The Winnipeg Jets sit atop the NHL through 12 games, holding an 11-1-0 record so far this season.
The hot start probably shouldn't come as a giant surprise, given the team's success last year. They posted 110 points in the 2023-24 season, good enough for second in the Western Conference. But an early, five-game first round playoff exit where they looked somewhat outmatched by the Colorado Avalanche threw the team's status as a top team in question, at least to an extent.
But to this point, Winnipeg's start has been fantastic. With the Jets soaring to begin the season, below, we take a look at four factors in their early success.
Jets' top stars flying out of the gate
The biggest factor for Winnipeg's success has undoubtedly been the team's explosive offense. Through 12 games this year, the Jets are far and away the highest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging almost five goals per game. In fact, the Jets have scored at least six goals in half their games so far, and have only managed less than four goals three times.
A lot of this has to do with their top stars, and their early success. Between Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Mark Scheifele, each player already has at least 16 points. The trio has combined for 24 goals this season – for reference, that's the total number of goals the Anaheim Ducks have scored this season.
Even on the blue line, Winnipeg is getting offense. The Jets' blue line has contributed 11 goals so far this season, with Josh Morrissey and Neal Pionk each scoring at a point-per-game pace.
The Jets have established a really strong core to their group, and right now, we're seeing that core at its absolute best.
Electric offense aided by depth and power play
While the Jets' top forwards have been excellent, they've also gotten a lot of help. The team's ‘secondary scoring' is too good to even be classified as such. Cole Perfetti, Gabriel Vilardi and Nino Niederreiter have 13 goals between them as well, with each already at 10 points. Even Adam Lowry, Vladislav Namestnikov and Mason Appleton have nine points each.
Between all of them, the Jets have nine forwards who are all scoring at an early pace of 60 points per 82 games. To compare, there are teams in the league who have just one or two players scoring at that rate.
Of course, Winnipeg's offense has been aided by a seemingly unstoppable power play as well. Operating at a ridiculous 44 percent, the Jets' power play leads the league by a wide margin in the category. It's not a sustainable rate, but it does mark a big jump from last season, where the team's power play ranked 22nd in the NHL.
But between the team's range of contributions, along with the power play, the Jets have been firing on all cylinders.
Jets' schedule has been favorable to this point
As great as Winnipeg has been, they've also faced a fairly easy schedule thus far. While their home and away splits have been even, nine of their 12 games to this point have come against teams who didn't reach the postseason last year. Several of the games where they've run up the score on opponents have come against the likes of the San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings.
That's not to take away from their great start. They've also taken down strong teams in the Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Tampa Bay Lightning. But their upcoming schedule does present some tougher challenges. Over the next few weeks, they'll match up against the Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, and Florida Panthers. All signs point to the Jets handling themselves well, but it'll be a better test to see if their success is sustainable against some of the NHL's legitimate contenders.
Connor Hellebuyck repeating success early on
Last year, goaltending was a big part of Winnipeg's strong season. He posted an excellent .921 save percentage across 60 games, going on to win the Vezina Trophy. In fact, Hellebuyck has been top-four in Vezina Trophy voting in four of the last five years.
So far this year, he seems poised to replicate the success. Hellebuyck's posted a .917 save percentage to this point, along with a 2.33 goals against average, while starting nine of the team's 12 games. While he's cooled off a little bit, he opened the season with just two goals against in his first three games. As of now, the Jets also hold the fifth-lowest goals against per game. Eric Comrie has also been solid in his limited action, going 3-0-0 and posting a .914 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average.
If the Jets are going to sustain success and be a legitimate contender, Hellebuyck is going to be counted on. While their offense is on fire right now, this level of scoring is probably unsustainable, at least to an extent. But if Hellebuyck can continue to provide the same impact we've come to expect from him over recent years, the Jets will have every chance to be a top team in the West.
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