Jets Recall Henry Thrun, Place Dylan DeMelo On IR

The Winnipeg Jets have responded quickly to a lower-body injury for defenseman Dylan DeMelo. The injury was sustained in the first period of Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, after Stars forward Mikko Rantanen fell on DeMelo’s right leg during a tie-up in front of the net. DeMelo couldn’t put weight on his leg and needed help to get off of the ice. After the game, head coach Scott Arniel said the defender will likely be out week-to-week.

Winnipeg placed DeMelo on injured reserve on Friday morning. That designation will force him to miss at least three games, with the Jets’ November 21st matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights the soonest he could return. To fill their hole on defense, Winnipeg has also recalled Henry Thrun from the minor-leagues.

The Jets are back to sorting out a major blue-line injury just two games after top defender Josh Morrissey returned from a month-long absence. DeMelo stepped into a premier role in Morrissey’s absence, averaging 20 minutes a night through the 14 games that Morrissey missed. Across the full season, DeMelo has recorded eight points, 23 shot blocks, and 27 hits in 19 games. He continues to fill an important, utility role for the Winnipeg blue-line, bringing a physical presence behind Morrisey and Neal Pionk.

Winnipeg is unlikely to break up the pairing of Dylan Samberg and Pionk in response to DeMelo’s injury. That should mean more minutes for Mario Ferraro, while Thrun competes with Tyrel Bauer for a third-pair role. Bauer has recorded two points and 30 penalty minutes in 14 NHL games this season. He is playing through the first NHL stint of his career after breaking camp with Winnipeg to start the season. His promotion comes after three seasons with at least 100 penalty minutes across the last four years in the AHL.

Thrun’s impact would be a more well-rounded option. The 25 year old has seven points in 14 AHL games this season – second-most on the Manitoba Moose. He is in his first season with the Jets organization after splitting the 2025-26 campaign between four games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and 79 games with the Calder Cup-winning Toronto Marlies. Thrun chipped in 32 points across the full AHL season. The left-hand defender will face a small barrier to fitting into a right-defense role left open by DeMelo.

Both Bauer and Thrun could be knocked out of the race for a lineup spot if Elias Salomonsson returns from a personal leave of absence soon. Salomonsson is away from the team indefinitely after he missed one game, and one practice, with an illness. He would be the preferred option for the lineup in DeMelo’s absence, though Salomonsson is still seraching for his first point after six games this season.