Kitchener’s Mark Scheifele has etched his name into the Winnipeg Jets record books, becoming the franchise leader for goals following a 2-1 overtime win over San Jose Monday night.
“You just want to go out there and play good hockey and a chance to score a goal comes. You obviously want to bury it. [It] obviously felt nice,” the Winnipeg Jets Centre said during a postgame interview.
Just over 90 seconds into overtime, Scheifele banged home his 329th career goal passing Ilya Kovalchuk’s Atlanta Thrashers' record.
“All you got to do is trust in God’s plan, and that’s what I’ve done. Obviously, I’m very grateful for my family, the Winnipeg Jets organization, they were the ones that trusted in me. I just want to keep on playing well for them,” Scheifele said.
The 31-year-old grew up playing for the Kitchener Jr. Rangers. He later played for the Kitchener Dutchmen Jr. B club, followed by an OHL stint with the Barrie Colts.
Scheifele was drafted seventh overall by Winnipeg in 2011. He was the organization’s first draft pick since relocating from Atlanta.
“A kid from Kitchener, playing with the Kitchener Dutchmen way back when I was 16, you know, never would have believed you,” Scheifele said.“He’s one of my best friends, just so happy for him. He works so hard. That’s a lot of goals, so it’s pretty impressive,” Josh Morrissey, a Winnipeg Jets defenceman said.
Despite his goal scoring prowess, Scheifele was not selected to play for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament this year. Analysts said he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder, because of it.
“A lot of teams would love to have a top line centre with that size and skills and skating ability that can play 20 plus minutes every night, and the Winnipeg Jets are lucky to have him. So yes, underappreciated around the NHL, but not in Winnipeg. They absolutely love him,” Martin Biron, a hockey analyst said on TSN’s SportsCentre.
Scheifele was also named the Region of Waterloo’s Athlete of the Year in 2016. He’s also the Jets franchise career overtime goal leader.While he is now the Jets and Thrashers goal leader, Scheifele said he’s still chasing Dale Hawerchuk’s record of 379 goals with the original Winnipeg Jets organization.
“I’m chasing a different guy. A guy that meant a lot to me and to this community. So, you know that one will be even more special,” Schiefele told Winnipeg Jets media on Monday.
