ANAHEIM – After being assigned to the American Hockey League late in training camp, Walker Duehr put his head down and went to work, quietly going about his business as he waited for his number to be called.
Signed by the Jets last summer as an unrestricted free agent to add organizational depth at forward, Duehr has been one of the most consistent performers with the Manitoba Moose this season.
With Vladislav Namestnikov suffering a lower-body injury early in the second period on Friday, Duehr will make his Jets’ debut on Sunday afternoon against the San Jose Sharks.
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Winnipeg Jets’ Walker Duehr (71) and Jonathan Toews (19) during training camp at Hockey For All Centre in September.
Duehr — who was signed as a college free agent by the Calgary Flames in April of 2021 after completing his NCAA career with Minnesota State University-Mankato — is a hard-working right-winger who plays a feisty game and has equalled his AHL career high for points with 26 (12 goals) in 39 games with the Moose.
“Yeah the hockey world is funny the way it works out sometimes. It’ll be good to play against them,” said Duehr, who has 92 NHL games on his resume with the Flames and Sharks. “I just want to play a simple game, (play) fast, hard, and be disruptive out there. Be physical and be good in my own end.”
Duehr, who turned 28 in November, isn’t going to be eased into action either, as he was skating alongside Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist during Saturday’s on-ice session at the Honda Center.
“He’s a big-bodied guy,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “He can really skate. He’s having a really good year down with the Moose, especially shorthanded. He’s done a real good job on the (penalty) kill. I think he’s near the top of the league in shorthanded goals.
“We’ll throw him in there (Sunday) and let him go out and do what he does best.”
With the Jets dealing with several injuries up front, Duehr could get an extended run.
“It’s been a pretty seamless transition. The organization has been great to me,” said Duehr. “My time with the Moose has been amazing. The coaching staff and the guys on there do a great job, and we’re a close group down there. It’s been a lot of fun.
“Maybe more minutes than I’m used to, up at this level for sure. Just being able to try to be consistent production wise, bringing the effort, and being a good role model for some of the young guys down there.”
Arniel said that Namestnikov is week to week after getting tangled up with Jets captain Adam Lowry, who was tripped on the play by Ryan Poehling of the Ducks before crashing into Namestnikov.
The Jets are hoping to have top centre Mark Scheifele in the lineup on Sunday after he seemed to be favouring his right knee near the end of Friday’s overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
There was one piece of good news on the injury front as defenceman Haydn Fleury is expected to return on the third pairing with Luke Schenn, replacing Ville Heinola.
Fleury has been sidelined since crashing awkwardly into the end boards in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 6.
“He’s obviously a veteran guy. Not having the four d-men that have been out here, it’s been hard,” said Arniel. “I’m happy to see him back and getting the chance to play. We weren’t sure how that was all going to play out. His feet, his ability to move, and his skating will certainly be effective.”
The Jets have taken three out of four available points coming out of the Olympic break, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in overtime on Wednesday before losing 5-4 in overtime to the Ducks on Friday.
The inability to close out the game after building a pair of two-goal leads was something the Jets were still lamenting on Saturday.
KYUSUNG GONG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Winnipeg Jets centre Vladislav Namestnikov is checked for an injury during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks, Friday in Anaheim, Calif.
“It was an absolute roller-coaster of a game, highs and lows,” said Jets forward Alex Iafallo, who had a goal and an assist on Friday. “We have to find a way to win those ones, hold that lead.”
The Sharks beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 Saturday afternoon and they’re another one of the teams the Jets are trying to chase down in the Western Conference.
Finding a way to try to neutralize Sharks star Macklin Celebrini will be a tall task.
“He’s a super special kid,” said Duehr, who appeared in eight games with the Sharks last season after he was claimed off waivers. “The whole world just saw it at the Olympics. Great kid on and off the ice.”
This is the second of three meetings this season between the two teams, with the Sharks earning a 2-1 victory on Nov. 7 when Will Smith scored the game-winner with 4:21 to go in regulation time.
“They’re another one of these young teams in the West that have been playing real well all year,” said Arniel. “They’re a team that plays quick. We saw them early in the year and we saw a little bit of their transition. Again, it’s a young team that’s going to try and push the pace. We have to be smart in how we approach them.”
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Connor Hellebuyck, who made 35 saves on Friday, is expected to get the call in goal for the Jets, while the Sharks will counter with Alex Nedeljkovic after Yaroslav Askarov faced the Oilers on Saturday.
Following Sunday’s action, the Jets will open a season-high eight-game homestand, beginning with Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Arniel revealed that winger Nino Niederreiter underwent surgery to repair the lower-body issue he’s been dealing with and he remains week-to-week.
Meanwhile, Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey has resumed skating in Winnipeg, though Arniel isn’t sure if he will be a participant with the full group in practice on Monday.
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Ken Wiebe
Reporter
Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.
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