THE WINNIPEG JETS ARE BACK!!! 2025 26 Preseason Game 1 Recap Reaction

THE WINNIPEG JETS ARE BACK!!! 2025 26 Preseason Game 1 Recap Reaction

What’s going on ladies and gentlemen? Welcome back to another video here on Peg City Hockey. Preseason is finally here. It’s been a quiet and long off season. So, it’s great to finally have Jets hockey back to have training camp the last couple of weeks, you know, getting into the swing of things, FanFest. It’s just always a great time, you know, at the year when hockey starts to finally roll in again and we get to enjoy the sport that we all love. And there’s a lot of, you know, interesting story lines going into this season if you are a Winnipeg Jets fan. Obviously, the departure of Eers, the additions of Jonathan and Gustav Nyquis, you know, Connor Hellbuck on the back of a president’s uh trophy winning season with the team and winning the heart trophy himself. You know, like there’s a lot of variables going into this season and expectations on this Winnipeg Jets club. So, these preseason games are going to be an interesting test to see, you know, where the team is, to see how they’re getting up to game speed, some new changes, new lines, and whatnot. And in the first preseason game, which was pretty much just the young kids and the prospects, uh the Jets fell in overtime to the Wild by a final score of 3 to2. Now, honestly, win or lose preseason really doesn’t matter. It’s about overall performances, you know, lines, chemistry, individuals performances as well. And looking at, like I said, at this when you look at this lineup, the Jets team did not ice their, you know, their best. This Morgan Baron pretty much was being one of the only real regulars in their second line center today. Uh, and everyone else, a lot of the guys are prospects, you know, guys pushing for a shot. You know, the defense, Stanley and Miller, you know, the vets leading it, the charge today. So, this wasn’t by any means the Jets most skilled lineup they’re going to be icing uh this preseason. So, you know, what I really wanted to look for in this game was how, you know, Nikita Chipper got played, Brad Lambert, Braden Joerger, uh, Elia Somson, you know, those types of guys, even Kevin He even, and just to see how they meshed in, how they looked, because these are the prospects that I think have the most potential in the system right now. So, I think getting seeing how they perform at the NHL level, even in, you know, a prospect, not prospect tournament itself, and even in preseason, I think it’s very important and I think it’s a great tool to gauge where these guys kind of are. So, when you go into this game, you know, the Jets played honestly a pretty solid game. There was a lot of great, you know, bright spots on this team. Morgan Baron gets the goal uh scoring started off in the first period with a great play in front. Elson gets the assist on that. Great shot from him from the point and Morgan Baron in front of the net to pick up the garbage. Makes it one- nothing. Uh a really good goal there. And that’s exactly what you want to see Morgan Baron doing. You know, I want to see him get more goals this year. I think after a betray deadline when he really exploded at center. I think he played his best hockey uh and potentially of his career even arguably very consistent night in and night out and I think he can elevate his game and really become a more offensive presence on that fourth line playing center uh for a full season. So I’m excited to see that. And then Danny Zilkin keeps up his hot streak this camp so far. He absolutely lit it up in Montreal in the prospect tournament and then today he scores a great goal off of a no look pass from Kevin he who was also fantastic today. Uh and you know the Jets really had some momentum. You know they were playing pretty decent. Uh obviously Minnesota gets one there and is able to make it 2-1 going into the third period. Jets have the lead and they played a pretty solid game. They make a goalending change and put in Pter uh who is a local guy from Winnipeg. Uh not the local home kid town kid in Jonathan Hayes. He’ll be making his debut in preseason on Tuesday. But the other hometown snee that the Jets picked up this offseason. He makes his debut. And honestly I got to say I preferred Thomas Militch. I think he played a much better game even though he let in a goal. I think he made a lot of great saves. He was a uh good presence and he really kept the game under control and for the first 40 minutes of play in my opinion and was a solid goalender back there for the Jets. After that in the third period though, the Wild were able to come out and tie the game and then in overtime they’re able to win it after killing off a penalty. Uh they get the kill and then they go on the attack and they score and that’s ends up being the game winner. So, you know, I think the goalending change kind of killed a little bit of their momentum. think again it’s preseason like what am I going to do? Oh what a loss. You know it doesn’t matter. So let’s focus on the bright spots cuz there were a lot of them today. I think Danny Zilkin has shown that he can really you know his game is really improving. His speed’s there. His shots heavy. He’s fast. He’s a little decisive with his shot at two. He’s playing great so far in camp and he’s really pushing for an opportunity on that fourth line. Uh really liked Kevin he today. I think Kevin he really shined. Uh that no look behind pass was beautiful to Zilkin on that second goal. Uh he looked really mature out there. I liked his game. a good presence and a really good showing from him. Uh yeah, I again I don’t think Kevin he’s going to make the team but again very exciting prospect nonetheless to watch his devel development and Elasson without a doubt in my opinion was the best Jet out there tonight. He did everything right. He made a lot of great hockey IQ plays, great defensive reads. He made some great zone passes. He was good in the offensive zone as well. He was good on the power play. Uh and I just I I just really liked everything that this guy has. I think he’s going to be become a very very good player and a very important key part of the Jets future. So watching him succeed is honestly amazing because that’s what preseason’s all about in a game like this where it’s pretty much just the prospects uh and and you know the some depth moose guys kind of you know Phil Geppeppie and whatnot. So you’re when you’re in a game like this you want to look for the prospects you want to see how they perform. You know in the prospect tournament we saw a lot of improvement from Danny Zilkin. Uh I thought Kevin he looked good. You know the kind of the guys that Nikita Chipperov looked very good as well. Uh, and the Chipper looked great again tonight. I again I think that he just puts in so much effort. He’s such a workhorse horse out there. I don’t know if he’s going to earn that spot. We’re going to have to wait and see. I think that a lot of people are going to be surprised by Tanner Pearson’s presence on that fourth line. I know he’s kind of seem he seems kind of washed, but even Copek surprised a lot of people today. Surprised a lot of fans today. So, I think that there is a lot of upside, you know, in this bottom six this year. I think there’s a lot of guys that can be plugged into it. I’m hoping that it’s not all just, you know, the vets as we’ve seen in years past because I do think there are a lot of young guys that could be a wild card mix that are probably just going to be just as good as potentially they would be, you know, as a vet would be in that spot. So, why not see if that young guy can grow into something even more impactful and help grow his game to make the team better because, you know, I think the Jets really could use some better fourth line scoring. I really do believe that. I think that the fourth line needs to score more. I think that that’s been one of the Jets kind of cruxes offensively for a while. And it’s not that their fourth line has been bad, but offensively they need to drive it more. So some of these young guys, they’re putting in the works. They’re hard on the boards. They’re quick. They’re fast. And the Jets top six is going to be lacking some speed this year. You I know Nyquist was known for his wheels back in the day, but I don’t think at 35, you know, you’re going to have that much speed left to give, especially in the last couple years of watching him. Ta, we already know he wasn’t fast in his prime. He’s not going to be fast now at 37. So the Jets lost speed with Eers for sure. So if you look at that fourth line, you see some of these guys that are playing well. They’ve using the body. They’re able to make some good offensive reads. They’re, you know, fitting in well and meshing in well with guys already on that fourth line. Uh, you know, in a guy like Baron, for example, if anyone can find real good chemistry with Baron this off seasonason, I think, and that, you know, they’re scoring, I think that’s the kind of move you want to go with. I think because again, if you can get Morgan Baron producing, that’s going to be a real spark for that fourth line. I think he can offer more. I think we haven’t seen his ceiling just yet, and I think that we’re looking at a year where he really could, you know, find his game and really find his offensive consistency playing a full year at center. I I really do believe that. So, we’re going to have to wait and see. Lots lots to like from that first game. Uh, and lots to see, want to see more from as well. I’m just so goddamn excited for Tuesday. We’re going to see Jonathan Ta make his Winnipeg Jet debut. Uh, it’s going to be a hell of a night. So, thank you so much for watching this video. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. As always, subscribe if you’re new. Peace and positivity as always. Go Jets go and I’ll see you all in the next one very soon. It’ll all be over. It’ll all be over. It’ll all be over. We won’t have to run no more. 10.

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1 comment

@KIYAMAZN says:

September 22, 2025 at 1:50 am

Brad Lambert looks good, hopefully he recovers fast and plays a couple of games. Zhilikin is also a player people should look out for. I see him playing games next season; who knows, maybe he'll play games this season too.

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THE WINNIPEG JETS ARE BACK!!! 2025 26 Preseason Game 1 Recap Reaction

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