Jets Center Named First Star of Week

The Winnipeg Jets' top center had himself a week to remember.
Dec 18, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) controls the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dec 18, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele (55) controls the puck against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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The Winnipeg Jets have cooled off a bit after their white-hot start to the season, but are still near the top of the league standings in large part thanks to their league-best offense.

Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele are both having outstanding seasons, scoring 49 and 44 points so far, respectively. Over the last week or so, the latter has been on a particular heater.

First and foremost, Scheifele was the star of the Jets' 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring three goals in the third period and adding an assist for a four-point game. The 14-year veteran became the fifth player in franchise history to record three goals in a single period, and the second player in franchise history to score 10 career hat tricks following Ilya Kovalchuk, who did so when the team was based in Atlanta.

Then on Saturday, Schiefele came out of the holiday break by posting a goal and an assist in the Jets' 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. Maybe not as outstanding a performance, but still a great one to help his team come out of the break strong.

For Schiefele's efforts, the NHL named him its first star of the week on Monday afternoon.

This marks the first time this season and the eighth time in his career that Schiefele has been named one of the NHL's three stars of the week. Additionally, this marks the third time that a Jets player received such an honor this season after star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was named the second star of the week ending on Oct. 13 and first star of the week ending on Nov. 10. Connor was also named the second star of October and Hellebuyck was named the third star of November, per the Jets' website.

This week's second star was Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, while this week's third star was Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski.

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