Scheifele better be at his best

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This article was published 16/05/2021 (1068 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s been a recurring storyline over the past few years, sparked by comments Mark Scheifele made during the early stages in his rise to NHL stardom.

Late in the 2016-17 season Scheifele spoke about wanting to bring his game to a level where he was being compared to the NHL’s very best. In the midst of a breakout season, he was making a name for himself as the top-line centre for the Winnipeg Jets, showcasing a deft scoring touch and overall consistent play.

The names he listed included the likes of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and, of course, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid — a player widely considered to be the best on the planet right now.

With the Jets and the McDavid-led Oilers facing off in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, beginning Wednesday in Edmonton, there’s no better time for Scheifele to make a push to be part of that conversation. A strong series against McDavid could go a long way to shrinking the gap between them, even if McDavid has a healthy lead in the stardom department.

“Connor, first of all, proved how fantastic a player he is this year. He really stepped up his game and it was impressive to watch. I’m a big fan of his. He’s a fantastic hockey player and he’s the best player in our game right now,” Scheifele said after practice Monday. “I’ve definitely thought about it over the last few days, ever since we knew we were going to play against Edmonton.”

Scheifele has blossomed into a dangerous scoring threat; since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, he has 362 points (143G, 219A) in 348 games. That’s good for the 11th-most points among NHLers over that time, and five points behind Blake Wheeler for 10th.

This year, the 28-year-old Scheifele had his best offensive season, collecting 63 points (21G, 42A) playing in all 56 regular-season games — a career-high points percentage of 1.12 per game.

McDavid, 24, took the NHL by storm this year, scoring an eye-popping 105 points in 56 games. That was 21 more points than Leon Draisaitl, who finished second, with 84 points, and plays on a line with McDavid. Boston’s Brad Marchand finished third in scoring with 69 points. Scheifele finished ninth.

Scheifele doesn’t pretend he’s nipping at McDavid’s heels and he’s fairly satisfied with what he’s achieved at this level. He remains hungry for more; while he did make the bold proclamation of wanting to join the greatest ever, and continues to echo those sentiments, he backs up his aim by eating, sleeping and breathing the game and continuously trying to elevate his play.

“He just comes to the rink every day and he’s looking for ways to get better. He’s always showing guys different things, whether it’s their game or the team game, that he can improve. We see his work ethic. He’s out there 20-30 minutes before every practice,” Jets centre Adam Lowry said.

“He’s always on the ice, always improving his game and he drags guys into it. He takes them along. He’s made so many improvements in other people’s games and how they take care of themselves off the ice. It’s not necessarily a certain (leadership) style. It’s the work he does behind the scenes that kind of shows up on the ice for our team.”

If it were up to the Jets, Scheifele won’t see a lot of head-to-head action against McDavid. Head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t want his No. 1 scoring line of Scheifele, Wheeler and Kyle Connor going toe-to-toe with an even bigger offensive threat.

Maurice has tasked Lowry and his linemates with the tall order of handling McDavid, as well as Draisaitl, as the two often play together. But with Edmonton having last change as home team for at least the first two games, Scheifele is likely to face a heavy dose of McDavid.

With Scheifele admitting he has been thinking about the upcoming matchup, Maurice was asked if he needed to settle his No. 1 centre’s mind, so he doesn’t over-think the situation.

“I don’t think it’s a ‘versus’ thing that I’m concerned about. He’s going to go head-to-head with him an awful lot. It won’t be the entire matchup, but that’s inevitable. You want a player aspiring to that, to play against the best in the world. The concern is, they play different games, (so don’t try) to play the other man’s game,” Maurice said.

“Where his strength can be for us is working with his linemates and being part of a group. Connor McDavid certainly does that, but his uniqueness makes him kind of a one-off in the way that he plays the game. You want that guy; you want Mark Scheifele wanting that challenge and then rising to that challenge. That’s how all players are measured.”

Whether Scheifele can rise to the occasion, time will tell. While it’s not going to be easy, the chance to try and measure up against the game’s best is exactly the opportunity he wants.

“Those guys, they motivate you to be better. They motivate you to work on your game even more. They motivate you to be at your best every single game. Then you put the magnification of Stanley Cup playoffs on the line, it amplifies it even more,” Scheifele said.

“I’m definitely very excited for the opportunity and excited for the challenge, and I know (McDavid and Draisaitl) are, as well. It’s fun to play against the best. Both those guys prove day in and day out how they’re the best players in the world, and you have to be at your best every single shift against them or they’re going to make you pay.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton