Blake Wheeler's time as captain is over in Winnipeg

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Jeff Drouin
September 16, 2022 (11:47)

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The Winnipeg Jets announced Friday that the team will play the 2022-23 season without a captain. Blake Wheeler, who spent the last 12 seasons with the franchise, had been captain of the Jets since 2016 and thus had his letter removed.

JETS ANNOUNCE LEADERSHIP GROUP RESTRUCTURING

The Winnipeg Jets announced today a restructuring of the team's leadership group ahead of the 2022-23 season.

"It is the determination of the coaching staff that we will enter the 2022-23 season without a specific captain, but rather a group of assistants still to be determined," said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. "It is our goal to expand the leadership base within our hockey team. We have high expectations for our core players and we want to provide them with the opportunity to step into those greater leadership roles as a group."

Jets head coach Rick Bowness and forward Blake Wheeler will be available to the media at 12:00 p.m. at Bell MTS Iceplex.

In 65 games last season, the 36-year-old forward scored 17 goals and totaled 60 points. He is signed over the next two seasons at a cap hit of $8.25 million, the Jets' highest.

That's not the only change the organization has undergone this offseason. Rick Bowness was hired earlier this summer after the Jets missed the playoffs last season while playing under interim coaches Dave Lowry and Paul Maurice, who resigned during the season. Winnipeg had made the playoffs for five consecutive seasons before finishing sixth in the Central Division with a 39-32-11 record last year.

Wheeler and head coach Rick Bowness will address the change at a press conference at approximately 1:00 p.m. this afternoon.