Expert analysis has shown who the Winnipeg Jets' number one defensive prospect is.
The Jets Number One Defenseman Prospect
Over the past couple of years, the Winnipeg Jets' drafting appears to be forward-focused. With their past five first-round picks, all have been used on forwards. In fact, in 2023 they did not select a single defenseman which is quite unusual.
For the past few years, 2019 first-round pick Ville Heinola has been viewed as the number one blue-line prospect in the Jets' system. However, another Scandinavian player seems to have surpassed him.
Elias Salomonsson was selected 55th overall in 2022 and he has quickly established himself as a promising prospect. He spent the majority of last season in the SHL (the top Swedish league) and was one of his team's best defensemen.
Expert Analysis
Connor Hrabchak of The Hockey Writers recently wrote a piece on Salomonsson and how he is the Jets' best prospect.
In the piece Hrabchak cites Scott Wheeler, a scout for The Athletic, and Wheeler's thoughts on Salomonsson.
«This is another year where he is going to go back there, he's going to be a top-four defenceman for his SHL team, and then at Christmas time we are really going to get to know him, and the average fan is going to get to know him because he's going to be a big part of Team Sweden.» - Scott Wheeler
With Salomonsson set to further establish himself in the SHL, he could potentially be only a year away from making the NHL which is quite encouraging. His strong two-way game will be a key part of what keeps him as the Jets' number-one blue-line prospect. If all pans out, Salomonsson could become a first-pairing player for Winnipeg.
