WINNIPEG – The physicals and testing are complete and Winnipeg Jets players are all set to hit the ice Friday for the start of training camp. Everyone is healthy, according to head coach Paul Maurice with 51 players set to begin their quest to make the team.
“It’s kind of a little bit like Christmas day. You keep waiting until Christmas rolls around until today,” said Maurice.
A jolly Paul Maurice addressing the media for the first time of training camp. The Jets have missed the playoffs in all of their first three seasons back in Winnipeg but after multiple seasons of mediocre results Maurice believes this team can now take steps to being a contender.
“My goal for this year and for every year, but this year especially is to start the process of this team and organization becoming a contending team. Becoming a top 10 team,” said Maurice.
The topic of Evander Kane was front and centre again especially after he made a ruckus on twitter last week by joking with teammate Blake Wheeler. It all started when Wheeler told an ESPN reporter that Kane needed to “step up and be a leader on this team”. But Maurice isn’t worried about Kane and how the public perceives him.
“When I worry about how people feel about you know how Evander drinks his coffee, like that has nothing to do with anything I feel is important.” said Maurice.
“So I understand something has to get talked about. The whole Blake Wheeler thing at the end for me was positive. I got one leader talking about another leader and Kaner’s tweet back was funny. ‘Find me at the top of the circle.’ I mean that’s vintage…that’s funny.”
What’s not funny was the Jets play in their own end last season. This is the first camp under Maurice and his main focus will be implementing his new systems to limit the defensive breakdowns.
“We’re just going to do it over and over and over again until we get it right,” said Maurice. “We are changing something. There is going to be something that is absolutely brand new to every player in that room. There wouldn’t have been anyone who has played the exact version of it.”
And with the Jets set to break camp the expectations will be the same this year as they were the last three: to make it to the post-season.
“You’re going to ask me everyday, ‘hey are you going to make the playoffs this year?'” said Maurice. “I know that’s coming. And I understand it. I don’t have an answer for you. We don’t know the answer. We’re going to know that somewhere in the early part of April.”
With the team divided in half to start training camp there will be two practices on Friday with Team White on the ice at 9:00am and Team Blue to follow Noon at MTS Iceplex.
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