Winnipeg Jets complete Day 2 of NHL Draft, re-sign Haydn Fleury – Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca
After the selection of 18-year-old defenceman Sascha Boumedienne with the 28th overall selection during Friday night’s first round of the NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, the Winnipeg Jets kicked off Day Two on Saturday by signing pending unrestricted free agent blueliner Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $950,000US.
The Fleury signing will leave the Jets with nine defencemen on one-way contracts, once an expected agreement has been reached with pending restricted free agent Dylan Samberg.
Fleury played in 39 games for Winnipeg last season and had seven assists before adding two more helpers in the eight playoff games he appeared in.
After that, the Jets got down to the business of “stocking their cupboard” with future talent by selecting Spokane Cheifs Center Owen Martin of Oakbank, Swedish RW Viktor Klingsell, LSD Edison Engle of the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers and Dubuque Fighting Saints, and RRW Jacob Cloutier of the OHL Saginaw Spirit in the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds respectively.
Martin is just the third Manitoba born player, and first from the Winnipeg area to be drafted by the 2.0 version of the Jets since the NHL returned to the city in 2011. During a Zoom media availability, the 18-year-old, six-foot tall, 185-pound pivot told reporters the historic significance of the pick was appreciated.
Goalie Jason Kasdorf of Portage la Prairie was a sixth round selection in the Jets 2.0 inaugural draft of 2011, while Brandon-born centre Jordan Stallard of the Calgary Hitmen was taken in the fifth round in 2016.
“I was on the phone with some one from the Jets and they told me that I am the first home town kid to be drafted by the Jets. I think that’s just unbelievable. Super cool for me, my family — all my friends,” said Martin, who suffered a slight fracture and partially-torn tendons in his foot blocking a shot during a game in November, limiting him to 39 regular-season games for Spokane where he played for ex-Winnipeg assistant coach Brad Lauer.
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“Obviously coming back from the NHL he’s got a lot of experience and he really brought that to our team,” said Martin, who scored 13 goals and added 21 assists for 34 points in his second full WHL season.
“He expects a lot out of me headiing into next year, keep my development going overall, offensively and defensively.”
Jets director of amateur scouting Mark Hillier says it was a good overall draft for the organization, but left no doubt the highlight was getting Boumedienne at 28th overall.
“Our final meetings were in May but then we’re meeting every week on Zoom after May,” Hillier told reporters via Zoom availability on Saturday afternoon, following the completion of the draft. “I make it clear that everybody’s got their individual list, but when we start the draft here it’s the Winnipeg Jets list and we’re not straying off it in the first round.
“We had probably three players that we were comfortable in taking that were left on the board and we had them rated higher. Boumidienne was at the top of that list and he was going to be our guy.”
Hillier described Owen Martin as a “an intriguing guy for us” with good size, a good skater, a good two-way game. And when it came to Viktor Klingsell, who was thought — at least by some — to go a lot higher than 156th overall in round five, Hillier responded by saying “hopefully he’s a steal.”
Hiller says the five-foot-11-inch, 188-pound winger is a player the Jets liked all year long. “He’s a well-known player, not the biggest. We met him at the combine — he has a real solid frame on him, he can really skate, has really good speed and played in all the international tournaments this year.”
All five of the Jets 2025 draft picks are expected to attend the team’s development camp, which will feature on-ice sessions Tuesday-Friday at the Hockey For All practice facility in Headingley.
Seven Manitoba products selected in the draft
Winnipeg Jets third-rounder Owen Martin was joined by a half dozen other Manitoba-born players who were taken over the seven rounds of the 2025 NHL entry draft.
Everett Silver Tips forward Carter Bear of West St. Paul was drafted 13th overall by Detroit on night one. Pittsburgh traded up in the second round to select defenceman Peyton Kettles (Winnipeg) of the Swift Current Broncos 39th overall while Red Deer Rebels centre Matthew Gard (Winnipeg) was taken 18 picks later — 57th overall by Philadelphia.
Another trade to move up the draft ladder saw Montreal make a swap with Boston in round three to take Kelowna Rockets centre Hayden Paupanekis (Winnipeg) 69th overall.
Goalie Burke Hood (Brandon) of the Vancouver Giants and Brandon Wheat Kings RW Brady Turko (McCreary) went in the sixth (170th) and seventh (200th) rounds respectively to cap off a very successful day for the Keystone Province.
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