NEW YORK — He’s still rattles off every team-first cliche imaginable in each interview. And he most certainly hasn’t lost that ‘so-cool-to-be-in-the-National-Hockey-League’ twinkle in his eyes.
So, don’t let the little starter-goatee he’s working on fool you: everything about Mark Scheifele that endeared him to Winnipeg Jets fans from the very first moment his name was called out at the 2011 NHL Draft — that boyish enthusiasm and burning passion for the game — still oozes from his every pore.
And yet, even with all that there has been an obvious maturity to Scheifele’s game since he was first introduced to Jets Nation, and it’s represented by more than just the two goals he’s potted through two wins.