{"id":161659,"date":"2023-06-30T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediaintel.asia\/?p=920644"},"modified":"2023-06-30T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T00:00:00","slug":"jets-focus-on-forwards-crease-on-day-2-of-2023-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/2023\/06\/30\/jets-focus-on-forwards-crease-on-day-2-of-2023-nhl-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Jets Focus on Forwards & Crease on Day 2 of 2023 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"MediaIntel.Asia\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Winnipeg Jets continued one of the busiest weeks in recent memory by selecting four more players \u2014 three forwards and a goalie \u2014 during Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, focusing on forwards with size and Canadian talent.
\nIt\u2019s been go-go-go for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and crew of late: on Tuesday \u2014 after rumours swirled for days \u2014 they traded disgruntled centre Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings for Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi, and a 2024 second-round pick.
\nRelated: 3 Pros and 3 Cons of Jets\u2019 Pierre-Luc Dubois Trade With Kings
\nOn Wednesday, they drafted sharpshooting workhorse Colby Barlow 18th overall, adding a player of high skill and high character who served as Owen Sound Attack captain last season as a 17-year-old. The fact the power forward was still available at 18th was a surprise, as most scouting organizations and media outlets projected him to go earlier.
\nThe Jets selected Colby Barlow 18th overall on Day 1. On Day 2, they returned to the draft table to make four more selections. (Amy Irvin \/ The Hockey Writers)
\nOn Thursday, Cheveldayoff and co. returned to the Draft table in Nashville to make a third-round pick, two fifth-round picks, and a seventh-round pick. Here, we\u2019ll take a look at each player chosen.
\nNote: The Jets traded away their 2023 second round pick in the 2021 trade that brought Brenden Dillon from the Washington Capitals, their 2023 fourth round pick in the 2022 trade that brought Mason Appleton back from the Seattle Kraken, and their 2023 sixth round pick in the 2022 trade that sent Andrew Copp to the New York Rangers.
\nZach Nehring: 3rd Round, 82nd Overall
\nWhile there was some speculation Cheveldayoff may swing a trade to get back into the second round of a deep draft \u2014 perhaps one involving Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, or Blake Wheeler \u2014 no deal materialized, so he had to wait until the middle of the third round for his next selection.
\nWith his 82nd-overall pick, he chose right-winger Zach Nehring from a place he\u2019d never chosen anyone out of in 12 drafts in Shattuck-St. Mary\u2019s (SSM.)
\nThe Faribault, Minnesota-based SSM Hockey Center of Excellence is \u201can internationally known hockey development program for male and female student-athletes in grades 7-12,\u201d as per their website. Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Jonathan Toews, among other NHL superstars, spent time at SSM.
\nZachary Nehring, Shattuck-St. Mary\u2019s (Image: Shattuck-St. Mary\u2019s)
\nThe 18 year old recorded 39 goals and 46 assists for 85 points with SSM\u2019s 18U prep team in 2022-23, stands six-foot-three, and weighs 180 pounds. Hailing from Minot, North Dakota \u2014 approximately five hours from Winnipeg, where his grandparents live \u2014 Nehring played for the Winnipeg Jr. Jets in the Brick AAA Tournament back in 2015.
\nTHW\u2019s Jim Bay writes of Nehring: \u201cHe uses his size well and is not afraid to hang out around the crease, using his big frame to wreak havoc on opposing goaltenders\u2019 vision. He also uses his size to protect the puck.\u201d
\n\u201cNehring is not just a big body on the ice,\u201d Bay continues. \u201cHe is an intelligent player that takes good care of the puck. His passing is solid, but he needs to develop softer hands. His on-ice awareness and processing is good. Even playing a physical game, Nehring usually does not take too many unnecessary penalties. The North Dakota native isn\u2019t the quickest skater. He doesn\u2019t have breakneck speed, and his stride can be worked on, but his skill and smarts make up for that, as he\u2019s still able to set up his teammates and maintain offensive zone time. He can find the back of the net, as evidenced by his 65 goals in the past two seasons.\u201d From Zach Nehring\u2019s THW 2023 Draft Prospect Profile
\nNehring will play for the USHL\u2019s Sioux Falls Stampede next season and is committed to Western Michigan University for 2024-25.The Athletic\u2019s Scott Wheeler projects he will play a full four years at Western Michigan, meaning he\u2019s on a longer path.
\nJacob Julien: 5th Round, 146th Overall
\nCheveldayoff kept drafting for size in the fifth round, selecting 6-foot-4, 180-pound left-handed centre Jacob Julien from his hometown London Knights.
\nJulien is noted as a rangy player who plays an effective north and south game and loves to drive the net, but will be considered a long-term project. His 2022-23 numbers for the Knights aren\u2019t too impressive: nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 40 games, and two goals and five assists in 20 playoff games.
\nLatest News & Highlight
\nPrior to suiting up for the Knights, Julien played for the Chatham-Kent Cyclones of the Greater Ontario Hockey League and did that while managing a full course load at Western University.
\nThomas Milic: 5th Round, 151st Overall
\nWith his second fifth-rounder \u2014 received in the Copp trade with the Rangers \u2014 Cheveldayoff selected the 20-year-old goaltender who starred for Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championship, won the WHL Championship, and went to the Memorial Cup: Thomas Milic.
\nThomas Milic, Seattle Thunderbirds (Candice Ward\/CHL)
\nThe 6-foot, 180-pounder from Coquitlam, B.C. was passed over in the 2021 and 2022 Drafts, but third time was the charm. He perhaps used the pair of snubs as motivation as he stymied just about everyone in 2022-23 regardless of the stage or the stakes.
\nMilic had an outrageous season with the Seattle Thunderbirds, posting a 27-3-2 record in 33 games to go along with a 2.08 GAA, .928 SV%, and four shutouts. He was even better in the WHL playoffs and Memorial Cup \u2014 posting a 16-3-0 record, 1.98 GAA, .933 SV% and one shutout \u2014 and was named the 2023 WHL Playoff MVP.
\nAt the World Juniors, he went a perfect 5-0-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .932 SV%. In the gold medal game, he stopped 24 of 26 shots as Canada conquered Czechia 3-2 in overtime.
\nMilic has many strengths and \u201che\u2019s probably one of the calmest and most collected goalies out there,\u201d THW\u2019s Matthew Zator writes in a prospect profile. \u201cHe also thrives under pressure and seems to raise his game when the going gets tough\u2026 Finally, his positioning, athleticism and play-reading abilities are very impressive, which is a necessity given the height he has to work with.\u201d 📽️ HIGHLIGHT REEL 📽️
\nMilic. Magic.@SeattleTbirds | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com\/ZUP9PCSg2C \u2014 The WHL (@TheWHL) June 28, 2023
\nRecall that Hellebuyck, who has one year left on his contract and is not interested in re-signing in Winnipeg, was also a Jets\u2019 fifth-rounder. As a smaller goaltender, Milic has a steeper mountain to climb to the NHL than Hellebuyck, but the Jets would be over-the-moon if he turns out anywhere near as well.
\nMilic will turn pro next season, Jets\u2019 director of scouting Mark Hillier told reporters in Nashville. That\u2019s great news as the goaltending prospect pool includes three net minders who aren\u2019t nearly NHL ready: Domenic DiVincentiis, Arvid Holm, and Oskari Salminen. Milic will push the latter two for a job with the Manitoba Moose in the fall.
\nConnor Levis: 7th Round, 210th Overall
\nCheveldayoff rounded out the day by selecting his second-right winger and another player of high character in Connor Levis.
\nLevis \u2014 a 6-foot-2, 187-pounder from Vancouver \u2014 spent 2022-23 with the Kamloops Blazers, his third season with the club. He was nearly a point-per-game player, recording 27 goals and 40 assists for 67 points in 68 games, one goal and five assists in 15 playoff games, and one goal and three assists in four Memorial Cup games. He played roles on the power play and penalty kill.
\nConnor Levis, Kamloops Blazers (Candice Ward\/CHL)
\n\u201cHe uses his size and considerable strength to engage in board battles and fight for loose pucks in open ice,\u201d THW\u2019s Devin Little writes in a prospect profile. \u201cWhen he has the puck, it\u2019s hard to knock it off his stick. As he continues to physically mature and add strength to his frame, he has the potential to develop into a real bull in a China shop, especially in the offensive zone.\u201d
\nLevis is not known as particularly creative and is sometimes too un-selfish with the puck, but played a foundationally-sound game that complemented his Blazers\u2019 teammates and is always willing to battle, Little writes.
\nLike Barlow, Levis is a Scholastic Player of the Year winner, awarded to the player who best combines success on the ice with success in school. Adam Lowry and Josh Morrissey previously won the award in the WHL, while Cole Perfetti won it in the OHL.
\nWhat do you think of the Jets\u2019 2023 selections? Comment below!<\/p>\n

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Winnipeg Jets continued one of the busiest weeks in recent memory by selecting four more players \u2014 three forwards and a goalie \u2014 during Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, focusing on forwards with size and Canadian talent.
\nIt\u2019s been go-go-go for G…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[639,692,144,325,785,194,465,1242,334,100],"tags":[3760,5099,10315,10506,3549,10351,10336],"class_list":["post-161659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-california","category-canada","category-china","category-education","category-new-york","category-news-chinese-law","category-social-media","category-twitter","category-university","category-website","tag-gold","tag-london","tag-media-intelligence","tag-seattle","tag-united-nations","tag-war","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161659"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161660,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161659\/revisions\/161660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chinalegalblog.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}