Professional Scout Reveals The Number One Winnipeg Jets Prospect

Every summer, The Athletic head scout Scott Wheeler releases his top 50 prospects. This is an exciting list for many as it gives insight into who their team's next star player will be.

On his list, Wheeler ranked three Winnipeg Jets and we now know what a professional scout believes is the Jets' number one prospect.

The highest-ranked Jet on Wheeler's board was ranked 44th and it was the 2023 18th overall pick, Colby Barlow.

Barlow had a monster year in the OHL where he scored 46 goals and 79 points in 59 games as a draft-eligible player.

He will look to impress next year in the OHL and potentially boost his stock even further.

While Barlow ranked as the 44th-best prospect in the NHL, there were three Jets close behind.

First off, 2022 14th overall pick, Rutger McGroarty was 45th on Wheeler's list.

Like Barlow, McGroarty is a winger and is coming off a quite strong season for the University of Michigan where he posted 39 points in 39 games.

Next was the 2021 18th overall pick, Chaz Lucius. He ranked 46th on Wheeler's list which was right behind Barlow and McGroarty.

Lucius spent last season split between the AHL and the WHL. With the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Lucius registered 15 points in 6 games rag-dolling his competition.

Finally, 2022 30th overall pick Brad Lambert was listed as an honorable mention on Wheeler's list.

Like Lucius, Lambert split time between the AHL and WHL. With the Seattle Thunderbirds, Lambert won a WHL championship and also scored 38 points in 26 games.

Lambert and Lucius will look to make the NHL next year while McGroarty and Barlow will look to make their impression in 2024-25.

Original prospect ranking - Ranking the top 50 drafted NHL prospects: Bedard leads Scott Wheeler's summer 2023 list