Winnipeg Jets Prospect Breakdown with Scott Wheeler | Elias Salomonsson, Braden Yager & More

Winnipeg Jets Prospect Breakdown with Scott Wheeler | Elias Salomonsson, Braden Yager & More

[Music] Right now on the show, we’re going to be bringing in Scott Wheeler from The Athletic. He covers all NHL prospects from the draft, when they’re drafted, their development paths, and covers them at a very high level over at The Athletic. So, we’re super excited to have him on. Scott, thank you so much for taking the time. Welcome to WSC Sunday Live. Thanks for having me. Happy to be here. Absolutely. And we want to get your thoughts. I mean, before the season starts on a lot of the Winnipeg Jets prospects, they have a very intriguing pool, I would say. I mean, there are a lot of uh of uh prospect analysis that would rank their pool really high and some that would rank them really low. So, just kind of giving you a a open-ended question to start it off here. What are your overall thoughts on the strength of the Jets prospect pool as we head into this 202526 season? Well, they’ve acquired a good number of what I would call sort of B-toB plus prospects. Like they have seven or eight, maybe nine dep depending on who’s making the argument, legit prospects. And there are organizations around the league, even ones with good pools, who don’t have that, right? their organizations, even some of the ones with the true true top end pools, sometimes they only run four, five, six players deep rather than maybe seven or eight players deep in terms of legit potential future NHL prospects. The difference between their pool and what I would qualify as the true upper echelon pools in the league is that they don’t have a projectable top of the lineup player. They don’t have someone who’s going to play on your first pairing, be a starting goalie, play on your first first line, right? They I think Cole Perfetti was pro in terms of recent guys that they’ve had, Cole Perfetti was probably the closest to that. Then before that, you got to go back to Josh Moresy and Mark Shley, right? They don’t have that level of talent in the pool. Brad Lambert is a good prospect. Kobby Barlo is a good prospect. Sasha Bumemedian is a good prospect. You go down the list, Braden Jagger is a good prospect. Elias Salmonson is a good prospect, but they aren’t going they’re going to be good players for you. Maybe even very good role players for you. Middle six guys, maybe in Boumedian or or Salmonson’s case, you’re hoping they can become sort of a number three, number four for you, but are probably more safely a number five or a number six for you. Those are important players. Like a a four or five defenseman makes five million bucks in the NHL nowadays, right? So, uh, those players are still valuable. They will still help the Winnipeg Jets. They will still extend their window, uh, with this veteran group that they have, but they aren’t going to be needlem movers. When when Shifley’s gone, when Hellabuk eventually retires, they aren’t going to be that level of player. They aren’t going to be your your true true drivers. Uh, and I don’t think I don’t think frankly anyone would describe a Braden Jagger or any of those players as having that kind of a ceiling. So, uh, that’s that’s sort of the missing piece of the puzzle and that’s a byproduct of not picking high, right? Like it’s you typically get those guys in the top 10 at the draft and they just haven’t had those chances. Kobby Barlo, I believe, was an 18th overall pick. Romedian obviously last year was 28th. uh like they just haven’t had those those sort of true upper echelon types. Obviously in Rucker McGordy, they had a player who was drafted near the top 10 and then swapped him for another player in Braden Jagger who was drafted near the top 10. But even still, those those aren’t I wouldn’t qualify those as A prospects. Yeah, I agree. And I was just about to say that I I do think that the one you know the the byproduct of maybe having a bunch of B+ prospects is picking late and last year you brought it up with Boumeden uh 28th overall. We’ll talk about him a little bit later on. Uh, I agree with your assessment of the Jets prospect pool. I think where Jets fans might disagree is in Elias Monson’s case. And that’s where I want to start. I think Jets fans are very, very high on him becoming, you know, potentially a top four defenseman one day or a Dylan Sambergesque defenseman uh, as we saw this past year for the Winnipeg Jets. Making the pro leap last year from Sweden to North America. He played his first full season with the Manitoba Moose and by all accounts had a great year. What are your expectations going forward for Elias Salammonson? And would you agree that he’s maybe the one guy in the prospect pool that pushes that a little bit or do you see maybe someone else in the in the pool as the top prospect in in the Jets pool? No, Elias would be my top prospect. I think it’s him and then a cluster of whether it’s Jagger or Boumedian. um those tiers. I I would say that Colobby Barlo, unless the pace sort of unless he adds a little bit more pace to the skating is probably maybe a cut below those guys. Um Brad Lambert is just a wild card. I don’t know. I don’t think anybody really knows what to make of Brad Lambert or what he’s going to become. Um so I I think at the at the top it’s it’s some combination of Boumedian and Jagger behind Salmonson for me. And Elias is interesting because he’s got the body, he’s got the frame, he’s physical, he’s competitive, and then on top of that, he’s a high-end skater and his skating is his great is his greatest strength, right? So in and of himself with those attributes, you’ve got an NHL defenseman. Like that’s if you’re checking a box of what NHL teams covet in defenseman these days, it’s 6’2 to 64D who can skate and move pucks and play in transition both ways and add a physical element. And that’s what Elias’s game that’s the identity of his game. So I don’t think there’s anything really standing in his way from becoming a second pairing guy. Uh and a second pairing guy is a big deal. like that’s that it might not be a true needle mover, but a second pairing guy who’s cost controlled, who’s on an ELC, uh or even if he be starts as a third pairing guy and he’s becomes that sort of second pairing guy on his first RFA deal, that gives you something that not every team has, right? Not every team has a young excellent defenseman who can play 18 to 20 minutes a night if that’s what he becomes at an early age. I think he will be that in the prime of his career, but being that while he’s still quote unquote cheap, that’s a that’s a difference maker. That’s in a cap world, that’s what matters, right? So, uh I’m fascinated to see what he does with it over the next two, three seasons, the steps that he can take. I think he’s ready for the jump, and I’m looking forward to seeing him sort of get that first NHL test. Yeah, the first NHL test is is going to be, you know, one that Jets fans are very, very excited for. And just to bring it back to a point that you made earlier, a second pair of defenseman, I mean, both Jets second pair guys this season got new contracts. Neil Pianc got paid 7 million and Dylan Sam got paid 5.75 uh over the term of their contract. So, that’s not insignificant. If the Lias Salammonson ceiling is a top four defenseman, um, some Jets fans might scoff at that, but that’s that’s totally a positive outcome for the Winnipeg Jets. And what I would classify, and you did too, as their top prospect, another one that maybe would give some push back on on being the top prospect in the group is Braden Joerger, just because of how polished he is at such a young age by all accounts. What have you seen from Joerger? Uh, and he’s a guy that’s making the pro leap this year. He’s not going back to junior. He’s 20. He’s playing with the Manitoba Moose. Uh, might get some NHL time, you know, over the next couple of years here. What are your expectations for him as he makes the Pro Leap? Yeah, look, Jagger is a good player, great kid, the kind of person you want culturally within your organization. Everybody will always say good things about Braden Jagger. He’s a center. He can skate. He can shoot it. He can handle it. He can playmake. He’s worked on his playmaking to become a sort of more a more diverse playmaker. In his early early years in the WHL, he was more of a straight line shooting winger slashhybrid center. Um, and then really worked, uh, coming out of his 16-year-old, really worked on his play off the puck to become a very reliable center, became one of the better two-way centers in junior hockey, and then from there, just sort of added elements here and there. The question with Jagger has always been despite progress on the playmaking side and the facilitation side, despite progress in his skating, which I would qualify as about average, um despite being a very well-rounded player, very well-liked player, despite having a clear NHL release and NHL shot that should at least give him PP2 upside, the question has always been, is there enough offense? Everybody has kind of just been waiting for Braden to score more and produce more and he always looked like a top player in his age group and he was treated that way by Hockey Canada and he was a goto player for them at the U8 and U20 levels but the production never popped. He never had that 120 point WHL season. He never really completely dominated and was clearly the best player on that moose jaw team. There were times where Jagger Fergus of the Seattle Kraken and Denton Matechuk of the Columbus Blue Jackets were the top players on that team and he he just never really became one of the three or four best players in the WHL without a shadow of a doubt. For example, like he was always just among the group in the WHL of the best players. He was among the group of the 20 best Canadians uh and obviously wore a C for Canada and was was a counted upon player for team Canada internationally, but never really elevated past that to become sort of the defining player in his age group or one of the true true top prospects in his age group. And as a result, he was taken 14th overall instead of inside the top 10 kind of thing. And now it’s just okay, what what’s the ultimate upside? Like is he just going to be a 20 to 25 goal guy, 45 point guy, or can he be a legit annual 50 to 60 point player who’s a second line center for you all day long? That’s that’s kind of the question. Is is he going to be a middle six guy or is he going to be a top six guy? And I think there are people who have reservations and fair reservations about whether the they can be sure that he’s a top six guy. Yeah, I I’m with you on that with Braden Gagger and I’m fascinated to see what he can do this season making that pro leap as I said and on a Moose team that you know should be a lot better than they were last year at least with some of the AHL veterans that they brought in. Uh surrounding him with some talent I think can really help him this season. One player where offense is not the question and really it’s the rest of his game that’s the question is Kobe Barlo. You brought him up earlier needs to add a little bit more pace to his game. We actually spoke to Barlo at the beginning of training camp and he spoke about how he cut a lot of weight this summer and he’s feeling faster and more explosive. Do you think that that can help him as he also alongside Braden Joerger makes the pro leap uh with the Manitoba Moose and looks to carry some of that offense into the pro game in the AHL? For sure. Look, Kobe got off to a slow start last year. He would tell you that they switched coaching staffs uh and and sort of moved on from Steve Oor and under a a new coach in in in Brad Malone, who’s now quickly made the jump from the OHL level with the Ashwa Generals to the AHL level with the the Pittsburgh Penguins organization under a new coach in the second twothirds of the season. He really started to put it all together. We saw the Kobby Barlo who’d scored 40 goals as a 17year-old and who’ who’d been one of the most consistent goalc scoring players, goalc scoring wingers in particular uh in the OHL over the previous two seasons to last year and then obviously last year in a third season especially in the second half. I was at most of their playoff games uh in Ashwa last season and there were nights where his line really dominated him and Callum Richie and Noah Powell. uh they they took to took over games. They looked bigger and stronger and heavier than everybody else. There were nights where he was generating eight to 10 shots on goal. Uh and he just looked like a top player. Now, there were also nights even in that playoff run where he just looked like he he didn’t have it that night. He looked like he he didn’t have enough pace. When and when he doesn’t play with enough pace, he can get himself into trouble. He can get caught by by sort of trailing forwards. He can uh sort of put himself in bad spot, shoot into shin pads, overshoot it. Uh he’s he’s an imperfect player. He’s a very competitive kid. He works hard. He’ll go get pucks. He’s been a captain in the OHL obviously prior to Ashawa. I know in sound. Um he’s been like a very very consistent player in the OHL. The the question has always just been the skating. The skating is below average. I don’t think it’s a I don’t think he’s a poor skater. I don’t think it’s a major issue, but the skating will need to come if he wants to be more than just a bottom six secondary scorer at the pro level. So, that’s the if if he’s cut some weight and he’s focused on that this season, that’s fascinating to me because I think that can that can be big for him. Um, he’s always been a very big kid. Like I remember his CHL Top Prospects game, they had him sitting next to Brent Sebrook who was a coach on that team and because he was one of the captains on that team, he was in the front row of the photo. And I remember speaking to a scout at the time in his draft year who said you could go either way on which one between him and Brent Cbrook, a 40-year-old man, which one was playing in the game and which one was a retired potential Hall of Fame player, right? Like he just he had the full beard. He he matured early. And the worry with those kids is that they they’re maxed out, right? That that the kids who look like men at 16 17 years old and Air Necklad was the same way when he was in Barry. Um that that there what’s next for them, right? Like where’s the development runway for those kids when they mature and grow up before some of their peers? Uh very different than a Brad Lambert who was this skinny skinny kid at that same age, right? So, um, that part of it has always been interesting to me. And if he if he’s lost some weight and is a step quicker, I think that’s that’s an important important progression for him. Yeah, for sure. Um, that’s something that we’ve been saying on this program as well. Um, and and by all accounts, he has lost the weight and this preseason, he’s shown well in the opportunities that he’s gotten for the Winnipeg Jets. So, we’ll be watching him with the manager. He can rip it, man. Prole shot. Yeah. Yeah. That’s something that, you know, you can always lean on that shot as being his like selling feature. It was the rest of his game. And I thought you outlined it really well there. And it’s so funny. I mean, he’s making the pro leap. He’s 20 years old. It looks like he’s been 35 for the past 5 years. It’s it’s it’s kind of interesting to think about it that way. Um, a player who definitely doesn’t look 35 and looks a little bit younger is Sasha Boumeden, the Winnipeg Jets, uh, most recent draft pick, who was actually the youngest player in the NCAA last season. The Jets took him 28th overall left shot defenseman. Uh, what can you tell Jets fans about Sasha Bouidian and what they can expect from him as a prospect? Well, as with Salmonson, it’s all about it. It the foundation starts with the skating. Sasha is an excellent skater. north south in particular. He’s got good edges too in terms of his lateral mobility and falling back onto his edges, but really in straight lines just a really really smooth almost elegant skater up the ice and and down the ice. Um, so that part of it will always be the foundation because of his ability to skate. It allows him to gap up. It allows him to angle and it allows him to transport pucks and carry pucks. That’s always been an asset. Another player who despite not having gotty goal totals also has a big big point shot. Like Sasha has a prolevel shot. It’s one of the first things people talk about when they talk about him. I think we’ve seen it uh or his coaches will say that they’ve seen it more in a practice setting than in a game setting. But the belief is is that the goal scoring is going to come at the college level once he becomes an upper classman, once he’s a junior and as potentially a senior if he sticks around for his senior year. um there there there’s belief there that he can shoot it, that he could score eight or 10 goals in a in a 30 g 30 to 40 game college season, right? So that’s the that’s big for him. And then there the the areas of growth are in the decision making. Uh the big criticism from scouts all of last year was just the way that he handled the puck and some of the mistakes that he made handling the puck and over carrying it and bad passes and not making the right reads under pressure. The talent is there, the skating is there, the frame is there. Um he he’s a legit prospect. It’s just about refining the decision-m a little bit. And then it’s about what you alluded to, which is adding strength in the gym. and he added, I believe it was over 10 pounds in the gym in season last year, which is not easy to do. I know in I did a feature on him ahead of the draft, and I know in talking to Jay Pandalfo and and the BEu staff that he worked his his bag off last year to add weight, to eat a lot, and to make sure that he wasn’t just maintaining or potentially losing weight in season as most players do, but that he was actually getting stronger in season. because early on last year as a freshman, the battles were tough for him and the size of the opposition was tough for him. He’s a he’s 61, 6’2, like he’s got the length. It’s just a matter of getting stronger and filling out. He’s a pretty lean kid still. Uh his dad obviously played pro hockey for a long time and has now worked in in scouting with the Columbus Blue Jackets and uh sort of player personnel with the Columbus Blue Jackets and more recently after leaving the Blue Jackets organization um is has been the was the assistant general manager last year uh for a number of their their uh their senior national teams in Sweden including the Four Nations team. So uh his dad and his dad’s a big thick man. So, I I think there’s there’s hope that he’ll that the weight will come, that he will get stronger, that he’ll fill out, and then if he fills out and and the decision-m and the IQ piece of the puzzle, especially with the puck, can take a step, then he’s got all of the other attributes he needs. Okay. Yeah, that’s that’s a great rundown of Sasha Bummed and a player who’s new to the Jets prospect pool and and new and and, you know, youngest player in the NCAA. Uh there’s a lot of development that will happen over the next couple of years. So Jets fans will be glued to that as well. He was very good in the second half. I should say him and Tom Wander. Uh they paired him and Tom Wanderer, obviously a first round pick of the Vancouver Conucks, who was a sophomore last year. They paired them together and they they were a big part of their run to a third consecutive appearance in the Frozen Four. Okay. Yeah. So, Boumedian um really a fascinating prospect for me and and especially, you know, the Jets took him so late in the first round, too. You never really know after maybe the top 15 prospects every single draft. It’s just kind of an open-ended uh selection there in the draft. So, that’ll be something that we’ll be watching for. Absolutely. The last Jets prospect I want to ask you about, Scott, is Kieran Walton. the year before this past one, he had 43 points in the 2023 24 season and then last year jumped all the way up to 92. He’s a 6’6 center. Uh says he models his game after Tae Thompson. He’s a former fifth round pick. Um do you think that maybe this massive jump in production was a bit fluky? Uh and what do you think, you know, he can do this season to follow that up as he’s going back to Sudbury? New CBA doesn’t quite let him be the 19-year-old that would be with the Manitoba Moose this year. If I if I could predict that, I think the Jets would choose that. But going back to Sudbury this year, what do you think’s in uh for Kieran Walton coming off that massive year last year? Yeah, big year last year. And that was after he cooled off frankly a little bit late in the season. Like there was a time about midway through the season where it looked like he was going to be a 100 point player in the in that league and obviously settled in the ‘9s and was a very very good player for that Sudbury team. Will be again this season. Should be one of the 10 best forwards in that league this year. I would expect maybe 10 or 15 best forwards in that league this year. Uh the big thing with Kieran is that he has always been able to move and he has always been able to handle and shoot the puck and it was more about okay is can he become a power forward type and that’s never really been his DNA like he’s he’ll stand up for his teammates and finish his checks but he’s not he’s not Tom Wilson he’s not Milan Luchich either right like he’s not a he doesn’t have that meanness to his game he’s not a super sort of hulking presence despite how tall he is he’s a bit of a wanky kid, but he’s a good athlete and he can skate and he can make plays and he can handle the puck in tight and I saw him tow drag a few defenseman and rip a wrist for some pretty goals last year when I watched him live and and obviously on tape as well. and um because he’s an OHL kid, he’s a player that I saw a good amount last year and uh I was I was really impressed with the season that he had and the way that he elevated and I think he joined that he joined that group with with Lambert, with Salmonson, with Jagger, with um with Barlo, you go down the list now with Boumedian, um Kibraov, like that that’s that’s their core group now. And there were some other players who had positive years for them. Kevin he had a really positive year in Niagara and should have another strong year in Niagara coming off of a good rookie tournament a year ago. Uh he plays fast, man, too. Like he’s he’s another kid who can skate. Um so there were some positives from that draft. I know they didn’t have in in 2024, they didn’t have a first round pick and their their first pick of that draft was actually Alons Frey who should be a part of the World Junior team this year and is a good player in his own right, though I’m not sure what he is as an NHLer. Uh but they had some some positive developments from that class with with he and with Walton as late round guys. So uh credit full credit to to the the Jets scouting staff on those two because even if he or Walton just become good AHL players for them or maybe a callup option somewhere down the line. That’s good value in I believe the fourth round for he and the fifth or sixth round for Walton. Right. So, um, yeah, lots lots to be excited about and and at the end of the day, in to to quote the former, uh, Leafs, uh, head coach Mike Babcock, he’s he’s 6’5, 66 every time he touches the ice and that’s, uh, that’s not going to change. That is not going to change. Absolutely. And Kevin He uh, you talked about him a little bit. He’s got a little bit of Brandon Tanv in his game. At least that’s what I’m seeing. He’s just fast, fearless in the corners. And then last year, he added a bit of offense, too. So, that was a positive development. Um, and yeah, I I like how you touched on Alons Frey, the Jets first pick in their 2024 class. Uh, and then Walton and he both from the same class and both late picks. So, um, again, lots of upside with Kieran Walton, the guy who’s 66, has that combination of skill. Um, and going back to Sudbury this season. [Music]

Connor Hrabchak sits down with Scott Wheeler of The Athletic to break down the Winnipeg Jets’ top prospects heading into the 2025–26 season.

They discuss the overall strength of the Jets’ prospect pool and go in-depth on Elias Salomonsson, Braden Yager, Colby Barlow, Sasha Boumediene, Kieran Walton, Kevin He, and more.

Wheeler explains why the Jets have a solid group of “B+” level prospects, what’s missing at the top end of their pipeline, and how players like Salomonsson could anchor the next generation of Winnipeg’s blue line.

Intro – Connor Hrabchak welcomes Scott Wheeler (00:00)
Overall strength of the Jets prospect pool (00:45)
Elias Salomonsson: Winnipeg’s top prospect (03:57)
Braden Yager: Can he become a top-six center? (07:00)
Colby Barlow: Pro shot and skating concerns (10:56)
Sasha Boumediene: Jets’ 2024 first-round pick (15:19)
Kieran Walton: Breakout season in Sudbury (19:00)
Kevin He & Alphonse Frey: Underrated depth prospects (22:40)
Final thoughts from Scott Wheeler (23:40)

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Follow Scott Wheeler on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scottcwheeler

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