Connor shines in spotlight

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This article was published 28/09/2016 (2766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It wasn’t the debut everyone in town has been waiting for.

That will have to wait for tonight , when Patrik Laine is expected to make the most-anticipated professional hockey debut since Teemu Selanne first set foot on the ice at the old Winnipeg Arena in 1992.

But if Kyle Connor’s pro debut Thursday for the Winnipeg Jets was just an appetizer for the main course still to come, it was a heck of a tasty one.

A first-round pick in 2015, Connor made his NHL debut a memorable one, snapping a one-timer past Minnesota Wild netminder Darcy Kuemper 15 minutes into the second period for what ultimately stood up as the game-winning goal in a 4-1 Jets victory.

It was a display of the scoring touch that made Connor the best story last season in the NCAA, where he scored 35 goals and 36 assists in just 38 games for the University of Michigan.

It was also the earliest beginnings of an answer to a tantalizing question coming into this season: will all that scoring at the U.S. collegiate level translate to the NHL game?

The man of the hour wasn’t getting ahead of himself Thursday.

“Obviously, it’s nice to score a goal,” said Connor, “but it’s just one game and there’s a long pre-season to go.”

FIRST-ROUNDERS GALORE

Connor was one of nine first-rounders in the Jets lineup on a night the club had its “draft and develop” blueprint on vivid display.

Winger Nikolaj Ehlers, a first-rounder in 2014, scored the third goal of the night on a wraparound, while defenceman Josh Morrissey — a first-rounder in 2013 — chipped in with a pair of assists. The Jets’ other goals came from Mathieu Perreault — who centred a line between Connor and Alex Burmistrov — and Andrew Copp.

Chase De Leo also had a big game, chipping in two assists.

HELLEBUYCK SOLID

Connor Hellebuyck, who is expected to challenge Ondrej Pavelec to be the No. 1 goaltender this season, turned away 27 of 28 shots to pick up a win in his pre-season debut.

Hellebuyck’s only blemish came early in the second period, when a shot from the point by Wild defenceman Matt Dumba found its way through his legs.

Hellebuyck said after the game his extended training camp this month with Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey has him further ahead than he might otherwise be at this point in the pre-season.

“I didn’t feel any rust tonight and I know that really helped,” he said.

GOAL THAT WASN’T

Jets winger Drew Stafford scored midway through the third period, but the goal was mistakenly waved off by officials who believed the puck had hit both a post and crossbar. Replays clearly showed the puck had hit the post, then hit the inside of the goal frame before bouncing out.

Referees discussed the goal during the next stoppage in play — as fans howled in protest while watching replays on the big screen. But there is no video-replay review in the pre-season, so the call wasn’t overturned.

PERREAULT OUT EARLY

Perreault, who finished with a goal and an assist, had to be helped off the ice in the third period after he took a high hit from Kurtis Gabriel. There was no update on Perreault’s condition after the game.

Gabriel was also the culprit later in the third period, slamming Ehlers head-first into the boards and sparking a melee. Ehlers went to the Jets bench after the hit, but did come back out to play later.

Next up: the Jets play the Edmonton Oilers tonight at the MTS Centre.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecekzz