‘It’s something you dream of’

Sal is officially back with his NHL pals and is eager to get back up to speed.

The Swedish blue-liner made his season debut with the Winnipeg Jets in the Heritage Classic on Sunday in his return from off-season shoulder surgery. And Elias Salomonsson handled himself well despite his return to NHL action coinciding with the spectacle of an outdoor game.

Sure, there was the expected rust to shake off after being limited to two games with the Manitoba Moose last week, but the defenceman was immediately elevated into a second pairing role.

“He showed off his skating and first-pass ability,” said Jets head coach Scott Arniel. “His timing, some contact and practicing at NHL pace will help him get up to speed.”

Mainly partnered with Mario Ferraro, Salomonsson took 20 shifts for 17:39, leaving him third among Jets D-men in ice time, which included just over two minutes on the power play.

And he caught the attention of Ferraro, who was quick to offer some heady praise when asked about the defenceman’s skill set.

“He was itching to get out there,” said Ferraro. “It’s never easy dealing with an injury early in the season. You want to play. But he looked good. He had his head up, made some good outlet passes, some good entry plays and that’s his game. To get involved. He sees the ice really well.

“He’s got that vision and good skating that reminds me of Erik Karlsson,” continued Ferraro, who played with Karlsson for four seasons with the San Jose Sharks.

“He’s smooth, he’s calm with his game and he slows it down. It’s obviously early and it’s my first time seeing him but that’s my favourite part: you can see that he sees the ice really well and not a lot of guys can do that.”

“It’s never easy dealing with an injury early in the season. You want to play. But he looked good.”

Ferraro wasn’t necessarily suggesting that Salomonsson was on the verge of a Norris Trophy, but the comparison provides a glimpse of his potential to be an impact player.

Salomonsson had one shot on goal, five shot attempts, two hits and three blocked shots, but was on the ice for all three even-strength goals that were scored in the contest.

“Of course the pace is a little bit higher here in the NHL and it’s not a normal game for your first one,” said Salomonsson. “But I’m glad I got the opportunity to play in this kind of a game. It’s something you dream of when you’re a little bit younger. It was special.”

Skating on an outdoor rink isn’t as common in Sweden as it is in Canada, so that only added to the experience.

“It was really cool,” said Salomonsson. “I just tried to soak it in, really. But when the puck drops, there are two points on the line, so you try to stay in the game.

“You’re trying to get back into it and get the feel for the game and try to play your game. It’s getting better and better the more you play. I had good support from the guys. They made it easy for me.”

A second-round pick (55th overall) by the Jets in the 2022 draft, Salomonsson took massive strides forward last season, skating in the first 32 games of his NHL career.

No, the one goal and five points he produced last season weren’t eye-popping, but Salomonsson’s agility allowed him to be a sound defensive player with plenty of upside. Being able to establish himself as an NHL regular was a big accomplishment, though it didn’t happen without some early hiccups.

“My first couple of games, I tried to get a little bit of a feel for the league and I had to learn pretty quick there. There were some hard games,” he said. “I lost my confidence a little bit after those games. I got sent back down and had to build up my game again a bit.”

And that’s exactly what Salomonsson did.

“The next time I got called up, I really started figuring things out and started playing more and more minutes,” he said. “I’ll keep building on where I left off last year.”

Part of the building process is getting some reps on the second power-play unit. And being used on the man advantage isn’t foreign to Salomonsson, as he played the role at times with the Moose, but he’s been used in more of a defensive role while playing in North America.

“It’s fun. I think I have that game in me, too,” he said. “I haven’t played it so much the last couple of years, but I think I’ve got the skill to handle it. I’m going to use my shot as much as I can.”

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to play in this kind of a game. It’s something you dream of when you’re a little bit younger. It was special.”

The 22-year-old suffered a concussion late last season after he took a hard hit from Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson, but he returned in time for Game 2 of the Calder Cup playoff series between the Moose and Milwaukee Admirals.

Salomonsson then crashed awkwardly into the boards late in the third period of Game 3 and required off-season shoulder surgery, which was an unfortunate end to an otherwise successful campaign.

“That was tough. A little bit of a setback, but it was a learning experience,” said Salomonsson. “It was the first really big injury that I had, so it was a new thing for me. It’s better to have it in the off-season, rather than in the regular season.

“It was a lot of rehab, but I worked hard this summer to get to where I’m at. Now, I’m feeling good. The shoulder feels good and now I’ll just try to keep building on my game. I just want to take the next step.”

The Jets are expected to be without Josh Morrissey (wrist) for roughly another week or so and it’s possible Salomonsson is eventually paired with him

And while Salomonsson’s reintroduction with the Jets ended up being a 2-1 loss to the Canadiens on Monday, that dropped the club to 4-4-3 on the season, he’ll have another opportunity to shine in Tuesday’s tilt against the Florida Panthers.

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