The Winnipeg Jets will start their 2013 campaign at home against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, Jan. 19. The game will be broadcast on CBC. The Jets then head on the road and will face a tough opponent in the Boston Bruins on Monday.
The Team Formerly Known As The Atlanta Thrashers had a respectable first season in Canada.
They didn't make the playoffs, but the season was nevertheless a showcase for some excellent roster players. Former Chicago Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien was reborn as an offensive defenceman and former Bruins prospect Blake Wheeler emerged as a top-line talent.
The decision to draft projected second-rounder Mark Scheifele in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft was a questionable. But the centre has proven naysayers wrong by scoring 63 points in 47 games for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.
Scheifele may prove to be a cornerstone piece of a successful future franchise that has plenty of hope in it already. Will he make the team this season?
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