Iafallo fitting in, seeking big fish in Winnipeg with Jets

EDMONTON -- As an outdoor enthusiast, Alex Iafallo was delighted to be traded to the Winnipeg Jets from the Los Angeles Kings.

The 29-year-old native of Eden, New York, was acquired with forwards Rasmus Kupari, Gabriel Vilardi and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft for center Pierre-Luc Dubois on June 27. The first thing Iafallo did when arriving in Winnipeg was scout the best fishing spots in the province of Manitoba.

"It's nice, there's a lot of outdoor stuff, especially when it's warm, it's been fun," Iafallo said before setting up the tying goal in a 3-2 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday. "Some of the boys have been showing me around. It's been a good time fishing -- bigger fish for sure. There's a lot of fish out there in the Red River and all that kind of stuff."

It did not take Iafallo long to get a lay of the land.

"I came in a little early nobody was really in town," he said. "There [were] about four or five guys, so on the weekends I would just try to find a good spot, and then once everybody got back, they were showing me all the good spots."

The quality fishing spots have helped Iafallo get comfortable in his new surroundings and fit in seamlessly. He has four points (three goals, one assist) in his first five games with the Jets (2-3-0), who play the St. Louis Blues at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday (8:45 p.m. ET; TSN3, BSMW).

Iafallo set up Vladislav Namestnikov's short-handed goal at 18:21 of the third period to tie the game 2-2 against the Oilers on Saturday. He beat goalie Stuart Skinner in a race for a loose puck before rounding the net and finding Namestnikov in front. The sequence was a prelude to Mark Scheifele's game-winner at 3:53 of overtime.

"That was a great play, Alex has been playing awesome for us," Scheifele said. "It was a great job by 'Vladdy' to get in there and the kill came up big for us against a really good (power play). It was a big goal there."

Winnipeg rallied from down 2-0 in the first to defeat the Oilers. Iafallo played left wing on a line with captain Adam Lowry and right wing Nino Niederreiter.

"He has fit in, and one thing about him, he was very excited with the trade that he was coming to Winnipeg," Jets coach Rick Bowness said. "He was very happy with that, so he came into camp and into the team with a great attitude. Everything I heard about him, his versatility, his compete, his practice habits, being a great teammate, he's lived up to all of it. He kills penalties for us, he plays the power play, you can move him from right wing to left wing. He's been a great fit. He's been a great addition to our team."

Bowness is not an outdoors person and admitted he hasn't been helpful in finding good fishing spots for Iafallo. But when it comes to finding a role on the ice, the coach has been effective.

"Everybody's been great here helping me out, 'Gabe' and 'Kup,' trying to get used to the systems and stuff like that," Iafallo said. "We go over a lot of video and stuff like that, it's been helpful. I knew a bunch of guys coming here, so it was nice that I had those relationships right away. It's easier and it transfers on the ice. You can talk more, and it helps learning the systems and things like that. It's good to have that, for sure."

Iafallo was not selected in the NHL Draft out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth but signed with the Kings on April 19, 2017, and played six years in Los Angeles. He had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games last season and four points (three goals, one assist) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"He's been great," Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said. "He's a super-smart player. He can play a lot of different positions on the ice, up and down the lineup and special teams. It's his versatility that I think makes him such a special player and it gives us a lot of options of where he can play. Then you see his scoring touch and knack around the net, and I think he's been a huge addition for us. In the locker room he's fit in right away, he's a great guy and guys love him."

Iafallo also fished during his free time in Los Angeles, but it was different than what he's experienced in Manitoba with its variety of lakes and rivers.

"I'd spear fished, but I didn't know much about the ocean fishing-wise, so I didn't really mess around with that," he said. "I had a good friend that would show me how to spear fish, and that's a little different than shore fishing."

Playing in a Canadian market has been a new experience. Iafallo is enjoying every minute of it.

"It is definitely different in that aspect, the fans and the atmosphere have been great the last few games," he said. "Just walking around, you see a lot more jerseys in the grocery store and stuff like that, so that's pretty cool to be able to experience that."

Prior to defeating the Oilers on Saturday, Winnipeg had a three-game homestand, where they hosted the Kings in their second game, a 5-1 loss Oct. 17. Iafallo had one shot on goal in 16:29 of ice time.

"Yeah, it was good to get that over with early, see them and move on," he said. "I think we only go there once this year too, so we'll see how that goes but we have to beat them next time."