Which Winnipeg Jets Have Been Naughty or Nice This Season

The Winnipeg Jets enter the Christmas break with a 15-17-3 record, sitting eighth in the wild-card race. Some players have thrilled fans with dazzling goals and clutch assists, earning their spot on Santa’s Nice List, while others have racked up penalties, turnovers, or costly mistakes that might have them double-checking their status.

This mid-season snapshot takes a closer look at who has been shining on the ice and who has been skating on thin ice. From standout rookies to reliable veterans and the occasional misstep that made fans groan, we break down the Jets roster to see who deserves a stocking full of praise and who might be hoping Santa brings a little extra coal this holiday season.

Nice - Mark Schefiele

The Jets have often leaned on their top-line pairing of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor, with Scheifele briefly leading the league in scoring earlier this season. The 32-year-old is enjoying a remarkable campaign, posting 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points along with a plus-nine rating, even as Winnipeg has gone through a recent slump. 

Scheifele is on pace for the most productive season of his career and appears to be positioning himself for a potential spot on Team Canada for the 2026 Olympics. The Kitchener native is tracking toward the 100-point milestone, and if the Jets can turn things around in the second half, there is every reason to believe he can maintain his pace, especially given how effective he has been despite the team’s struggles. 

Naughty - Jonathan Toews

It has been a pleasure to watch the hometown Winnipeg native return to play for his childhood team, and his game has still shown some positive traits, including an excellent faceoff win rate of 62.2 percent. The main concern has been the decline in what was once an elite defensive game, as Toews currently sits with a team-worst minus-14 rating. 

That number is especially surprising given that he had finished a season at minus-14 or worse only twice in his previous 15 NHL seasons, with both instances coming in the final two years before this one. The gradual decline has been noticeable, and in hindsight, perhaps not entirely unexpected. Toews has also struggled to generate offense, contributing very little production. The hope is that he can rebound significantly in the second half of the season and begin to resemble the center that NHL teams were aggressively pursuing this past summer. 

Nice - Kyle Connor 

Matching Scheifele exactly with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points, Kyle Connor has been the ideal complement on the top line, with the duo producing identical totals. Connor is also pushing for an Olympic roster spot, aiming to represent Team USA after participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

He appears well positioned to reclaim his place heading into the Olympics, as he is on pace for his first 100-point season, much like Scheifele. Connor has come close before, recording two 90-point campaigns. With his consistent effort and ability to keep the Jets competitive nearly every night alongside Scheifele, it is safe to say the rest of the team would agree that Connor belongs on the nice list. 

Naughty - Logan Stanley

The towering six-foot-seven defenseman is on track for a career season, already setting a personal best with six goals to go along with six assists for 12 points in 35 games. He is pacing toward just under 30 points, which would far surpass his previous career high of 14 points set last season. 

Stanley has landed on the naughty list, however, leading the Jets in penalty minutes with 69 on the year. Aside from his issues staying out of the box, he has contributed in several other areas, ranking fourth on the team in hits with 62 and fourth in blocked shots with 41, all while logging second-to-bottom pairing minutes on the blue line. 

Nice - Gabe Vilardi 

The final piece of the Jets’ lethal top line has helped carry the team at times alongside Connor and Scheifele, recording 16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points in 35 games. Coming off a career-best 61-point campaign last season, Vilardi is once again on pace to shatter that mark, tracking toward his first 70-point season. 

He has been one of the few consistent bright spots in the Jets’ forward group, helping offset the loss of Nikolaj Ehlers from the lineup while providing timely scoring the team has desperately needed. The hope is that the 26-year-old can carry that Christmas cheer into the second half of the season and continue playing at a level that keeps the Jets competitive. 

Naughty - Vladislav Namestnikov 

The Russian center has been a reliable middle-six contributor for the Jets over the past two seasons, totaling 75 points during that span, but his play has begun to slow this year. Namestnikov has moved up and down the lineup as head coach Scott Arniel searches for a spark from the 33-year-old. 

He is once again slotted into the second-line center role alongside Cole Perfetti, though this time without Nikolaj Ehlers. The hope is that Gabe Vilardi can eventually join the unit and help reignite the chemistry that made the Namestnikov and Perfetti pairing so effective last season. 

Nice - Connor Hellebuyck

The back-to-back Vezina trophy winner and reigning league MVP has been the backbone of the Jets this season, continuing to deliver elite goaltending that has kept Winnipeg competitive night after night. Hellebuyck's track record over the past two seasons places him among the league’s most reliable netminders, with outstanding numbers and consistency that have often masked broader team struggles. 

In his absence due to a knee injury that sidelined him for several weeks, the Jets struggled to find consistency in goal, underscoring just how crucial Hellebuyck is to the club’s success and momentum. With his ability to steal games and stabilize the lineup, he has been the heart and soul of the Jets, and given his impact on both ends of the ice, there’s little doubt he’d be on Santa’s nice list for how much he means to this team

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