It may not be apparent to the naked eye, but the Winnipeg Jets’ latest batch of COVID-19 cases has shined a light on the quality of the teams’ defence depth.

It all came tumbling down on Tuesday when Winnipeg announced that Logan Stanley, Nathan Beaulieu, and Ville Heinola (who was on the taxi squad) were entering COVID-19 protocol. Adding insult to injury was the Manitoba Moose’s Wednesday morning announcement that Jonathan Kovacevic and Nelson Nogier had entered protocol, too. Now, ahead of tonight’s contest against the Red Wings, that leaves the Jets with just two defenceman left to call upon.

Dylan Samberg and Declan Chisholm.

One of the two will make their NHL debut tonight. If Dylan DeMelo (a game-time decision after being in quarantine for the last week) can’t go, both Samberg & Chisholm will debut. Naturally, when a team is relying on their fourth and fifth-best depth defenceman, it’s safe to assume that they’re dealing with a dire situation. But that’s not the case here. Not at all. That’s because the Jets defence depth goes far beyond just Heinola and Kovacevic, the de-facto next men up (after Nathan Beaulieu) when looking at the depth chart on a day where half of it isn’t unavailable. 

Samberg and Chisholm are both legitimate and intriguing NHL prospects in their own right.

Dylan Samberg

Samberg has been atop Winnipeg’s prospect pyramid for quite some time now.

Before Winnipeg’s 2017 second-round pick turned pro in February, the soon-to-be 23-year-old was a premier shutdown defenceman with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the NCAA. In fact, Mark Chipman and Kevin Cheveldayoff flew out to see Samberg after his 2018-2019 sophomore campaign to try to convince him to sign his entry-level contract with Winnipeg and turn pro thereafter.

Samberg’s skill set is quite polished. If DeMelo is good to go, odds are Samberg would be the one to get the nod.

A defensively-sound defenceman who plays with an edge, Samberg can interrupt opponents’ offensive attempts by either unloading a thunderous body check or pulling off a swift stick check. He’s a staple on the Moose’s penalty kill, too.

But Samberg, who has recorded five points in 16 games this season, is not a prototypical meat-and-potatoes bruising defender. He’s also a confident puck carrier who can consistently deliver a tape-to-tape first pass out of the defensive zone, possessing an underappreciated amount of poise and finesse with the puck. Samberg is not flashy, but he’s mighty efficient.

According to InStat, Samberg’s 64.3% xGF% rating is the sixth best of any AHL defenceman who has played at least 15 games this season. For what it’s worth, I did some further digging into InStat’s raw data and I uncovered that Samberg’s xGF% relative rating is a team-high of +10.70. Plus, Samberg’s 1.19 blocked shots per game tie him for the team lead. While playing primarily alongside Kovacevic, Samberg has fared very well while being deployed in a shutdown role.

So, how long until he’s a regular in the Jets lineup? Well, that depends on a lot of variables, the biggest being Winnipeg’s roster configuration going forward. All six of the teams’ defencemen are signed through next season and its nearly guaranteed that Heinola makes the jump full-time next season. Plus, Samberg — who got off to a late start this season after a high-ankle sprain at training camp delayed his AHL season debut to November 18th — probably needs to procure more pro hockey mileage before we seriously discuss where he could fit on the Jets roster.

That being said, I do think Samberg has a lot more long-term potential than Kovacevic and a lot of that has to do with his puck-moving ability. Will Samberg ever develop into the top-four defenceman many believed (or rather, hoped) he’d become? It’s hard to say, though if I had to predict now, I’d say he projects to be a good number five defenceman.

Nevertheless, Samberg projects to be an NHL player, and a reliable one at that.

Declan Chisholm

Declan Chisholm is one of the most exciting young defenceman to watch in the AHL.

He’s just so smooth with the puck. So smooth on his feet.

Chisholm, Winnipeg’s fifth-round pick at the 2018 draft, has gone from a project to a legitimate prospect in less than a calendar year. A superb puck mover with a knack for being able to join the rush and create opportunities in transition, the 22-year-old has been producing in a big way during his sophomore pro season. In 27 AHL games, Chisholm has buried six goals, tied for second-most of any AHL defenceman this season. His 12 primary points on the year rank him third amongst 23U defenceman.

Okay, so he can score. But can his game translate to the next level? For sure, to some degree.

Chisholm’s ability to help his team exit the zone — either via dishing the puck, or taking it out of the zone himself — is a valuable skill. The question is, can he produce at a high enough level offensively? Or rather, can he make good enough use of his skills to warrant his insertion in an NHL lineup and a spot on a power play unit, too? Because that’s how he’s going to earn himself a paycheque in the big leagues.

When speaking to reporters during what was the Moose’s last in-person post-game availability on December 11th, Manitoba Head Coach Mark Morrison gave some big-time praise for Chisholm. After throwing in Chisholm’s D-partner Leon Gawanke (who is also in protocol) into a crossfire of complimentary comments about the duo’s ability to battle, Morrison made an effort to applaud Chisholm’s abilities away from the puck.

“I also think that Chis is competing in his own end a little bit harder,” Morrison said. 

If Chisholm does indeed get into an NHL game, it could be a really worthwhile development experience. His skills with the puck are apparent and his instincts with the puck are sharp, but his ability to play with pace and make reads at a fast pace on both ends of the ice will make or break his ability to graduate. A chance to size up against the best of the best and see how far behind he stacks up could help him better gauge a benchmark for how much farther he has to go.

But if he plays his cards right and continues to refine his one-on-one defending abilities, this exciting offensive defenceman just may end up becoming a regular in the Jets lineup someday. Or, develop into an asset that Winnipeg uses as a trade chip as part of a bigger deal.

Nevertheless, Chisholm’s stock is on the rise.