Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published Nov 17, 2025 • Last updated 13 minutes ago • 3 minute read
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Dylan Samberg of the Winnipeg Jets checks Adrian Kempe of the Los Angeles Kings during an NHL game on April 01, 2025 in Los Angeles. Samberg makes his home debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Photo by Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /Winnipeg SunArticle content
After a sub-par road trip, the Jets are hoping to get cleared for a straight shot down a runway laden with potential victories.
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The Jets kick off a three-game homestand on Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canada Life Centre.
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“We want to get off to a good start at home and hopefully get the first win and keep building from there,” defenceman Dylan Samberg said. “It is early in the season, but a lot of teams, especially in our division, are getting off to good starts. We want to kind of continue to follow them.”
Samberg has a point. Technically, it’s still early in the season, but getting later with every game knocked off the schedule.
Heading into league play on Monday night, the Jets were nine points behind the Colorado Avalanche for top spot in the Central and five behind the Dallas Stars for second. The locals are in a three-way tie for third with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild at 22 points.
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The Jets will also play Nikolaj Ehlers and the Carolina Hurricanes and the Wild on this brief homestand.
For the first time this season, Winnipeg fans will get an opportunity to witness, in person, the defensive details of Samberg.
He was on the sidelines after breaking his wrist against the Calgary Flames on Sept. 27. The original diagnosis was six to eight weeks.
The Saginaw, Minn., native received his first taste of league action against the Kraken last Thursday night. He logged 23:04 of ice time, with 4:42 coming at five-on-four. In Calgary on Saturday, Samberg logged 24:01 and 3:50 on the penalty kill.
“Obviously, the penalty kill is a big part of it, but at the end of the day, just him being able to log big minutes helps (reduce) Josh Morrissey’s ice time,” head coach Scott Arniel said. “So, it’s just his all-around game, and with each game he got better. He’s got some rust off him, and he looks more like the guy we need.”
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Every head coach in the league can throw a decent group of top six forwards onto the ice at a moment’s notice. Arniel takes comfort knowing he now has two sets of defenceman that can handle the minutes and, more importantly, reduce the effect talented offensive players can have on a game.
“With every team having two good lines, being able to go head-to-head with one of the top two lines with Samberg and Neal Pionk and then you have Dylan DeMelo and Morrissey against the other group,” Arniel said.
When Adam Lowry returned to the lineup against the Kings on Nov. 4, the captain admitted patience would play a factor in getting built back up to speed. Cole Perfetti echoed Lowry’s sentiments when he returned against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 9.
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And Samberg is no different. He has his own checklist of priorities.
“The first thing is conditioning, and then once you feel good with that, then it gets into battles,” Samberg said. “And obviously that’s the second part of conditioning, where it’s a different kind, different form, but you get into a lot of those corner battles, especially as a defenseman during a game.”
Samberg is no stranger to returning from long-term injuries. Last season, he was out for nearly two months after breaking his foot in a game against the Nashville Predators in late November. He didn’t return until a mid-January home game against the Los Angeles Kings.
He tried to take what he could from that previous experience and apply it directly to his current situation.
“It definitely helps (having that experience),” Samberg said. “I went through it last year, and that was unfortunate as well. But I’ve had some injuries throughout my career, and there’s only so much you can do about it. I (became) mentally tough, and just came into the same attitude every day, that you know you’re trying to get that one per cent better. That’s all you can do at the end of the day.”
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