Jets Prospect Report - April 2025

Photos courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics

What a year it has been for Zach Nehring, a third-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 2023.

Last season, Nehring battled with concussion issues and put 14 points in 44 games with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. In 2024-25, his freshman campaign with Western Michigan, Nehring more than doubled that point total with 30 (13G, 17A).

“Yeah, I felt good. Really helped with my confidence to get that back and I think that made a huge difference in how successful I was on the ice. The coaching staff, they believed in me,” said Nehring.

“They brought me in, even though I didn’t have a great year and struggled with those injuries. They were able to help me out. They’re right in my corner as well as all the other guys on my team and it worked out, it was a lot of fun.”

Head coach Pat Ferschweiler recruited Nehring and said he could see that Nehring was over his injuries right from day one of camp.

“He’s big, he’s talented, he works extremely hard every day and has a great stick defensively and offensively. I couldn’t have been more excited to get Zach on campus,” said Ferschweiler.

“I knew he would score more here than he did in junior. Our style fits him better. We play at pace, we attack, all the things that are perfect for his game, and he makes basically a perfect Bronco.”

Ferschweiler knows all about winning and he believed in his group heading into the Frozen Four in St. Louis saying, ‘Nerves are for the unprepared, this team is prepared.’

It sure worked out for Nehring and the Broncos’ as they went to the Frozen Four for the first time in the school’s history. In the semifinals, Western Michigan beat Denver 3-2 in double overtime before locking down the first national title with an impressive 6-2 win over Boston University.

“Throughout the year, we were fortunate to experience all of the different situations throughout games like we found ourselves in a few double overtimes, overtime, we've been down three nothing, came back,” said Nehring.

“So, we're kind of in all those spots and that just made us super comfortable, it gave us that belief, as well as how we practice everything. We went through all the systems, our pre-scouting was unbelievable.”

Now Nehring and the Broncos have to do it all over again next season with every school in the country gunning for them as the national champs. Ferschweiler mentioned one thing that he wants to see from the 20-year-old starting in the fall.

He stretched out early, he’s 6'5, he can put on some weight and to play in the National Hockey League, he's gonna have to build his body, which I just talked to him about and he's willing to put in the work,” said Ferschweiler.

“I just talked to him about investing in himself and his future. He's gonna be a great college hockey player if he doesn't do one other thing. He already is, but our job now is to prepare him for the Winnipeg Jets and his future in pro hockey.”

Nehring’s confidence is high right now and for good reason after the success that he and Western Michigan had.

“I knew that I was a great player, and I just wanted to be able to prove that to everybody,” said Nehring.

“I think that just gave me that extra motivation in the gym in my off-ice training and on ice training. I really just put my head down and went to work, and I think that's exactly what I'm gonna do again this summer.”

OTHER PROSPECTS

-Kieron Walton (2024, 6^th round) Walton wrapped up an impressive season with the Sudbury Wolves where he put up 92 points (38G, 54A) in 66 games and added five points (1G, 4A) in five playoff games, the Wolves were knocked out of the OHL playoffs by Kingston. Walton signed his entry-level contract with the Jets on April 7 and made his AHL debut with the Manitoba Moose on April 11.

-Brayden Yager (2023, 1^st round) Yager and the Lethbridge Hurricanes are in the second round of the WHL Playoffs right now facing the Calgary Hitmen. Yager has nine points (4G, 5A) in nine playoff games.

-Kevin He (2024, 4^th round) He had a career best season with the Niagara IceDogs as he put up 75 points (36G, 39A) and pushed the IceDogs into the OHL Playoffs. Niagara was eliminated by the 2^nd seed Barrie Colts in five games, He had five points (3G, 2A) in those five playoff contests.

-Colby Barlow (2023, 1^st round) Barlow and the Oshawa Generals are in the second round of the OHL Playoffs facing the top seeded Brantford Bulldogs. The 19-year-old led the way for the Generals in Game 3 in a 7-3 win on home ice.

-Jacob Julien (2023, 5^th round) One thing that Julien has going for him is the tremendous amount of playoff experience that he has built over his three seasons with the London Knights. The 20-year-old has played 49 postseason games for the Knights including four at last year’s Memorial Cup. Julien has seven points in seven games this spring for London who are 7-0 so far heading into game 4 of their second round series with Erie. He signed his ELC with the Jets on March 6.

-Markus Loponen (2024, 5^th round) Loponen and the Victoria Royals are in the second round of the WHL Playoffs, the Finnish forward has three goals in eight playoff games.