The Winnipeg Jets are a victim of a lack of draft capital, not a poor draft table.

That they land at No. 20 in Elite Prospects’ Prospect Pool ranking despite having just 13 picks over the past three drafts proves it.

Up front, there’s a clear emphasis on intelligence and scoring upside, headlined by Cole Perfetti, the No. 15-ranked prospect on Elite Prospects’ top-100. There are a few notable exceptions, but those are often understandable swings on exceptional tools.

Winnipeg has consistently extracted top-64 value out of later-round picks, especially on the defensive end. In the past four drafts, they’ve added strong activators, offensive zone creators, and neutral zone play-killers with a blatant disregard for size. And we, frankly, love to see it. It’s why they’re punching up a weight class in this ranking.

It won’t be long before they start seeing returns on their drafting. Perfetti will likely be an NHLer within two years. They have several players about to battle it out for spots on the big team. And their long-term projects are filled with home run swings.