MARK Scheifele didn’t set the world on fire with his scoring touch at the commencement of his NHL career.
The 25-year-old Kitchener, Ont., product accumulated just 29 goals in his first four years in the Winnipeg Jets organization — and then equalled that total in Year 5 of the project.
Indeed, he was no Patrik Laine, Elias Pettersson, Alex DeBrincat, Brock Boeser or Mathew Barzal — kids who made an immediate splash with their finishing flair.
Remember, Scheifele, the first-ever draft choice (seventh overall in 2011) of the Jets 2.0, made the opening-night roster out of training camp as an 18-year-old, but lasted seven games and lit the lamp once.