Winnipeg Jets are No. 15 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

The Winnipeg Jets have a really unique pool in that they don’t have a premium prospect and don’t have depth in quantity like some of the other teams in this range. But they do have half a dozen or so really solid prospects and two or three others of moderate interest, giving them a very respectable top eight or nine prospects.

They added to that group in a 2024 draft class that didn’t include a first-rounder, too, so credit to their scouting staff for nabbing a couple of players that look like finds.

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 16 (change: +1)

1. Elias Salomonsson, RHD, 20 (Manitoba Moose)

Salomonsson has become a really nice development story for the Jets and looks like he’s going to be a good NHL player now.

He was off to a really positive start to his post-draft season in the SHL two seasons ago and was bound to make Team Sweden for the World Juniors before a late November ankle injury halted his year. It was particularly noteworthy after he was just OK in his draft year and didn’t take the steps many hoped he would, sliding out of first-round consideration and into the second round where the Jets took him. You don’t often see teenage defensemen play 16-20 minutes per game in the SHL, but that’s how much Salomonsson was playing before he got hurt and how much he continued to play last year. He was just two weeks away from eligibility for the 2023 draft with his Aug. 31 birthday, too, so had his pre-injury play in the SHL been in his draft year, he would have been viewed differently. He then became an important defender for the 2024 SHL champs and made the Swedish World Junior team. Though he was sidelined with an upper-body injury in mid-December, he was having a really strong first season in the AHL as a 20-year-old before that as well, driving impacts at both ends on a bad Moose team.

He’s a tremendous north-south skater who can join the rush with ease off the puck, skate it down ice when he has it and close gaps quickly to play a physical and tight-defending brand of hockey and funnel opposing carriers wide into rub-outs along the wall. If he does get caught down ice trying to involve himself, he tracks back easily.

His decision-making does need some tightening up at times and has gotten him into suspension issues both in Sweden (in the SHL and J20) and internationally (at the U18 and U20 worlds) but his reads in other areas of the game have improved. I like his comfort level under pressure and confidence for a player as young as he is. He moves really well in all four directions, he involves himself in a lot of plays offensively, he’s got a pro frame and build, and most of his finer skills (including his shot and his handling) get good grades. He closes and snuffs out a lot of plays and projects as a two-way top-six defenseman at five-on-five who may be able to help out on either special team. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a 6-foot-2 righty, either. His problem at times in the past has been that his actual tools were better than the way he utilized them. That was something I was comfortable betting on when I ranked him 39th on my final draft board for 2022 (the Jets took him 55th), though, and I think he has figured out what he needs to be at the next level. He looks like more of a first-rounder than a second-rounder now and looks like how most teams want their D to look. Big, strong, highly mobile.

I think all of the Jets’ top three prospects here had a case for No. 1 and I thought about them in any order but Salomonsson has the most comfortable projection now.

2. Brad Lambert, C/RW, 21 (Manitoba Moose)

After an up-and-down couple of seasons for Lambert who — across five teams, four levels, three world juniors, the pandemic, injuries and illnesses — showed some really nice flashes of the skill and skating that made him one of the biggest names in his age group growing up but also played extended stretches where he looked like he didn’t know who he was or how to impact a game, things started to click last season. He was pretty consistent (not a term often used about him) for a player his age in the AHL, all told. This season has been a little more up-and-down on a Moose team that has really struggled to generate offense, but he has been one of their more productive players.

Lambert’s gifts are undeniable. He’s a beautiful skater. His hands flow in sync with his feet. When he’s feeling good, he’s fearless with the puck, makes a ton of plays in control and looks to dictate in possession. He’s got excellent control of his outside edges which allows him to carve up coverage on cutbacks and carries. He’s slippery because of his ability to spin away from his man and make a play. He’s a good passer off his backhand. He’s capable of playing pucks into space, getting to the interior, splitting lanes and cutting off the wall aggressively, and has a low base to his stride that allows him to extend plays (though he does have a bit of a hunch to his posture, which can put him off balance). He’s capable of playing the point and half-wall on the power play because of his puck skill, dangerous wrister off the flank and playmaking instincts.

But there’s a difference between ability and know-how or execution. Some scouts have worried about Lambert’s game without the puck in terms of both his intensity off it and his ability to make things happen offensively when he’s not getting a ton of touches (I actually think playing him at center full-time both in the WHL and then with the Moose, instead of bouncing him between the wing and the middle, helped to keep him more involved). Others have worried about how often he has skated the puck into trouble and made his decisions too late at times during his career. I’ve wondered at times whether he goes to the net enough to score up levels.

With the puck, though, Lambert’s a multifaceted threat who blends impressive puck skill with standout all-around skating mechanics and an attack mentality that can complement a dangerous curl-and-drag shot (which also complements the short stick he uses).

There has been a boom-or-bust prognostication for him because of some of the inconsistencies and the requirement that he’s going to have to play in a top-six role in the NHL. But I still believe in his ability with the right development/coach and he has slowly begun to build more of an identity to his game. It can feel like he’ll follow a shift where he has the puck four or five times with one where he’s not processing things quickly enough or making bad decisions, but those brain cramps and bad habits have also begun to show up less. He’s a fascinating case study.

3. Brayden Yager, C, 19 (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Yager has been on the radar in western Canada for a long time, and he’s got some real pedigree to his profile and cachet to his game to support it. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. He was the CHL Rookie of the Year (on 34 goals). He was an alternate captain and second-leading scorer at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was Canada’s second-leading scorer at the World Juniors as an 18-year-old and their captain and most-used center as a 19-year-old. He was an alternate captain and one of Moose Jaw’s leading scorers for two consecutive seasons, which included centering the first line to a WHL title with 49 goals and 128 points in 81 games split between the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup last year. And now he’s joined Lethbridge to push for another WHL championship in the final chapter of his junior career.

His actual statistical profile is good without being great. Still, he has been a consistent offensive player in his age group while playing a detail-oriented off-puck game (he’s also a dangerous and active penalty killer and is decent in the faceoff circle).

Yager plays a threatening, attacking game with skill in straight lines and in cutting sequences in transition. He’s got smooth-skating mechanics. He’s dangerous inside the offensive zone from the top of the circles in with a quick-release wrister that comes off his blade hard and with a slight, goalie-fooling adjustment pre-shot. He’s got good puck skill in congested areas, an ability to attack in bursts and make something happen out of dead plays, and an equal ability to play off coverage and make himself available as a shooter for his linemates.

He’s a natural scorer who plays a direct style, but he’s also got vision and good touch (though I wouldn’t say his creativity is necessarily a strength). I like the way he supports the puck defensively as a center. He’s very intentional with his routes, offensively and defensively, which should help him stick at the center position long-term. He’s a decent though not standout skater (his skating hasn’t taken a step to add a separation gear in the last couple of years). He’s a smart player who finds ways to get open and supports his linemates well (he’s got the smarts and the instincts). I like his work rate. He doesn’t have a star quality but he’s going to play in the league and projects as a middle-six C with PP2/PK2 potential.

4. Kieron Walton, C, 18 (Sudbury Wolves)

One of the stories of the 2024 NHL Draft so far, Walton was drafted in the sixth round and has found an entirely new level (or two, or three) this season, producing at the top of the OHL as a 6-foot-6 center.

Walton’s a massive forward with impressive handling and feel on the puck for a player his size. And while he’s not a natural mover, his skating has come along enough to give him a real chance at becoming a pretty unique NHL player. Teams wanted to see him impose himself more last season on and off the puck given his skill level and he has really taken charge this year. He doesn’t have the big, mean streak that you might expect out of a player his size but he’s got some other qualities that pop, including some sneaky power-play utility around the net and good playmaking feel/puck skill. He’s not the big man prototype but I think he’s even more interesting because of the offensive acumen he has. He has been impossible to contain on many nights this season, generating a ton of offense and looks not just for him but for his linemates as well.

He was one of the final cuts for my top 100 and I’m kicking myself for not including him. He certainly doesn’t look like a No. 187 pick and I slotted him in front of a couple of Jets first-rounders here.

5. Chaz Lucius, C, 21 (Manitoba Moose)

After lacking continuity in his health across his two years at the program due to a bone lesion in his knee which eventually required surgery, the injury bug has followed Lucius from the NTDP to the University of Minnesota, Portland and Manitoba, stunting and maybe even jeopardizing his development. Whenever he has begun to look like a top prospect again, it has felt like he’s had another injury (the season-ending shoulder surgery he had with the Winterhawks right as he was catching fire and regaining his confidence might have been the worst of the bunch and it was followed by a season-ending ankle injury with the Moose).

The growing injury history worries me, for sure. Lucius is a talented player and finisher who has shown some scoring upside when healthy. I grew fond of the player and the kid in his time at the program, and there have been real stretches in every season where he looks like a talented offensive player.

He’s a multifaceted shooter. He’s got natural, midrange finishing ability. He’s got the ability to change his angles in a split second (thanks to lightning-quick hands) and shoot around sticks and feet. And he’s got an opportunistic sense for spacing and timing/instincts so that he scores his fair share of goals — like every good goal scorer — by simply sliding into scoring areas, finishing rebounds or getting open into pockets of space around the net just as his linemates are looking to pass. He’s got an underrated nose for the net and used to be all around the crease when he played against his peers — something that should come in the pro game as he gets stronger/if he stays healthy as well. He gets the puck off so quickly. He’s also an underrated playmaker and passer who understands how to play pucks into space when he draws pressure. He can find pockets inside the offensive zone to get open into when he doesn’t have the puck and uses opposing defenders as decoys when he does.

He’s not an explosive skater, though, which leads to apprehension among some scouts as to how his finishing ability would translate at the NHL pace. I think his feel for the game and talent could get him back on track if he can put together an extended stretch of healthy, uninterrupted development, but the clock has started to tick.

There are times when I’d like to see him create more of his own looks but with the right linemates and good health, I wouldn’t rule him out of becoming a top-nine, secondary scorer. We may never know where he could have got to, though.

6. Colby Barlow, LW, 19 (Oshawa Generals)

One of the more impressive 2005s in the OHL for a couple of seasons, Barlow scored 35 goals in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games as a rookie in the OHL, was named captain of the Attack for his draft year, scored 49 goals in 63 combined games that season (rare goal scoring for a player his age, and a rare honor for a player his age) and then played to a 51-goal, 68-game pace in the OHL last season after starting slow and missing time with a back injury (after a disappointing under-18 worlds while also dealing with a nagging injury). He also looked good from what I saw of him in his first three AHL games with the Moose last spring. He has struggled to really take his production on a whole to that next level, though, and got off to a brutally slow start this season after a trade from Owen Sound to the contending Generals, where he’s below a point per game (which took him out of running for Canada’s World Junior team).

Barlow plays a direct, intentional game built around good hands, a physically mature pro frame and an NHL shot (he can cleanly beat goalies from midrange). He’s also an able penalty killer, which could give him all-situations upside at the next level. Whether he becomes a middle-six secondary scorer at the NHL level will be determined by his skating because outside of his lack of pace, he has a high floor or tools. It’s also fair to ask if his advanced growth gives him less runway for improvement (he really does look like a man already). He does at times look powerful in straight lines once he builds speed (he moves just fine through his crossovers and can build momentum that way) but he’s slow out of the blocks from a standstill. I would like to see him tunnel-vision a little less and open up his plane of sight a little more as well. Even though he can score on them, he takes low-percentage shots a little too much for my liking off the rush (maybe because he feels he can’t take the D one-on-one so he shoots through them instead?). The pro build, mentality, competitiveness and scoring are appealing, though, and he brings it shift to shift.

7. Nikita Chibrikov, RW/LW, 21 (Manitoba Moose)

Chibrikov, like Lucius, Lambert and Salomonsson before him here, was a kid who ranked higher on my board than where the Jets grabbed him at the draft. He’s one of the kids whose stock would have likely been higher post-draft and pre-AHL had Russia been able to participate in the two World Juniors he would have been a part of as well (he impressed in his brief showings at the first iteration of the 2022 World Juniors, where he looked like Russia’s second-best forward for my money through two games after Matvei Michkov before it was shut down mid-tournament due to the spread of COVID-19). Though he never quite broke into the KHL before coming over, Chibrikov, who turns 21 in a few weeks, was a top player in his age group at the MHL and VHL levels and has been immediately productive as an AHLer the last two seasons. Though his results defensively haven’t been at the same level, Chibrikov finished fourth on the Moose in scoring with 47 points in 70 games as a rookie and was their leading scorer this year as a second-year player (he also has four points in five NHL games to date) when he went down with a lower-body injury a couple of weeks ago that ended his season.

He’s a talented offensive player who, when he’s involved in the game and playing confidently, looks to take and has the tools to do so. Chibrikov plays a direct, intentional game that looks to attack at and through pressure, create his own chances and drive play to the inside when he has the puck. When he’s engaged in the fight and keeping his feet moving, there’s a lot to like about his ability to impact a shift (both by ramping up the pace with his skating or slowing the game down to play a little more calculating) in a variety of ways as an equal part finisher and playmaker. His play off the puck as a 5-foot-10 winger might never be a strength, but he has shown more of a willingness to engage in battles and compete against pros in the AHL even if he’s not winning the majority of his engagements or providing defensive value. He projects as a middle-six winger with some skill, but there might also be some risk that he becomes a tweener as an AHL producer who doesn’t quite have the chops to stick in that kind of a role in the NHL. I thought about ranking him higher here, though.

8. Kevin He, LW, 18 (Niagara IceDogs)

He, drafted in the fourth round by the Jets, is a 6-foot, 180-something pound winger who I identified as a potential breakout candidate coming into this season. He then got off to one of the hottest starts in the OHL. And while he has cooled off a little, He, who was also named IceDogs captain, is still top 20 in OHL scoring. He also had a primary assist in his lone preseason game with the Jets.

And even more importantly, he has imposed his will on games, using his blend of skating and skill to really push and prod defenses. He’s a great athlete, he’s got legit speed and when you talk to his peers in the OHL about him, his puck skills are commonly lauded. When he gets going, he can be a lot to handle for junior defensemen. I don’t think he’s got high-end hockey sense but he plays with pace, can make things happen and has good overall skill and a natural release (that he can get off in motion). I expect him to have a good pro career. I’m not sure there’s NHL upside but I could see him eventually making the jump with his skating and intuition on the ice.

9. Alfons Freij, LHD, 18 (IF Björklöven)

Freij is a smooth-skating, strong-on-his-feet-and-his-edges defenseman who thrives in transition both ways, handles the puck comfortably and confidently on exits and past pressure, walks the line beautifully and will roam and maneuver when opportunities present themselves inside the offensive zone (sometimes to his detriment defensively). There’s some give and take with how active his game tilts (he’s highly involved off the line and in transition) but his confidence is admirable and he has learned to make his game more applicable. He’s an aggressive and skilled defenseman who learned to defend better as last season progressed and played big minutes for Sweden at U18 worlds, making plays off the line. This season has been moderately disappointing, though. Växjö loaned him to Björklöven so that he could play more in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan and after playing good minutes early on in the year he has slowly seen his usage reduced on a good team, often playing under 10 minutes in December and into January as he adjusts to the speed and physicality of the pro level. He still needs to buckle down a little more defensively and make better decisions with the puck (I think he reads play well, he’s just a little overzealous on both sides and it comes with some mistakes) at times but his ability to be highly involved in offense, his skill level and his confidence on when to jump in and out of space and play in and out of give-and-gos are appealing (his on- and off-puck movement offensively is a real strength). If you work with him and encourage him to play, his style may be able to develop into an interesting, very involved prospect. But there’s some bust risk as well.

10. Dom Divincentiis, G, 20 (Manitoba Moose/Norfolk Admirals)

Drafted with one of the final picks in the 2022 draft, DiVincentiis was one of the more consistent goaltenders in the OHL from his rookie season in 2021-22 through to the end of his post-draft season two years ago, which earned him a CHL Second All-Star Team nod and the OHL’s goaltender of the year award. Last year was a bit more of a challenging one, though. Despite a winning record with the Battalion, he really fought it in some of my OHL viewings and had a tough go at Canada’s selection camp for the World Juniors. This season has been a more positive one and he has played well as a rookie pro in time split between the AHL and ECHL.

DiVincentiis is a fairly mobile 6-foot-2 goaltender who moves to pucks to make his saves but doesn’t have to scramble as much as young goalies who play that style typically do, and then battles to stay in plays when he has to (though I wouldn’t call him an ultra-competitive type). His tracking and focus can get the better of him and I’ve seen goals squeak through him and moments where he doesn’t look set and ready. I find he goes down early, too. He’s got good technical tools, though, and is a sound goalie in terms of habits (sealing posts, closing the five-hole, playing the puck, steering rebounds into the corner, etc.). I could see him becoming a No. 3 but I’m not sold on him having full-time NHL goalie upside.

11. Thomas Milic, G, 22 (Manitoba Moose)

After building a strong statistical track record as a 6-foot goalie, the Jets drafted Milic in the fifth round as an overager. In 2020, he was named the top goaltender in the CSSHL’s U18 loop. In 2021, he played well in a small sample due to the pandemic for both the Seattle Thunderbirds and Team Canada at U18 worlds (as the backup). In 2022, he was named to the WHL’s U.S. Division Second All-Star Team. In 2023, he won the WHL’s goaltender of the year award, was named to the CHL’s First All-Star Team, backstopped Canada to gold at the World Juniors and backstopped the Thunderbirds to a WHL title as the league’s playoff MVP. That’s a pretty compelling case that he’s a solid, worthwhile goalie prospect. Last year, he followed it up by playing well in his rookie season at the pro level split between the AHL and ECHL. This season, behind a leaky Moose team, his numbers have really taken a hit. Though I’m not sure how much of that is questions some had about whether he would be as successful at the pro level at his size and how much you have to attribute to the team in front of him, it hasn’t been a good season even in full context.

He’s nimble on his feet. He really battles in the net. He tracks pucks well through traffic and finds pucks on scrambles. He holds his outside edges well one-on-one with shooters. Despite his size, he covers the posts and corners well from bad angles. He controls his rebounds in front of him or into the corner really well. He’s a good goalie. But he will occasionally get beat by good shooters and his lack of size has been exposed at times by pros. I won’t be surprised if he plays himself into NHL games at some point down the line, though. He’s a fighter.

12. Connor Levis, C/RW, 20 (Vancouver Giants)

Levis was a point-per-game player on a deep Kamloops Blazers team that won the Memorial Cup two years ago while playing on both special teams and showing particular proficiency on the penalty kill. Last season, after his numbers took a predictable dip on the rebuilding and low-scoring Blazers, he was traded to the Giants at the deadline and played well down the stretch for them. This year, though, I was hoping to see an uptick in his production above the point-per-game level he has hovered at and that hasn’t happened. Now he’s committed to Bowling Green State as one of the early players who has decided to go the CHL-to-NCAA route in order to try to get signed.

Levis has pro size (6-foot-2, 190-something pounds), a well-rounded toolkit of average or above-average skills, good sense around the offensive zone, the work ethic you look for in a potential bottom-six player and just a pretty complete game. He has also played a good amount of center and wing, which could help him find a role in the AHL someday. His skill level and skating aren’t dynamic but he has worked to improve his skating and pace, he’s a smart player, he can occasionally show some creativity as a facilitator and he checks some boxes as a player whose game will work better at the college/pro levels than in junior (similarly to fellow former WHLer Fraser Minten’s). He’s a solid player who uses and plays off his linemates well. I question whether he has NHL upside after he has struggled to grow in junior, but he’s worth following still to see how it works in college.

The Tiers

As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player — or group of players — to the next.

The Jets’ pool is divided into three tiers: 1-7, 8-9, 10-12.

(Photo of Brayden Yager: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)