The Winnipeg Jets are getting plenty of attention for what’s happening off the ice with Connor Hellebuyck, but their early-season story is being shaped by what they’ve done on it.
Through seven games of 2026-27, Winnipeg sits at 4-1-2. Kyle Connor has been the headliner up front with a team-best eight goals and 11 points, while Stuart Skinner has given the club a steady start in net at 3-0-2 with a .906 save percentage across five appearances.
And yet one of the most talked-about Jets so far hasn’t put a point on the board.
Viggo Bjorck, selected No. 8 overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, has gone scoreless in his first seven NHL games, but that hasn’t stopped observers from noticing how much he’s already handling. The 18-year-old center has averaged more than 14 minutes of ice time per night and has been used in important situations right away.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk, former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton and Winnipeg Sports Talk host Andrew Hustler dug into Winnipeg’s start and Bjorck’s role in it.
Yaremchuk brought up the online chatter around Bjorck’s lack of points, noting that some fans of other teams have been pointing to the zero in his stat line, while one Jets fan in the live chat said Bjorck is where he should be.
Hustler didn’t sound concerned in the slightest.
“Yeah, they have been. It would be one thing if he was out there just getting caved in and they’re never getting out of their own end, but that hasn’t been the case.
I’ll be honest: it still blows me away just how good he is. In his own end, in the neutral zone, how good he is with his stick.
He’s been killing penalties since his first day in the National Hockey League. They’ve been putting him out there with five minutes left in one-goal games.”
He added that the offense should come eventually, pointing to a near-miss early in Bjorck’s career.
“The offense is going to come. He almost scored on his second- or third-ever shift in the league.
There has been chances, but I think the biggest thing is getting a consistent person on that left wing for them to play with and to start really feeling comfortable. But it’s more than the offense; it’s the 200-foot game, and he’s not hurting the team at all.”
In Other News...
Connor McDavid Is Forcing A Bigger Oilers Question Again
Connor Hellebuycks situation is still the backdrop for the Jets as the season moves along, but Winnipeg has managed to keep going by leaning on other goaltenders and not letting the absence swallow the schedule. Around the league, Canadian teams have seen their own early-season goalie stories take shape too, with Ottawas Linus Ullmark and Vancouvers Leevi Merilinen drawing attention for strong starts by the advanced metrics.
The wider conversation, though, keeps circling back to the Oilers because Connor McDavid has opened the year at a scoring pace that has not been seen since Mario Lemieux, a start that has clearly caught the eye of coach Mike Babcock. For the Jets, it is another reminder that the NHLs biggest stars can bend the discussion in a hurry, even when the more immediate question in Winnipeg is how long the club can keep absorbing the Hellebuyck fallout without the crease becoming the story. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Face A Bigger Josh Morrissey Problem Than Expected
The Jets blue line took another hit on Wednesday, and the ripple effect reached down to their forward group as well. Winnipeg called up Brayden Yager from the Manitoba Moose while placing Josh Morrissey on injured reserve retroactive to the October 7 injury, a move that confirms the defensemans recovery has gone beyond the original day-to-day outlook. Morrisseys wrist injury is now expected to cost him more time than first thought, even if surgery is not considered necessary.
Yagers promotion gives Winnipeg a chance to reward a player who has started this AHL season on a strong note and is arriving earlier than he did last year. For a team already trying to manage one of its most important defensemen being out longer than expected, the timing of that recall matters, especially with the Jets needing to keep the rest of the roster moving while Morrissey works back. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Prospects Are Driving Wins Even When The Moose Make It Messy
The Manitoba Moose kept rolling with a 4-3 overtime win against the Stars, pushing their early-season mark to 5-1-0 in a game that had plenty of the usual AHL chaos. For Winnipeg, the encouraging part was the list of names making an impact: Jets prospects Nikita Chibrikov, Colby Barlow and Brayden Yager all found the net, while Elias Salomonsson was back in game action for the first time since shoulder surgery last April.
It was not a clean night, though, and Thomas Milic had to fight through some messy moments in goal to keep the Moose in position to finish it off. A teammates miscue helped turn into the tying goal for the Stars, but Winnipegs development group still found a way to leave with two points, another reminder that the organizations prospect pipeline is producing real results even when the game itself gets bumpy. [Read more 🡒]