Winnipeg Jets Rookie Camp Opens in Style
One thousand people were at the MTS Iceplex on Saturday afternoon to witness the Jets Rookie Camp, as their young stars prepare for the YoungStars Rookie Tournament in Penticton, BC later this month.
Among the players on the ice were first-round pick Mark Scheifele, Manitoba-born Jason Gregoire, Carl Klingberg, Chris Carrozzi, Ivan Telegin, Zachary Yuen and Cody Sol.
"Wearing a Jets’ jersey is pretty cool and walking off the ice and having fans bombard you at a rookie camp practice is unbelievable," Winnipeg-born forward Jason Gregoire told the Winnipeg Free Press.
"It just goes to show all the guys what this town is made of. It’s awesome. You look up...it’s a practice and I’ve never seen anything like this for a practice. I know what Winnipeg’s about. I know the fan base, but I honestly didn’t even expect this."
The Jets rookies will be on the ice again at the Iceplex on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before taking a flight out to Penticton to play in the aforementioned tournament.
It will be held at the South Okanagan Events Centre, and includes rookies from the Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks.
The Jets rookies will face San Jose on Monday night, Edmonton on Tuesday evening and then ending against the Canucks on Thursday afternoon.
According to head coach Claude Noel, forward Carl Klingberg stood out the most to him during the first day. Klingberg went as far to describe himself and his game as a "pain in the ass" to play against.
