From goal crease to forward lines, youth movement is alive in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — It’s all about the kids this season for the Winnipeg Jets.
The NHL club, which opens the campaign Thursday at home against Carolina, cut down to 24 players on Monday, including nine aged 23 or younger.
Even a pair of rookie forwards who aren’t old enough to join their teammates for a drink in American bars have cracked the lineup: 18-year-old Finnish sniper Patrik Laine and 19-year-old U.S. college star Kyle Connor.
In another nod to the youth movement, veteran goalie Ondrej Pavelec was placed on waivers Monday and has to clear to report to the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose. That leaves rising prospect Connor Hellebuyck, 23, and Michael Hutchinson, 26, between the pipes.