Winnipeg Jets

About the Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have one of the more unusual histories in the NHL.

The original Winnipeg Jets began play in the World Hockey Association in 1972 and joined the NHL in 1979 after the WHA ceased operations. That team remained in Winnipeg through the 1995-96 season before relocating to Arizona.

The organization that brought NHL hockey back to Winnipeg began as the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta was awarded an expansion franchise in 1997 and began NHL play during the 1999-2000 season. The team was sold and relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, reviving the Jets name.

In 2026, the NHL and the Jets officially consolidated Winnipeg's statistical history. The official record book now includes the original Jets' NHL seasons from 1979 to 1996, the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011, and the current Winnipeg Jets from 2011 onward. The Arizona Coyotes' records are now limited to the franchise's years in Arizona from 1996 to 2024.

Division History

The original Winnipeg Jets began their NHL history in the Norris Division before moving to the Smythe Division as part of league realignment in 1982.

Winnipeg remained in the Smythe Division through the 1992-93 season. When the NHL introduced geographic division names in 1993, the Jets moved into the Central Division for their final three seasons before relocating to Arizona.

The Atlanta Thrashers entered the NHL in 1999 as members of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference.

When the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011, the Jets initially remained in the Southeast Division despite their geographic location. Another NHL realignment in 2013 finally moved Winnipeg into the Central Division of the Western Conference.

The Jets have remained in the Central Division since then, with the exception of the shortened 2020-21 season, when all seven Canadian teams competed together in the temporary North Division.

Championship History

The Jets have yet to win the Stanley Cup or reach the Stanley Cup Final.

The Atlanta Thrashers won the Southeast Division in 2006-07, producing the first NHL division championship included in the Jets' current consolidated statistical history. Atlanta was swept by the New York Rangers in the opening round of the playoffs.

The modern Winnipeg Jets made their first major postseason breakthrough in 2018.

Winnipeg defeated the Minnesota Wild in the opening round before beating the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators in seven games. The victory sent the Jets to the Western Conference Final for the first time.

Winnipeg faced the Vegas Golden Knights in the conference final. The Jets won Game 1 but lost the next four games, ending what remains the deepest NHL playoff run in the Jets' official history.

Another landmark season came in 2024-25.

The Jets finished 56-22-4 with 116 points, winning the Central Division and finishing with the best regular-season record in the NHL. Winnipeg captured the first Presidents' Trophy in Jets history and became the first Canadian team to win the award since Vancouver in 2011-12.

Winnipeg defeated the St. Louis Blues in the opening round of the 2025 playoffs before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games in the second round.

The consolidated Jets history includes two NHL division championships: Atlanta's Southeast Division title in 2006-07 and Winnipeg's Central Division championship in 2024-25.

Home of the Jets

The original Winnipeg Jets played their NHL home games at Winnipeg Arena from 1979 until the franchise relocated following the 1995-96 season.

When NHL hockey returned to Winnipeg in 2011, the new Jets moved into the downtown arena that had opened in 2004 as MTS Centre.

The building was originally constructed as the home of the Manitoba Moose and became the Jets' NHL home following the relocation from Atlanta.

The arena later became known as Bell MTS Place before being renamed Canada Life Centre in July 2021.

Canada Life Centre remains the home of both the Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose and has become closely associated with Winnipeg's famous playoff “Whiteout” tradition.

Notable Jets

Dale Hawerchuk became the defining player of the original Winnipeg Jets during the 1980s.

Winnipeg selected Hawerchuk with the first overall pick in the 1981 NHL Draft, and he immediately made an impact by winning the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year.

Hawerchuk recorded 379 goals and 929 points during his years with the original Jets. Following the NHL's 2026 consolidation of Winnipeg's statistical history, he became the official franchise leader in both goals and points.

Thomas Steen became another central figure during the original Jets era.

The Swedish forward spent 14 seasons in Winnipeg and developed into one of the franchise's most productive playmakers. After the 2026 statistical consolidation, Steen's 553 assists became the official Jets franchise record.

Mark Scheifele became one of the defining players of the modern Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets selected Scheifele with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, making him the first player drafted by the franchise following its return to Winnipeg.

Scheifele developed into the leading scorer of the modern Winnipeg era and helped lead the Jets to the Western Conference Final in 2018. Following the consolidation of the franchise record book in 2026, he ranked among the leading goal scorers, playmakers and point producers across both generations of Winnipeg Jets hockey.

Connor Hellebuyck became the most accomplished goaltender in Jets history.

Winnipeg selected Hellebuyck in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft, and he developed into one of the NHL's elite goaltenders.

Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in 2020, 2024 and 2025. His 2024-25 season was particularly historic, as he won both the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP while helping Winnipeg capture the Presidents' Trophy.

He became the first player in Jets franchise history to win the Hart Trophy and holds the franchise goaltending records for victories and shutouts.

Ilya Kovalchuk was the leading offensive star of the Atlanta Thrashers era.

Atlanta selected Kovalchuk with the first overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft. He spent eight seasons with the Thrashers and became one of the NHL's leading goal scorers, sharing the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2003-04.

Kovalchuk scored 52 goals in both 2005-06 and 2007-08 and remains one of the most productive players from the Atlanta period now included in the official Jets record book.

Blake Wheeler became another important figure during the franchise's transition from Atlanta to Winnipeg.

Wheeler joined the Thrashers during the 2010-11 season and relocated with the organization to Winnipeg. He later served as Jets captain from 2016 through 2022 and became one of the leading scorers of the modern Winnipeg era.

Other prominent players in the consolidated Jets history include Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, Keith Tkachuk, Teemu Selanne, Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien, Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey.