The Winnipeg Jets sit in first place in the central division over halfway through the season and are looking for there first division win in franchise history. Here are the top ten players who have led to this impressive start
No. 10 Bryan Little- Little has done a good job of facilitating scoring, especially of late. The long time member of the organization has 10 points in 18 games since the start of December
No. 9 Kyle Connor- In his first full season, Kyle Connor has shown why he was a first round pick, as he is fourth in the league in points among rookies.
No. 8 Matthew Perrault- Perrault has been productive despite an injury that sidelined him ten games, scoring 0.75 points per game
No. 7 Tyler Myers- In his fourth year as a Jet, Myers is finally back to the kind of point production he has as a 19 and 20 year old back in 2010 and 2011 in Buffalo.
No. 6 Dustin Byfuglien- Byfuglien has battled injuries all season, but he still remains one of the faces of the franchise and has had a productive season while he has played. Don’t be surprised to see him in the top three by season’s end.
No. 5 Nikolaj Ehlers- Ehlers’ 19 goals rank second on the team and tied for tenth in the league. The ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft is slowly establishing himself as a top notch NHL player
No. 4 Patrick Laine- Laine won Jets fans over with an unbelievable rookie campaign last season, and started slow this season. That’s changed recently, however, as he’s now the teams leading scorer and ranks 5th in the NHL in points scored. To compound on that, he’s also the league leader in power play goals. It’s been another phenomenal campaign for the young superstar.
No. 3 Mark Scheifele- Scheifele went down recently with a rough injury, but before that he was extremely productive. He was one of only 10 players with over 30 games played to average a point per game. Getting him back will be huge for Winnipeg going forward.
No. 2 Connor Hellebuyck- The Jets biggest problem over the last five or so years has been goaltending. Hellebuyck stepped up this year and now posts the most wins in the NHL as well as the fifth best goals against average. When he starts the Jets are 25-6-6, and that makes him one of the most valuable players they’ve had in years.
No. 1 Blake Wheeler- Who would have thought that this far into the season, Blake Wheeler would have the same amount of points as Steven Stamkos? Wheeler is now a legitimate star and is putting up huge numbers that have led to a fantastic season for his long time team. His 40 assists rank fourth in the NHL and prove that his ability to set up goals is nearly unrivaled.