‘I don’t think there’s a flaw right now’: Why the 15-1 Jets believe they’re for real

Jonny Lazarus
Jonny Lazarus
Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton
Credit: Oct 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Winnipeg Jets forward NinoÊNiederreiter (62), left, and forward MasonÊAppleton (22) celebrate a goal during the second period against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

The Winnipeg Jets are off to a historic start to the 2024-25 season, not only for their franchise but for the entire National Hockey League. After defeating the New York Rangers Tuesday night and improving to 15-1-0, the Jets are now the fastest team to 15 wins in NHL history. 

The Jets finished with the fourth-best record in the NHL last season but had an extremely disappointing first-round exit, falling to the Colorado Avalanche in five games.  

What makes this year’s team different, then? Mentality and a chip on their shoulder. 

“The end of last year was a big wakeup call,” said right winger Nikolaj Ehlers. “With the season we had — to then lose in the playoffs like we did was frustrating. I think we all knew we needed to change some things, and it wasn’t our players — it was our mentality, the way we go to work every single day, that has paid off.” 

“If you have a great regular season and you flop like that in the playoffs — it means nothing,” Mason Appleton told Daily Faceoff. “I think it put a bitterness in our mouths and in the back of our heads that we have to prove it every single day.” 

This team does not mess around – the mentality aforementioned by Ehlers is evident – but this team has also been building towards success for years leading up to this. 

“The structure changes that we’ve made over the last two years, three years — you’re starting to see that more and more,” Ehlers said. He added that the team’s 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars Nov. 9 was “one of the best and most fun games I’ve been apart of,” simply because of how well the team played structurally. 

You always hear professional athletes say that they truly believe they’re going to win every game before they play it, but it’s hard to find an organization in the NHL right now that portrays that emotion more than the Jets. This is not a cocky team, but it’s a very confident team. 

“When you get on a long streak — it just builds and builds, then it’s like every game is a new game, and we’ve carried that feel-good feeling for a long time this year,” Appleton told Daily Faceoff. “Everybody goes into every game thinking they’re going to win, but at the same time with us — there’s just a confidence that we’ve never had before, and it makes you play a little more connected, a little freer. It just elevates individuals and a team game.” 

The Jets have had plenty of strong regular seasons, and some may say that in previous years, they have peaked too early, but this is a process-driven team that is still aware of the fact it’s a very long season. “You’d rather be winning than losing, and we’re trying to build a game too. There have been wins that we’ve had [when] we haven’t loved our game, and we haven’t felt great after the game because of how we won the game,” Appleton said. “It’s cliche to say, but we’re trying to stay more focused on the process and not ‘we’re peaking too early’ or this or that, we’re keeping that out of our heads.” 

Winning comes a little easier when you have a goaltender playing as well as Connor Hellebuyck has. Hellebuyck now boasts an 11-1-0 record with a .935 save percentage and a 1.83 goals-against average, along with three shutouts.

“We’re obviously doing everything we can in front of him, but we know at the end of the day if you give up a little bit here, give up a little bit there, or make a wrong read — you have a good chance that the puck’s not going in the net with the best goaltender in the league behind you,” Appleton said. 

It’s tough to find anything wrong with a team that’s 15-1-0, but the Jets will get judged throughout the regular season because of what their recent playoff results have been. For some reason, people seem to love finding something wrong with them, but that feeling hasn’t crept into their room. 

“I don’t think there’s a flaw right now,” Appleton said. “I think at times we can play up and down to some other levels, but I don’t think that’s been the case at all when we found consistency this year. I don’t think you can pinpoint one thing and say that this is where we need to get better.” 

Everything in Winnipeg right now is sky-high and the way that they have played structurally appears to be contagious throughout their locker room. They’re an all-business group that feels like they have a ton to prove — the early success does not appear to be any sort of fluke. It’s tough to play against a team that can score, not give up a ton, and get key saves. That won’t change anytime soon. 

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