The 2023 offseason has all but wrapped up, and the Winnipeg Jets were relatively busy, but not to the extent that some predicted. After trading Pierre-Luc Dubois and buying out their former captain Blake Wheeler, there are still questions to be answered. However, while those transactions didn't bring in any prospects, the team did make several additions to the prospect pool.

After five 2023 draft picks and a few signings since last offseason, it is time to take a look at how the prospect pool looks now. Instead of a ranking of all players like last year, I decided breaking the players up into tiers will be more telling of what the cupboards are holding.

This is part one of a two-part series. This will include the top three tiers of the seven total tiers.

Tier One: Nobody

The Jets don't have any players I am comfortable saying are Tier One quality prospects. There are very few that I would have here league-wide, with that being the likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Matvei Michkov. There may be a few others I would consider, but none from the Jets.

Tier Two: Colby Barlow, Rutger McGroarty, Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius

These are the four players I have highest in the Jets' system. They have the potential to become impactful top-six forwards for the club.

Colby Barlow, taken in the first round of the most recent draft, was named captain of the Owen Sound Attack as a 17 year old, produced 126 points in the WHL over the past two seasons, and has a lot of qualities that will lead to a successful NHL career if everything goes right for him.

McGroarty is coming off his rookie season in the NCAA where he scored at a point-per-game rate and finished fourth in scoring on a very strong Univ. of Michigan team. He has a lot of talent, headlined by his finishing abilities. He finished with 18 goals in 39 games, third on the team behind Mackie Samoskevich and sensational rookie Adam Fantilli.

Lambert has a ton of talent, but needs to put together one full, strong season to prove what he is capable of. He struggled in the AHL, but once moving to the WHL he scored at a phenomenal rate, posting 38 points in 26 games en route to a WHL Championship.

Lucius needs to stay healthy. He has had a hard time doing so, playing only 42 games over the past two seasons. When he is playing, he is fantastic. He posted 15 points in 6 games after being sent to the WHL before a season-ending injury. If Lucius can get a full year of AHL time this season, he will be back on track to make an NHL impact sooner rather than later.

Tier Three: Elias Salomonsson, Ville Heinola, Nikita Chibrikov, Declan Chisholm, Dmitri Kuzmin, Dmitri Rashevsky, Dominic DiVincentiis, Danny Zhilkin

This is a defense-heavy tier for the Jets, as Salomonsson, Heinola, Chisholm and Kuzmin all have potential to be NHL players, and good ones at that.

Heinola and Chisholm have been around for a little bit and are just waiting for their chance to prove they can be full-time NHL players. Heinola has more offensive upside, while Chisholm has the capabilities to be a stronger two-way defenseman.

Salomonsson is younger, but looks like he can be a big, strong top-four defenseman for the club. He had a fantastic year in the SHL and was the best defender on his team as an 18 year old, which is not an easy role to take on. Kuzmin is a small, but very skilled defenseman. Nearing a point-per-game for his second straight season in the OHL, Kuzmin will join the Moose in the AHL and hope to have a strong season.

Chibrikov and Rashevsky are two players who have spent time in the top three leagues in Russia, posting solid numbers themselves. Chibrikov has struggled to produce in the KHL but in the VHM and MHL he has been good, especially come playoff time. He has speed and skill and is likely be ready to challenge for an NHL spot or high-end player in the AHL. Rashevsky took a bit of a step back in pace this season, but still had a solid year posting 38 points in the KHL. He had fantastic rookie numbers the year prior, but didn't build too much off them.

DiVincentiis earn the top goaltender of the year in the OHL this season, posting a 36-9-2 record with a .919 SV% and 2.33 GAA, followed by a record of 11-6-3 record in the playoffs with a .926 SV%. He is a big, athletic goalie and especially for a seventh round pick, he is a promising prospect.

Zhilkin is an interesting case. He had 56 points in 60 games in the OHL, and looks to be developing into a strong two-way center. He has a lot of offensive upside, making great plays and having a great shot, and could be somebody that breaks through and has a great AHL season this year.

Look out for part two, which will be released over the next week.

Join the Discussion: » 25 Comments » Post New Comment

» Jets Announce Lowry as Captain, Chisholm Extension

» Rasmus Kupari Could Develop into More Than 4C

» Jets Need to Make Decisions on Defense; Mailbag Incoming

» Jets Sign Morgan Barron, 2x$1.35 million, 3 contracts left

» Jets acquire Vilardi, Iafallo, Kupari and 2nd Round Pick for Dubois