is, is trying to get two guys to come to you and then that way, it frees up the next guy to have more of a lane. Everybody’s so structured now and he’s so smart at finding holes in the other teams’ systems.”

Scheifele’s tremendous career keeps rolling. Hawerchuk taught him plenty, and he’s never far from Scheifele’s mind.

“It was just every day there was another tidbit he’d give me, another thing he’d teach me,” Scheifele said. “That’s what he taught me at a young age was, 'Continue to work on your game, continue to work on your game, continue to be a student and watch the game and learn,' and honestly, he was such a big part of my life and literally I wouldn’t be here without him.”