There was a different look at Hockey For All Centre on day three of Winnipeg Jets informal skates, with the morning split between an early session full of prospects and a smaller main group later on.
The first wave included Kieron Walton, Kevin He, Lukas Gustafsson, Lucas Wahlin, Davis Burnside, Dysin Mayo and Henry Thrun. In net, Thomas Milic, Isaac Poulter and Alex Worthington handled the crease.
Thrun’s appearance stood out because it was the first time he had been seen on the ice since players started gathering in Winnipeg.
Not long after that early skate wrapped up, the Jets announced their roster for the 2026 Prospect Challenge, set for Gatineau, Quebec this weekend. The event will feature teams from Winnipeg, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.
Before the main group got underway, Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty spent time talking with Stuart Skinner. With Skinner getting comfortable in his new setting and Connor Hellebuyck still absent after his trade request, it was another sign of a changing picture in Winnipeg’s crease.
The main skate was lighter than the others, with Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, Nino Niederreiter, Neal Pionk and Kyle Connor all sitting out. Danielle Bain of TSN reported that Scheifele is in Las Vegas for the NHL Player Media Tour.
Lowry missed the main group for a third straight day, though there’s been no indication his absence is injury-related. Given the informal nature of these sessions and Lowry’s comments yesterday about arriving at camp healthy, there’s no reason to make too much of it yet.
Noah Gregor was the fresh addition to the main skate, taking the ice for the first time since signing with Winnipeg this summer.
Two players were absent from both groups: Elias Salomonsson and Walker Duehr. Salomonsson had skated in the previous two informal sessions in a yellow non-contact jersey, including Tuesday with the main group. Duehr, who is not officially listed as injured, skated yesterday with Moose skills coach Dave Cameron on the same ice as Salomonsson.
Nothing is officially on the schedule for tomorrow. The Jets prospects are due to speak on Friday before heading to the 2026 Prospect Challenge, and they’re set to skate at Hockey For All Centre at 9:15 AM.
In Other News...
Former Jets Defenceman Barry Melrose Leaves Behind A Lasting Hockey Legacy
Barry Melrose, a former NHL player, coach and longtime ESPN analyst, has died at 70 after battling Parkinsons disease. For hockey fans in Winnipeg, his name still carries the edge of a rugged playing career that stretched through the NHL and WHA before he went on to become one of the sports most recognizable voices on television.
Melroses legacy only grew after his playing days, most notably when he coached the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Final and later spent nearly three decades as a prominent ESPN analyst. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mourned his passing in a statement and credited Melrose with meaningful contributions to the game, a fitting reminder that his impact reached far beyond the bench or the broadcast booth. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Just Made A Move Fans Will Have Strong Opinions On
The Edmonton Oilers decision to sign Alex Formenton to a one-year contract is the kind of move that instantly gets people talking, and not always in the same direction. Formentons past involvement in a Hockey Canada case is part of why the reaction has been so sharp, because this is the rare hockey story that lands well beyond the usual roster debate and straight into questions about judgment, timing and what teams are willing to absorb for on-ice help.
For Winnipeg, it adds one more layer to a busy stretch around Connor Hellebuycks future, with trade discussions still hanging over one of the franchises defining players. The Jets are watching that situation closely even as other league storylines keep shifting, including Quinn Hughes saying he is not rushing extension talks with the Minnesota Wild and the hockey world mourning Barry Melrose, who died at 70. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Hellebuyck Standoff Now Leaves Winnipeg Facing One Huge Question
The Connor Hellebuyck situation has moved well past ordinary trade chatter, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that the relationship between the goalie and the Winnipeg Jets looks broken in a way the club cannot really fix on its own. Winnipeg knows a deal has to happen, but the market has already shifted around it as some assets that once might have helped anchor talks are no longer available.
What makes this more complicated is where the next step leads. Hellebuycks camp is believed to have a narrow view of where he wants to land, and the Jets have been weighing how to protect themselves if they do move on from him, including the possibility of a familiar face in goal. For a team that has leaned on stability at the position, the biggest question now is not whether change is coming, but how Winnipeg is going to cover the gap when it does. [Read more 🡒]