New Jets Logo Revealed

After a long and much anticipated wait, TNSE finally revealed the brand new logo and colours for the Winnipeg Jets this week. Mark Chipman promised change and did just that! A welcome change from the sometimes too busy text and plane logos of the past, TNSE has gone with a new simple and patriotic look.

The new symbol of hockey in Manitoba is based off the logo for the Royal Canadian Air Force which happens to have a base in Winnipeg (17 Wing). The RFAC logo features a red maple leaf enclosed with a blue circle. TNSE has used that base and stylized the maple leaf while inserting the Canadian air force’s fighter jet the F 18 Hornet in the middle of the maple leaf. The jet wings, nose, and tail form part of the leaf itself. There are a few other hidden things in this logo. The north compass on the top is the symbol of True North Sports and Entertainment. The bottom of the maple leaf is to interpret the fire coming out of the back of a jet.  The final is actually fairly obvious; the jet is centered over the maple leaf to show how Winnipeg is the centre of Canada!

The secondary logo which will be on the shoulders of the jersey features two crossed hockey sticks with the wings pin those in the air force get when officially making it in to the air force. The same stylized maple leaf on the primary logo is centered over the wings. The word mark Winnipeg Jets is also featured on the top and then bottom of this logo. Speaking of word marks, there is a third logo that is a complete word mark which to me seems like a throwback to the three logos used by the original Winnipeg Jets clubs.

One thing to remember about the simple look is most of the league’s most iconic logos are quite simple and are very to the point while also showing some sort of behind the name or city. It is my opinion that at this point the new logo is among the best in the league and time will be seen in the same light as Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and Detroit.

* pictures of the logos are those featured on winnipegjets.com

Jets deal not a Fehr one for Caps

The Winnipeg Jets continued to add to their roster this weekend by making a pair of deals. The first deal saw the Jets sending RW Danick Paquette and a 2012 4^th round draft pick to the Washington Capitals for RW Eric Fehr.  Fehr is a former first round pick, selected 18^th overall in 2003 by the Washington Capitals. He is coming off an injury plagued season where he only appeared in 52 games scoring only 10 goals. It wasn’t the follow up to his 21 goal 39 point break out 2009 season that Fehr may have wanted. His best game last year came in the Winter Classic where he scored two goals including the game winner in Pittsburgh against the Pens.

Eric Fehr has the potential to become a very good second line winger which begs the question, why would the Caps take a fringe prospect and a 4^th round pick who may never see a day in the NHL for Fehr? The answer is simple, the salary cap! Washington added a few fresh faces this month in free agency and was pushed over the 64.3 million dollar limit. While teams stocked up on day one of free agency the Jets sat back and waited. There were those who questioned this plan but it’s very obvious to see what TNSE has meant all along with their quiet approach.  Teams are forced to sell low and guys that get lost in the shuffle such as Fehr can be had for less than market value. In other words, no overpayments here on Winnipeg’s side! The only team that has the potential to lose in this deal is Washington. If Fehr becomes the consistent 25 goal scorer and Washington’s secondary scoring struggles then it is pure win for the Jets. Should Fehr miss a ton of time with injury or never get his scoring touch back then it’s a one year experiment and we move on.  With all the depth featured up front in Washington’s lineup, Fehr wasn’t ever given a shot to show what he can do with top minutes. You can bet Winnipeg will give him every opportunity to play top minutes and seize his top 6 spot. This deal also shows the naysayers that digging in to free agency July 1st isn’t the only way to acquire new talent.

Second Trade:

The Jets made a second deal this weekend sending C Angelo Esposito to Florida for LW Kenndal McArdle. This deal saw a pair of former 20^th overall first round selections swapped for each other in a deal that offers both a fresh start. Esposito was once touted as a top 3 prospect for the 2007 draft however, his stock seemed to plummet and he dropped to the end of the first round. He then started experiencing injury issues that limited him to 35 games during his final QMJHL season. Despite the lack of games Esposito still put up 42 points but the injuries didn’t end there. Esposito has only played 69 games over the last two seasons due to serious knee injuries. In Kenndal McArdle the Jets pick up another rugged grinding winger. McArdle is described as a player who shows a lot of heart and leaves it all on the ice. While he doesn’t fair to well in fights he will still drop the gloves to try and gain some momentum for his team. Last season was his best season as he scored 14 goals and 26 points and 106 penalty minutes for the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He has played a total of 33 NHL games scoring one goal and only three points. McArdle will most likely spend most of this season with St. John’s in the AHL but could develop into a decent 3^rd or 4^th line energy player.

Message to Jets fans . . . CHILL!!!!

Free agency is only in its third day and some Jets fans are already up in arms as to why we haven’t signed any “big names” yet. I’m here to tell you to sit back, crack open a beer, and CHILL! Those that boycotted the AHL should need to understand how TNSE runs their hockey team. Bringing in just anybody will not happen! In the past, they have turned down NHL players such as Sean Avery, Nathan Paetsch, and Andrew Peters due to character issues. There was once an old story that goes back to the old IHL days when Keith Tkachuk was in a contract holdout with the Phoenix Coyotes. He showed up to the old Winnipeg Arena during Moose training camp and asked to join the team while he was holding out and was told no! Now while I don’t know the exact details, it is apparent and has been from the beginning on how Mark Chipman runs his business.

One can only look at the overpaid deals signed this weekend and can tell why we didn’t bring anybody in. Ask yourself; is Joel Ward really worth $12 million over 4 years? Does Maxime Talbot deserve a 5 year contract? Are these players any better than Rick Rypien in playing the 3^rd/fourth line grinder role TNSE would ask them to play? These questions can be disputed but the fact is players will not be overpaid by this management! Guys who just want to collect a pay check and spend their time partying are not the type Jets management want. As evidence to this look no further than the Jets first draft pick Mark Schiefele. From the TSN interview alone, you can tell this kid has great character, is willing to work hard, and is well educated on the city itself.

Great character, hard working, and leadership is what will mould this team in the present and the future. The casual fan will look at these and ask what the plan is or if there is even a plan. Its not that hard to look at this and realize what the plan is, build right from the bottom up. A competitive AHL team and depth will only lead to wins. Our prospects learning to win at the AHL level will bring that experience to the big club and in turn later mentor the new crop of players. Need more evidence? Well look no further than the Vancouver Canucks. Their Stanley Cup roster featured many former Moose (Schneider, Bieksa, Edler, Rome, Tanev, Kesler, Burrows, Raymond, Hanson, Hodgson, Tambellini, and Bolduc) and that’s not counting the few others who were called up during the season. Still need more evidence? Well Burrows wasn’t on any NHL team’s radar and twice tried to make the Moose before finally getting on fulltime and then earning his AHL deal. Alex Bolduc was a late round draft of the Blues who wasn’t signed, not re-drafted, and went all the way back to the ECHL before netting himself a deal with the Moose and then Canucks.

So people CHILL!!!! This team has done very well to develop NHL ready players, develop a winning environment, and surround the younger players with the right leaders and character guys to be successful. Be patient because mark my words in time all will see just how great a job the Jets have done on team development and using cap management to keep or bring in the right pieces to build a winner.

Jets sign Jones, Rypien, and Flood

The Winnipeg Jets continued to add to their depth today by signing NHL veteran defenseman Randy Jones, former Vancouver Canuck and Manitoba Moose forward Rick Rypien and former Moose defenseman Mark Flood to 1 year contracts.

Randy Jones becomes only the third member of this roster at 30 years old and over (Turns 30 on July 23). He will be relied upon to provide a veteran presence on the team both on and off the ice.  He has spent 7 years in the NHL with Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and last season with Tampa Bay. While he isn’t an offensive defenseman, Jones is a steady stay at home player who will top out as a #6/#7 guy on the team. His best season offensively came in 07/08 with the Flyers were he scored a career high 5 goals and 31 points in a career high 71 games played.

Forward Rick Rypien returns to the ownership group that gave him his first pro contract. Originally an undrafted forward out of the Regina Pats, Rypien came to the Manitoba Moose in 04/05 and instantly became a fan favourite. Not too long into the next hockey season he was signed to his first NHL deal with Vancouver and later made his NHL debut scoring a goal in 5 NHL games that season. Although multiple injuries and than a personal issue has slowed Rypien during his career there is no doubt that when he is on his game he is one of the top grinders/enforcers in the league. At onle 5’10 190lbs he plays bigger than his size not only fighting but hitting guys twice his size every night. He has been a character guy and brought a lot of leadership to the Moose at the end of last season even finishing the playoffs as an assistant coach after he injured his knee. He possesses a ton of speed which happens to be a skill of his that is overlooked by most. There is no doubt that Rypien brings it every shift and will become a fan favourite among Winnipegers for his blue collar style of play.  Rypien can play both centre and right wing and you can look for him to find a home on Winnipeg’s 4^th line opening day.

For those who didn’t watch the Moose last season, they may wonder who or why Mark Flood was signed but for those that did, they will applaud him being brought in. Flood was named the Moose top defenseman during the year end awards and he scored 11 goals and 40 total points last season. On most nights Flood wasn’t only the best defenseman but the best play on the ice. He brings a smooth game to the backend and is a great puck mover. This signing is a depth signing as he should be the go to guy for the power play and penalty kill in St. John’s but don’t be surprised to see him get a call up. While he may not be projected to be a top 4 guy in the NHL he could develop into a decent bottom pairing/power play guy.

Jets sign Glass, Meech, and Gagnon

Just as was promised the Jets were very quiet for the opening day of free agency. Signing today were defenseman and Winnipeger Derek Meech, winger Tanner Glass, and centre Aaron Gagnon. True North has continues to bring in familiar faces into their organization as all three have made a stop through MTS Centre over the last few seasons in the AHL.

Derek Meech is a former 2002 7th round draft pick of the Red Wings who spent all of last season playing for Grand Rapids of the AHL. In four complete seasons in the AHL, Meech has been able to score 27 goals and 102 pts in 304 games. Meech hasn't yet been able to translate his success to the NHL as he only has 126 career NHL games and 16 career points. With Arturs Kulda, Paul Postma, and Brett Festerling already in house competing for one open spot on D, Meech will be in tough to make this team. With that said, he will provide St. John's with a vet D, a leader, and one who is capable of producing at that level.

Tanner Glass is a pure bruiser. He isn't one to shy away from throwing a hit or two every shift or drop the gloves. Glass will spend most shifts on defensive zone faceoffs or the penalty kill. The knock on his game is the offense hasn't come around scoring only 7 times in the last two seasons with Vancouver. Glass should compete for the fourth line left wing spot and will most likely play on a line with Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn.

Aaron Gagnon is a defensive centre who hasnt been able to crack the NHL full time yet. Gagnon got into 19 games with the Dallas stars last season scoring only 2 assists. This signing, like the Meech signing, seems to be more for depth. Gagnon has scored 41 goals and added 54 assists the last two seasons for the Texas Stars of the AHL and thus should compete for the #1 centre job for St. John's.