Is Elias Salomonsson ready to make jump to Jets?

WINNIPEG — Talk to anyone who watched Elias Salomonsson in the AHL this season and a common sentiment emerges. 

He didn’t look like a 20-year-old.

“The way he does a lot of things, you’d think he’s a veteran player in our league,” Manitoba Moose coach Mark Morrison told Sportsnet.ca back in April. 

For those within the Winnipeg Jets organization, the maturity seen in the six-foot-two, right-handed defenceman’s game is nothing new.

“I remember, two years ago, when he was at (Jets) training camp and we had to send him back to Sweden contractually still, I remember (Scott Arniel) asking me – ‘so, there’s no way we can keep him? There’s no way he can stay? Are you sure?’” Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said at his end-of-season availability. “He was running the D at that time, so obviously he was pretty D-centric at that point. But, we’re excited. If he has a really good summer, he’s someone that could force us to make some big decisions.” 

The Jets’ 2022 second-round pick (55th overall) is coming off an eye-opening AHL rookie season. He recorded 27 points in 53 games – ranking sixth in points per game among under-21 AHL defencemen (0.51) – while logging north of 20 minutes per game, matching up against opponents’ top scoring threats and playing a vital role on both the power play and penalty kill. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game, too. 

Salomonsson isn’t the flashiest prospect. But he’s a sturdy two-way defenceman that oozes top-four potential. 

“We have a role model in front of him, for me: that’s Dylan Samberg,” Arniel said at his end-of-season availability. 

While Salomonsson may not be a carbon copy of Samberg – he’s arguably a better puck-handler and skater and not as good of a defender – his trajectory parallels with what Samberg has become. 

Whether it’s defending a player one-on-one, joining the rush to make a play, or making an outlet pass, there’s no panic in Salomonsson’s game.

“He’s an intelligent hockey player,” Morrison said. “He sees the ice real well. He plays an easy game, so he’s always in the right position. He’s never scrambling around trying to get to loose pucks, so he’s always in the right position. It saves him a lot of energy — he can play 22 to 25 minutes and still look fresh.”

For someone of his age, that type of composure is rare.

“He’s got the ability to slow the play down and let the game come to him,” Moose defenceman Ashton Sautner said. “For a lot of younger defenceman – in the NHL or AHL – that’s hard to do. But he’s got this quiet confidence to him.”

Over the last few months of the regular season, his game took a huge step forward. 

The turning point came after Salomonsson sustained an upper-body injury on Dec. 6, which sidelined him for nearly two months. Watching games from above turned into a valuable learning experience. 

“When you’re playing, you don’t really see the whole picture,” Salomonsson said. “Watching from above, you see some situations that you could be (handling) better.”

Upon his return, Salomonsson showed few signs of rust. He became more consistent in two key areas: making plays quicker under pressure and being a more aggressive defender. 

The former is a common obstacle for young European defenders who are adjusting to a smaller ice surface. 

“The corners are a little bit tighter here. It’s easier for the forechecker to close on you,” Salomonsson explained. “In the Swedish league, you have more time and space (along) the wall.”

And overseas, with a wider ice surface, there are fewer one-one-battles. Winning those 50-50s is imperative to regaining and sustaining possession. 

As the year went on, Salomonsson’s confidence grew. 

“He’s really poised with the puck and he’s come a long way in a lot of different areas,” Morrison said. “For instance, he wasn’t a power-play guy. But he’s been here working on the power play and running a power-play unit. He’s picked it up tremendously well and turned into a great power-play quarterback in the American Hockey League. It’s something that he picked up quick and he seems to do that in a lot of areas in his game.”

So, when will we see Salomonsson in a Jets uniform? 

Winnipeg’s been known to be overly patient with its prospects. And heading into the 2025-26 season, the Jets have four right-handed defencemen — Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk, Luke Schenn and Colin Miller — under contract.

“The biggest thing is that we want to make sure that when he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go. We’re not force-feeding this,” Arniel said. “I think he’s a good enough hockey player that he’ll find his way in.”

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