Illegal Curve Hockey

Fresh off signing a five-year deal with the Jets worth 30 million dollars last week, we heard from Winnipeg winger Cole Perfetti on his new contract that will run until the 2031 season.

The offseason was in full swing as we wrapped up another season of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.We discussed the latest Winnipeg Jets news, including the organization's new ECHL affiliation with the Bloomington Bison, the release of the Manitoba Moose schedule, and everything else that happened around the club since Development Camp came to a close. We also took a look at what was still left on the Jets' offseason checklist and whether any more moves could be on the horizon before training camp.As always, we answered your questions, broke down the biggest stories from around the NHL, and reflected on another season of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.Guest:Jets play-by-play voice on TSN Dan Robertson at 26:45

New Winnipeg Jets defenceman Mario Ferraro joined the Illegal Curve Hockey Show to discuss his experience as an unrestricted free agent, why he chose to sign with Winnipeg, what he learned about the organization during the process, his thoughts on the Jets' defence, breaking into the NHL alongside Brett Burns, winning a World Championship with Gabriel Vilardi and Cole Perfetti, his durability, offseason plans, the evolving NHL, and even his YouTube channel, The Youngest of Plugs.Topics:1) What was the process like being a UFA? (:32)2) What did his July 1st look like? (2:59)3) How did he come to know that the organization treats players well? (5:11)4) Assessing the Jets defence (6:34)5) What was it like to break into the league with Brett Burns? (8:39)6) Winning a World Championship with Vilardi/Perfetti, guys he knows on team (12:40)7) His consistency of being available (15:27)8) Summer plans (17:27)9) The "new" NHL (19:47)10) The Youngest of Plugs, his YouTube channel (21:40)11) Being relied upon by his team when shorthanded (23:38)

The hockey world hasn't slowed down since the NHL Draft and we had it all covered on this week's Illegal Curve Hockey Show.We looked back at the Jets' 2026 draft class and shared what we learned from watching the organization's newest prospects at Development Camp in Winnipeg. We also dove into the start of NHL free agency, including the additions of Stuart Skinner and Mario Ferraro, discussed what they bring to the club, and examined whether there are more moves still to come.As always, we covered the latest Jets news, answered your questions, and broke down everything happening around the NHL. Thanks to everyone who joined us for another busy edition of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.Guest:Jamie Thomas, Jets team reporter at 24:12Mario Ferraro, Jets defenceman at 1:23:25

We wrapped up the final day of Development Camp with a chat with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff who spoke about the state of his hockey team, the prospects in the system, free agency, Connor Hellebuyck, Shane Doan and more.Topics:1) Reflections on Free Agency2) Any awkwardness dealing with Ray Petkau (agent for Skinner & Hellebuyck)? (:32)3) What does Wade Flaherty do to get the most out of goalies? (1:47)4) How much do they lean on Flaherty when bringing goalies in? (2:38)5) What are areas where they still need to work on? (3:04)6) What is his to-do list left for free agency? (4:03)7) What is the plan in goal for the Jets? (5:15)8) Having the Jets identity known as taking care of their players (5:59)9) What's the latest on the Connor Hellebuyck front? (7:04)10) Have other core pieces reached out regarding the "plan to win"? (7:13)11) What stood out about Viggo Björck this week? (7:30)12) Does bringing in Skinner impact the conversations about Hellebuyck? (8:07)13) Did they have any interest in Mavrik Bourque? (8:40)14) Is Viggo Björck a centre? (9:07)15) Not bringing in a lot of veteran depth guys = more opportunities (9:49)16) Was this a unique free agency period? (10:34)17) The legacy of Jonathan Toews on this organization (11:37)18) Insight into Shane Doan being brought into the fold? (12:44)19) Adam Lowry looking to bounce back (13:01)20) Cole Perfetti's next contract (14:29)21) Thoughts on the prospects this week (15:10)

Viggo-mania continues to grip Winnipeg after the first-rounder (8th overall) from last weekend ends his first Jets Development Camp. He reflected on his first week in his new hockey home, seeing the passion of the fans, being seen as a centre and more.

On the last day of Dev Camp in Winnipeg we caught up with Minot's Zach Nehring as the Jets prospect (2023 3rd) reflected on another week in the city. He spoke about his year at Western Michigan, putting on weight this summer, playing in front of his family and more.

Now that the players have been drafted, it's time to focus on development and to that end we heard from Director of Player Development Jimmy Roy following Day 4 on the ice at Development Camp in Winnipeg. He shared plenty of insight into the organization's thoughts on prospect development.

The smile hasn't left the face of Jets third-round pick Samuel Hrenak since Winnipeg selected him in the 2026 NHL Draft this past Saturday, and he's still beaming at Development Camp. We caught up with him after today's skate to discuss the whirlwind since the Draft in Buffalo, what made his conversation with Moose goalie coach Drew MacIntyre so meaningful, reaction to his being drafted from his family in Slovakia, and more.

Last night the Jets announced they had signed defenceman Mario Ferraro to a three-year contract. The left-shot defender has spent his entire NHL career with the Sharks organization. We caught up with him today to get insight into his decision to choose Winnipeg, his style of game,

On today's Illegal Curve Hockey Show, we continued our discussion from last week on Connor Hellebuyck and the latest wave of conversation surrounding the Jets goaltender. We also reflected on the news of Jonathan Toews' retirement, discussed Darren Dreger's comments about Kevin Cheveldayoff being in the early stages of an extension, looked ahead to the NHL Draft (now less than a week away), and covered anything else relevant to the Winnipeg Jets.Guest:Danielle Bain of TSN at 28:24

Jets head coach Scott Arniel discussed Jonathan Toews' impact on Winnipeg and the hockey community following his retirement announcement.

We heard from Jets captain Adam Lowry as he spoke about the impact on his hockey club from having future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews join the mix this last season.

Jonathan Toews met with the media following his retirement from the NHL, reflecting on a remarkable 16-season career that concluded with a return to his hometown Winnipeg Jets. The Winnipeg native discussed his decision to step away from the game after a career that included three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and a future place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The Jets held a formal media availability to celebrate the career of future Hall of Famer Jonathan Toews who was officially announcing his retirement. We heard from Sr. Director of Hockey Communications Scott Brown as well as from Toews and team co-owner Mark Chipman. 

Shane Malloy of Hockey Prospect Radio joined us on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show to discuss the 2026 NHL Draft and what options could be available to the Winnipeg Jets with the 8th overall pick. We break down some of the top prospects in the class, potential fits for Winnipeg, and what the Jets should be looking for on draft day.Topics:1) General sense on the 2026 Draft class.2) What can he say about Viggo Björck (1:19)3) What would a team be getting in Ethan Belchetz (3:20)4) What's his perspective on Daxon Rudolph (5:40)5) Why would Tynan Lawrence be a good pick 8th overall? (6:56)6) Thoughts on Manitoba product Carson Carels (9:20)7) Alberts Šmits as potentially most NHL ready draft pick (10:40)8) Prospect timelines getting to the NHL (13:54)9) Why is he high on Alexander Command? (16:29)10) What is his assessment of Malte Gustafsson? (22:48)11) What stands out to him about Ryan Lin? (25:04)12) CHL players going to college before turning pro (29:30)

On today's Illegal Curve Hockey Show, we discussed the latest Connor Hellebuyck speculation, debated whether the Jets should keep the 8th overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, and examined whether the organization needs to commit to a clear direction rather than straddling the line between competing and retooling. We also touched on the Stanley Cup Final and looked ahead to the NHL Draft and the key storylines Jets fans should be watching.Guests:Christian Aumell of 680 CJOB at 27:32Shane Malloy of Hockey Prospects Radio at 1:22:50

Two hours of hockey talk on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as we continue to discuss all things Jets including the talk about Shane Doan potentially joining front office, chat about the impact of Manitobans in the Stanley Cup Final, continue our focus on the NHL Draft and more.Guests:Sean Reynolds of Sportsnet at 28:52Former NHLer Mike Commodore at 1:27:09

Two hours of hockey talk on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as we continue to discuss all things Jets, reflect on the NHL playoffs, discuss the success of Winnipeg players at the World Championship, chat about next month's NHL Draft and more. Guests:Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press at 32:20Jeff Marek of The Sheet on Daily Faceoff at 1:25:33

TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button shared his insight on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show, ahead of next month's Draft with some thoughts on players Winnipeg could draft with the eighth overall pick. He also shared thoughts about whether they might trade it to fill an immediate need on this hockey club. Plenty of good insight from the affable analyst.Topics:1) How deep is the 1st round? (:25)2) Carson Carels/move to UND (3:00)3) Viggo Björck (8:34)4) If Jets should trade 8th overall pick (11:21)5) Daxon Rudolph (15:41)6) Alberts Šmits (17:54)7) Diamonds in the rough (20:05)8) Timelines for prospects (23:26)

Two hours of hockey talk covering all the latest with the Winnipeg Jets news including next month's draft and a look at Cole Perfetti's next contract. We also looked at how Jets players were doing at the World Championship. We touched on the latest doing with the Moose with Tyrel Bauer winning the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Man of the Year as well as Samuel Fagemo heading over to the SHL. And we looked at what's happening in the NHL Playoffs.Guests:Jets team reporter Jamie Thomas at 25:46TSN's Director of Scouting Craig Button at 1:35:42

For as much as Moose defenceman Tyrel Bauer does for his teammates on the ice, he does so much in the community and he was recognized by his teammates during their end of season awards and now by the AHL as he was named the winner of the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award as AHL Man of the Year.He follows in the skates of former Moose captain Jimmy Oligny who won the award in 2023 which means two winners of this award in the last four seasons. The only other player to win it was Jimmy Roy who did so in 2003.We caught up with him this afternoon to discuss his being awarded this honour by the AHL.

Jets prospect Brayden Yager had a busy 2025-26 season, playing 68 games for the Manitoba Moose and recording 10 goals and 20 assists. The Saskatoon product also made his NHL debut with the Winnipeg Jets, appearing in three games.Yager also got his first taste of pro playoff hockey, helping Manitoba to a first-round series win over the Milwaukee Admirals before the Moose were eliminated by the Grand Rapids Griffins. He finished the post-season with four assists in seven games.He joined us on Saturday's Illegal Curve Hockey Show to reflect on his first season as a professional hockey player.Topics:1) Reflections on his first season.2) Playing in his first NHL game (1:43)3) Difference in NHL vs AHL/what he learned (3:26)4) Lambert also being a Sasky kid (5:31)5) What he learned from the Moose veterans (5:54)6) What is his summer schedule of training look like? (8:10)7) What was it like playing in the AHL playoffs? (11:10)8) Balancing need to get stronger but need to maintain speed (13:44)9) Connecting with fellow prospect Colby Barlow (15:57)10) What moment stood out in his first year as a pro? (17:48)11) Doing the Jager Bomb Cards with his brother Connor (20:00)

Two hours of hockey talk coming your way on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as Dave, Drew and Ezra discuss being another week closer to the NHL Draft with folks continuing to discuss who Winnipeg could select 8th overall. We will cover this, if what's old will become new again for next season with the Jets, we go around the NHL to discuss the playoffs and other moves happening in the league.Guests:Jim Toth of 680 CJOB at 28:30 Jets prospect Brayden Yager at 1:26:23

Two hours of hockey talk coming your way on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as Dave, Ezra and Drew chat about the Jets sliding to the 8th overall pick during the NHL Lotto, who might be an option for them at eighth, we'll cover all the latest from the NHL playoffs, discuss the second round series between the Moose and Griffins as well as anything else that may be Jets related.Guests:Dan Robertson, Jets play-by-play voice for TSN at 27:29Grant McCagg, NHL Draft analyst at 1:25:59

Two hours of hockey talk coming your way on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as Dave and Drew cover all the latest from the NHL playoffs, preview Game 1 of Round 2 between the Moose and Griffins and discuss anything else that may be Jets related.Guests:Kelly Moore of 680 CJOB at 34:33Moose play-by-play voice Daniel Fink at 1:28:47

Two hours of hockey talk coming your way on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show as we look back at the media avails from Jets head coach Scott Arniel and GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. We will touch on the Moose win in front of a great crowd in downtown Winnipeg last night which pushed their series to a winner-take-all game on Sunday. And we will also discuss the first round of the NHL playoffs..Guests:Paul Edmonds of 680 CJOB at 22:50 Scott Burnside of Burnside On Hockey at 1:21:38

There was a new face was at Moose practice today as Jets prospect Garrett Brown (2022 4th) took part in his first ever playoff practice as a pro. The big, right shot defenceman is coming off winning a National Championship with Denver University.After the skate we had a chance to catch up with him to discuss his style of game, winning a title with the Pioneers, signing his first NHL contract, his development path and much more.

After a disappointing season Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff spoke for close to 40 minutes as he covered missing the playoffs, perception of the team, injecting youth, offseason moves not hitting and much more.

After falling from the Presidents' Trophy last year to out of the playoffs this season, Jets head coach Scott Arniel knows he needs to have some answers for his team's fall from grace. He spent approximately 35 minutes this morning discussing the state of his Winnipeg Jets hockey team.

The Jets season is officially over but there was still plenty to discuss when it comes to the NHL club of Winnipeg. On Friday we heard from eight players who had plenty to say about a disappointing season which saw this team fall from the Presidents' Trophy winner to out of the playoffs.We will react to the comments made from them, cover the latest on the Moose who play their final pair of games of the regular season, provide a prospect update and more.Guest:Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press (joined for the first hour of the show)

It was a very difficult season for the Jets after going from Presidents' Trophy winner's to out of the playoffs. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck who had to have a knee procedure early in the season, came back and won gold with the US at the Olympics but didn't experience the same success with his NHL club. Big questions from him for this team based on his conversation with us today. 

Despite having back-to-back 90+ point seasons, it was a tough 2025-26 campaign as the Jets failed to reach the post-season. We heard from top Jets winger Kyle Connor after his exit meetings with the team.

It was his best year personally as a professional as Mark Scheifele got to the 100 point (and beyond) mark becoming the first Jets 2.0 player to do so but the team's lack of success was a major disappointment. He spoke today about the season and looked ahead to next year.

It was a tough year for Jets captain Adam Lowry who never quite got up-to-speed after offseason surgery put his training behind schedule. He was clearly not happy with how his season went personally or how it went for the team. He spoke about it today at end of season media availability.

The disappointment was palpable when we caught up with Jets top defenceman Josh Morrissey after his club failed to make the playoffs.

While it was his best year as a pro, Gabriel Vilardi was feeling the impact of his team not qualifying for the playoffs. He spoke about the year that was, the summer ahead, his willingness to play for Team Canada at the World Championship and more.

After being away from the game for over two years, Winnipegger Jonathan Toews just completed his first season back in the NHL where he played all 82 games. He spoke about achieving that milestone, playing in his home province, was asked about his future and more.

It was a disappointing conclusion to the 2025-26 season for the Jets. First player we spoke to on exit interview day was Cole Perfetti who spoke about the injury, the slow start of his season, the way the team played and more.

If that didn't sum up the season for the Jets as they get handled 6-1 by the Sharks to mercifully end the 2025-26 season. It means they will end the campaign having lost four straight game.

Jets lose 3-2 to the Avs which is not good for their playoff push which is especially tough given Nashville lost in regulation which means they remain five points back of the final wild card spot with just ten games remaining in the regular season.

The Jets kick off this short homestand with a 4-1 defeat of the Golden Knights in a must-win game. While they didn't gain any ground on the Predators for the final wild card spot as Nashville also won, they didn't lose any ground either. Of course with just 11 games left they are running out of runway trailing by five points.It was a milestone game for Mark Scheifele as he was playing in his 950th game in a Winnipeg Jets uniform. That matches Thomas Steen for the most games ever played in a Jets uniform in Winnipeg. He also got his fourth ever Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, assist and a fight.

Eric Comrie and his white cage are unbeatable as he helps the Jets defeat the Rangers 3-2 in a shootout. That was his sixth straight victory since he switched over to a white cage. With the win they went 1-1-1 on this three-game road trip and get within three points of the second wild card spot.

The Jets showed some battle but not enough attention to detail as they let this one slip away with their failure to hold a 3rd period lead. The Penguins would go on to win the shootout and thus the game 5-4 over the Jets. Winnipeg drop to 0-1-1 on this three-game road trip in what was really a must-win game for Winnipeg.

Fresh off a demolishing at the hands of the Bruins, the Jets are in Pittsburgh for an afternoon contest against the Penguins before they conclude the road trip with another early contest in New York against the Rangers. We started off your Saturday with two hours of hockey talk on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show.

Going up against the team with the fewest home losses (regulation and extra time) you knew it wasn't going to be easy for the Jets to secure two points in Boston and they did not as the Bruins rolled them by a final score of 6-1. Winnipeg misses a prime opportunity to move within two points of the final wild card spot in the west.

The Jets battled back to get a point but the Preds take it in a shootout by a final score of 4-3. Tough to lose a point given the position of Winnipeg. They went 5-2-1 during this long eight-game homestand which has put them closer to a playoff spot.

The Jets sweep their back-to-back set this weekend with today's 3-2 win over the Blues. Eric Comrie was excellent making 29 saves on 31 shots as he won his fifth straight game for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele & Kyle Connor get their 31st while Haydn Fleury gets his first ever with Winnipeg.

Just like everyone predicted as the Jets held the high-powered Avalanche to one goal and go on to win 3-1.

What a difference a week makes as the Jets were on a roll when we last went live on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show and today they have lost two straight with a monumental task of taking on two red-hot teams in the Avs and Blues. We will have plenty to discuss so join us for two hours of hockey talk.Topics:1) Should the Jets consider dealing their 2026 1st rounder for help next season? 2) Need to play Isak Rosen in the Jets top six3) Is Scott Arniel coaching for his job in final 18 games? 4) Getting some Moose guys/prospects in for a run of gamesGuests:Danielle Bain (TSN Jets) at 27:49 (Podcast) Martin Biron (Former NHLer, MSG Sabres analyst) at 1:25:55 (Podcast)

The Jets were chasing all game long until they weren't as the Rangers double them up by a final score of 6-3 (on 17 shots). While the playoffs aren't that far away two straight losses sure make it a more difficult prospect to catch the second and final wild card spot.