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Maurice sees Scheifele as future captain of the Jets

Winnipeg Jets v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO,ON - FEBRUARY 21: Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Air Canada Centre on February 21, 2017 in London, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Jets 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

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Over the past two seasons Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele has developed into one of the best offensive players in the NHL.

Since the start of the 2015-16 season his 61 goals and 143 total points place him 15th in the NHL, ahead of superstars like Alex Ovechkin, John Tavares, and Ryan Getzlaf. Along with Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, he is one of the young players that is giving Jets fans a little bit of hope that the team might one day be able to climb out of the depths of mediocrity.

Coach Paul Maurice, who just signed a new contract extension to remain with the team this past week, sees more than just a great offensive player. He sees a future captain.

“Mark Scheifele is going to be the captain of this hockey team at some point in his career for sure,” said Maurice on Prime Time Sports this past week, via Sportsnet. “He is, in so many ways, the driver of that offense. Blake is a big part of it; Mark, as a centreman, certainly drives it.”

Here is more from Maurice:

“If you get a chance to spend some time with this guy, this is the guy you want your kids to grow up to be — he is that good a person,” Maurice said of Scheifele. “He does everything he possibly can to become a better hockey player and then does it with a smile on his face. There’s lots of those guys who grind through their life and kind of grumble about how hard they’ve got to work — Mark does all that, and enjoys every minute of it.”

Blake Wheeler is currently serving as the Jets’ captain after taking over the rule during the 2016-17 season. He replaced Andrew Ladd who was captain for six years before being traded during the 2015-16 season. Wheeler is under contract for two more seasons and will then be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 2018-19 season.

Even with Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff getting new contract extensions this week the pressure is going to be on for the Jets to make some real noise this season in the Western Conference. They have a lot of talent throughout the roster and finally attempted to address their goaltending issues by adding veteran goalie Steve Mason in free agency. There is a lot of promise with this team when looking at the roster on paper. But there has to come a point where that promise turns into results. The Jets have qualified for the playoffs just one time since relocating to Winnipeg seven years ago.

The organization (even dating back to the Atlanta Thrashers days) is still looking for its first ever playoff win having been swept in the first round in its only two playoff appearances.