Winnipeg Jets news — Dale Hawerchuk is the franchise’s all-time goals king again. The NHL announced Thursday that it is consolidating the history of the Winnipeg Jets, combining the original Jets (1979-1996) and the current Jets (2011-present) into a single franchise record book ahead of the new season. Just like that, Hawerchuk’s name is back on top: 379 goals and 929 points as a Jet, records that Mark Scheifele spent a decade chasing down — and now gets to chase again.
By Maplestime Sports Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | September 24, 2026
Sources: NHL.com | TSN | Sportsnet | Last updated: September 24, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The NHL is combining Jets 1.0 (1979-1996) and Jets 2.0 (2011-present) into one franchise history; the Atlanta Thrashers era (1999-2011) gets folded in with other relocated franchises, as the league does for all moved teams.
- Dale Hawerchuk retakes the franchise records for goals (379) and points (929). Thomas Steen retakes the assists record (553).
- Mark Scheifele opens the season at 372 goals, 535 assists and 907 points — needing 8 goals, 19 assists and 23 points to reclaim all three records.
- Scheifele set single-season franchise records last year with 48 goals and 101 points, and sits at 949 career games — 1,000 is in reach this season.
What changed, exactly
For 15 years, the Jets’ record book started in 2011, when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and took the Jets name. The original Jets — the WHA dynasty, the 1980s barn-burners, Hawerchuk, Steen, Selanne’s rookie magic — lived in a separate ledger, the way the league treats most relocated franchises.
That is over. The NHL has decided the two Winnipeg eras are one continuous story. Commissioner Gary Bettman reached back to 2011 to explain it: “When we decided to go back into Winnipeg we talked about having the name and the history as part of that discussion.” On Thursday, the league made it official: Jets 1.0 and 2.0, one continuous history. The Atlanta years go into the relocated-franchise file, where they belong.
The new — old — record book
Here is how the leaderboard reads now:
- Goals: Dale Hawerchuk, 379. Scheifele sits 8 back at 372.
- Assists: Thomas Steen, 553. Scheifele sits 19 back at 535.
- Points: Dale Hawerchuk, 929. Scheifele sits 23 back at 907.
It is hard to overstate what this means in this city. Hawerchuk, who died in 2020, was the face of the first Jets — the 18-year-old phenom who scored 103 points as a rookie and carried the franchise through the 1980s. Steen, the Swedish two-way centre, played his entire 14-season NHL career in Winnipeg. For a generation of fans, these were the records that mattered, and the league just said: you were right all along.
Scheifele’s chase starts October 2
The timing could not be better for drama. Scheifele, coming off a season in which he set franchise single-season records with 48 goals and 101 points, opens the 2026-27 campaign within striking distance of all three marks. He also sits at 949 career games — play all 82 and he hits 1,000 in a Jets jersey.
The regular season opens October 2 against the Boston Bruins, with one last preseason tune-up Friday in Colorado. Every Scheifele goal from here on is not just a goal; it is a step toward rewriting a record book that was rewritten this morning.
So here is the question Winnipeg will argue about all season: does the kid from Kitchener catch Hawerchuk this year, or does the old guard hold the line? October 2 cannot come fast enough.
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