After losing Adam Lowry for the next month and on another two-game losing streak, the Winnipeg Jets have recalled one of their top prospects. Kristian Vesalainen will join the club after playing 44 games for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose this season.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Vesalainen will be in the NHL. The first-round pick from 2017 ended up making the club out of camp last season and played five games for the Jets at the beginning of the year. After not having a real spot for him in the NHL however, he eventually used a clause in his contract to go back to the KHL.
That meant Vesalainen played in three different leagues in 2018-19, not the perfect development path for a top prospect. This season has been much different, with all of his games coming at the AHL level. The 20-year old sits third on the Moose in goals with nine and has 22 points so far.
Whether he’ll get a real opportunity at the NHL isn’t clear, but the team does still have two games before the All-Star break. After losing their last two with a combined score of 12-3 they are now 25-20-4 and actually have a negative goal differential.
This is a great player with potential. Will he be on line 2 or 3?