Scheifele on Connor extension: ‘I’m excited. I have my winger locked up for a long time’
obviously one of the core pieces of this organization, past, present, and moving forward. Kyle Connor gets his 8-year extension. So, as one of the leaders with this team, what does that tell you about the direction of the Winnipeg Jets? I think it’s moving in the right direction. You know, to lock up um you know, a guy like KC is is huge for our team. um you know, he’s a he’s he plays such a big role, kind of does everything for our team, and it’s um obviously a very special day for him, but obviously, you know, I’m I’m pretty excited, too. I get my I have my uh my winger locked up for a long time. So, you’ve been around the the league for a while now, right? Dating back to 2011. Does it feel like 15 years? Sometimes the body feels like it’s been 15 years, but overall, does it feel like that? Uh uh there ex there’s some days where you feel it and some days you don’t. You know, I still like to think of myself as a young guy and then I you know look at some of the young bucks in our room and I’m like, “Wow, I am actually quite old.” Um but honestly, um you know, I’m still young at heart, so that’s all that matters. You know, you’ve always been one of those players from early in your NHL career who works incredibly hard away from the crank. And I know that sounds cliche because everybody does, but sometimes in unique ways in terms of how you train, your attention to diet and the routine generally. So as you get older, have you done things differently? Maybe this past offseason before? I I like to think every offseason has like its own challenges, things you want to improve on. Obviously, if something went well, you want to you want to keep that going. But I think um you know, every summer you’re always trying to trying to, you know, you know, whether it’s just a little a little difference in working out or a little different on the ice or diet or whatever it is, there’s always little things that you can add or subtract that, um, you know, can make you make you feel better or, you know, help with your your, you know, recovery, you know, all that stuff as as time goes on. So, there’s always there’s always little things that get added or subtracted um every offseason. Did you have a focus this off seasonason or just kind of expanding on everything you just said? Yeah, kind of just expanding on everything I just said is, you know, tweaking tweaking a few things here and there and um you know, nothing too crazy, but um there’s always there’s always uh ways to get better and that’s that’s what I love about it. So, the Jets brought in an experienced and decorated leader, you know, in in Jonathan Taves. I mean, this guy was winning a Con Smith before you were in the NHL. What’s it been like to get to know him now? Uh, and you’re going to learn a whole lot more as the season unfolds, but just being around the experience of Taves. Yeah, I think I I think as the season goes on, I think that’s when it’s more going to show, you know, getting into games and getting the routine of everything. I think camp, you know, guys are so so spread out and you’re not with the same guys all the time and, you know, preseason is just kind of a different animal in general. But I think as the season goes on, I’m I’m really excited to to learn learn more about him, learn more about uh, you know, his journey and everything. And you know, obviously he’s a wealth of knowledge and you know, at the same time, he’s a guy that just wants to soak everything up and and get back to to to playing like himself and um you know, we’re all here to to to to move it along the in the same way. Well, he’s a huge team guy and you’re team motivated, team driven as well, but are you a goal setter? I mean, personally, individually, do you set goals? uh to a degree like uh you know I I wouldn’t say I you know go down and write down in a journal on what I want to do but I obviously have thoughts in my brain of of what I want to of what I want to accomplish and um you know this year’s you know none like any other. Yeah. I mean a difficult off season obviously personally for you and and for your family with the loss of your father um in May. I mean how are you doing? How’s your family doing? Yeah, it’s obviously been a challenging one. We lost uh my mom’s mom actually this this summer as well or my mom’s dad this summer as well. So it hasn’t been the hasn’t been the easiest of summers. Um so we’re doing okay. You know obviously the support we have you know we have a lot of amazing people around around us. So um you know obviously it comes with its challenges but we’re we’re doing okay. And can you channel that in dedication? I mean, not to get too personal and dive into your your thoughts and and all of that, but sometimes those life-changing experiences can be motivating. Oh, for sure. You know, obviously, uh, you know, every game is going to be played with a heavy heart. Um, you know, thinking about dad and, um, you know, obviously I know that I already know there’s going to be times where the emotions are going to come up and I’m not I’m not going to know where they’re coming from, but um, you know, I know he’s always he’s always with me. So, um, you know, that’s the biggest, uh, biggest draw I can I can I can bring is just, you know, try to try to honor him in the best way I can. No question. All right. Well, all the best. Thank you, Mark. Thanks.
Mark Scheifele sat down with TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger to discuss the long term extension signed by his linemate Kyle Connor, what he’s been able to learn from Jonathan Toews so far, and how he had his family are doing after the death of his father this summer.
