Mark Scheifele became a household name last season, as he put up 32 goals and 82 points in 79 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season.
It was a terrific campaign for the 24-year-old, but he’s clearly looking for more from himself going forward. Scheifele doesn’t just want to be mentioned in the same breath as players like Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, he wants to be better than them too.
“In this sport, you can’t say, ‘Oh, you know, that was great. I just hope to stay amongst them.’ I’m pushing to be better than Connor, better than Sid,” said Scheifele, per NHL.com.
“Obviously they’re pretty lofty goals. Those guys are special players. They work unbelievably hard at their game. But at one time last year, I was top in the league in scoring.”
Scheifele ranked seventh in the NHL in points last season behind McDavid, Crosby, Patrick Kane, Nicklas Backstrom, Nikita Kucherov and Brad Marchand.
As good as he was last season, the Jets still didn’t manage to make the playoffs. Of all the players that finished in the top seven in scoring, Scheifele’s team finished the lowest in the standings.
Winnipeg finished ninth in the Western Conference with 87 points, which was seven points behind Nashville for the final Wild Card spot.
“It’s about getting your team into the playoffs and trying to win a Stanley Cup,” added Scheifele. “That’s why I try to get better and I hope every guy on the team is trying to get better.”