Through the Hellebuyck Noise, Mark Scheifele Has One Message

Mark Scheifele just had the kind of season most hockey players would be pretty happy to have at any point in their careers. He hit 100 points in his 15th NHL season. That’s pretty darn impressive. What I found more interesting than the number was how Scheifele talked about it in his recent interview with Sean Reynolds.

Scheifele basically gave the credit to hard work and the players around him. He said he was fortunate to play with really good linemates and didn’t make it about himself.

Scheifele Thinks He Can Have a Better Season in 2026-27

But here’s the part I liked. He doesn’t seem to think last season was the end of the road. Scheifele talked about having a really good summer of training and skating, and he made it pretty clear that he thinks there’s still more there. More to improve. More to give. That’s a pretty good way for a 15-year veteran coming off a 100-point season to look at things.

You’d forgive the guy for thinking he’d figured it all out. Apparently, he doesn’t see it that way.Interestingly, he had his great season on a team that really didn’t play that well. And in that aspect, he was an outlier. Can he do it again?

Then There’s All This Hellebuyck Stuff

Of course, there’s no talking Jets hockey right now without Connor Hellebuyck’s name coming up. Scheifele handled it carefully, and honestly, what else could he really do? These two go way back, so naturally he’d love for his friend to stick around. He also had no problem saying it straight — Hellebuyck’s one of the best goalies in the league.

But Scheifele wasn’t going to start speaking for him. He basically said Hellebuyck is still a Jet right now, and that isn’t his job to figure out. His job is to play hockey and get himself ready for the season. That’s fair enough and perhaps the best way for him to handle it. There’s already enough noise around the Jets without Scheifele adding to it.

Scheifele Still Believes in This Team

The question I found most interesting was whether all the Hellebuyck uncertainty had changed his belief that Winnipeg could actually win the Stanley Cup. His answer was pretty straightforward. No.

He still believes in the group. He still believes in the organization. And he pointed out that the Jets have gotten younger and faster, with some new pieces coming in. He actually sounded excited to get back to it.

At one point, he joked that the offseason had felt way too long. That’s probably something every hockey player can understand.