Top 50 Winnipeg Jets
Let’s be very clear.This list of the top 50 Winnipeg Jets of all-time only refers to the current incarnation that began in Atlanta, Georgia, as the Thrashers.
The reason for this is that the National Hockey League has not given the “history” to the organization that now resides in Manitoba.
As such, and as of this writing, this is not exactly the most interesting of our Hockey lists, but reality dictates that one franchise had to have this designation. Since the Jets/Thrashers have only made the NHL playoffs twice in their sixteen-year existence, we are not exactly talking about a plethora of Hall of Famers, are we?
Still, this is what we do here at Notinhalloffame.com, and let’s check them out!
Note: Hockey lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and postseason accolades.
This list is up to the end of the 2024-25 Season.
As of this writing, Connor Hellebuyck is the best American Goalie in the game of hockey, which is a statement that many would not have seen coming in 2015.
Mark Schiefele was taken with the Seventh Overall Pick in 2011, and the native of Kitchener, Ontario, cracked the Jets roster for seven Games that year. After making it for four Games in the next year, Schiefle was primed to break out as a bona fide NHL player.
The Atlanta Thrashers traded for Blake Wheeler in 2011 and the gifted playmaker has been rewarding the franchise with that decision ever since.
Ilya Kovalchuk plied his trade with the Atlanta Thrashers for seven and a half years, and while the Russian forward played for a team that wasn’t exactly exceptional, he was a star for the franchise.
From the state of Michigan, Kyle Connor naturally played his college hockey at the University of Michigan, where he was one of the most decorated players in school history.
Josh Morrissey was taken in the First Round with the 13th Overall Pick in 2013, and after two years, he was a fixture on the Jets' blueline.
Already a Stanley Cup Champion (with Chicago) when Dustin Byfuglien was traded to the Thrashers in what would be their last year in Atlanta, he was moved back to his natural blueline position and essentially became a more valuable hockey player.
Nikolaj Ehlers came to the National Hockey League by way of Denmark, making him one of the first true stars from the small Northern European nation.
Bryan Little has carved out a nice career in the National Hockey League since he debuted in 2007-08 after being taken in the First Round by the Atlanta Thrashers in the prior year.
From Sweden, Tobias "Toby" Enstrom was a late-round pick in 2003, but stayed in Sweden until 2007. Enstrom made the team immediately and exceeded expectations as an All-Rookie with a sixth-place finish for the Calder.
Czech Goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec, played all but his last NHL season with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets.
Undrafted from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Defenseman Neal Pionk signed with the New York Rangers and made the team late in the 2017/18 season. After a full season on Broadway, Pionk was dealt to the Jets, where he found a greater role. Pionk found a role on the power play and…
Vyacheslav Kozlov played the first half of his career with the Detroit Red Wings, where he was part of the diverse team that won the 1997 and 1998 Stanley Cups. After a year in Buffalo, he was traded to Atlanta, where he played the last seven of his NHL seasons.
Marian Hossa was an All-Star twice in his two-and-three-quarter seasons with the Atlanta Thrashers. While his stint in the Peach State was brief, the Slovakian forward made the most of it with a 1.12 Points per Game Average, which would be the highest mark of his career. Hossa would finish…
From Finland, Patrik Laine was the Second Overall Pick in 2016 behind Auston Matthews, and he has since shown the Winnipeg Jets that he was worthy of the selection.
Traded after he won a Stanley Cup for the Chicago Blackhawks (he also won one with the Carolina Hurricanes), Andrew Ladd would become one of the major offensive weapons for the Thrashers/Jets and was quickly named the team Captain. Ladd would score 20 Goals four times and would probably have…
A product of the United States Hockey system, Jacob Trouba was a First Round Pick and former school MVP at Michigan. Professionally, he played his first six years in the NHL with the team that took him, the Winnipeg Jets, with each year showing marked improvement.
As of this writing, Adam Lowry has played eleven seasons in the NHL, all of which as a Winnipeg Jet.
A former fourth overall draft pick, Evander Kane scored 222 Points over his Thrashers/Jets career though it did have a bit of controversy off of the ice, which bled into issues with his teammates. Still, Kane’s offensive output does denote a high place on this list.
The Winnipeg Jets were very fortunate to have traded for Defenseman, Dylan DeMelo at the 2020 Trade Deadline. This was not just because of defensive skills, but because they had a player who wanted to be in the tundra of Winnipeg. DeMelo plays hockey with a simple credo: protect your…