Not many NHL players can say they have gone from Phoenix to Winnipeg. Brett MacLean is probably the first.
The 22-year-old forward joined the Jets today when the club picked him up off of waivers from the Coyotes. MacLean was selected by Phoenix in the second round in 2007 and has spent most of the last three seasons with the team's affiliates in San Antonio and Portland.
"It's very ironic," he said today after scrimmaging with the Jets, and scoring a goal. "I'm the one guy that's been a part of both organizations."
MacLean said the situation, and the mood, in Phoenix hasn't changed much. The team is still looking for an owner and remains under league control for now.
"It is the same as it was. Hopefully the team stays there."
Arriving in Winnipeg "is definitely different," he added. "Everywhere you look, it's Winnipeg Jets."
That's something he probably did not see a lot of in Phoenix, unless he was at the federal bankruptcy court.
Paul Waldie