Hellebuyck getting creative with training during season pause for Jets

Connor Hellebuyck normally has his training and preparation routines down pat, but these days he is searching for new methods with the NHL season paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The Winnipeg Jets goalie said he hasn't been on skates since a 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on March 11, the day before the pause began.

"It's tough because no one's been through it before, so there's really no book, no right way to do this," Hellebuyck said Thursday. "Unfortunately, I'm not able to strap on the pads, and that's the most important part about being dialed in as a goalie, getting a feel and really getting the workload of being a goalie.

"Going for a run isn't going to keep me in goaltender shape. The most I can do is keep working out my goalie muscles, as I like to say a lot, and just keep my mind right. So when we do go back, I believe we'll have a training camp [and] that I'll already have the mind ready to start the training camp a little bit ahead of schedule."

Hellebuyck, who is 31-21-5 in 58 games (56 starts) with an NHL-high six shutouts, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage this season, said that while he's self-quarantined with his family in Michigan, he's been thinking about things he might do to enhance his goalie training in these unusual circumstances.

One amusing idea that came to mind was from the movie "She's Out of My League," which contains a scene where Jay Baruchel's character takes slap shots at his brother, who plays goalie up against a basement wall.

"I'm lucky I have my brother (Chris) in the house with me. He can probably shoot on me a little bit," Hellebuyck said. "He would just take clappers at me and I stand against the wall and try to make saves. I was considering doing that, but I still don't know how much that would translate. Mainly, what I've been trying to do is watch highlights and watching other goalies and highlights of that, and try to kind of live in the moment with that, trying to picture myself in those moments to keep my reads of the game still up and dialed in."

Hellebuyck has been increasingly dialed in this season. In 16 starts since Feb. 1, he's 10-5-1 with two shutouts, a 2.15 GAA and a .934 save percentage. He helped the Jets (37-28-6) move up to the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference at the pause, and to fourth place in the Central Division, two points behind the third-place Dallas Stars.

"I think I came in with the right mindset," Hellebuyck said. "I was ready to prove myself. I had another year under my belt, so I had a little more experience. Not only that, I had this new chest pad that I finally had figured out. It took all training camp to really fine tune some things. Once I finally had my trigger, which I'm going to keep as a secret for me, once I had that figured out, things were falling into place."

Hellebuyck is being discussed as a candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and even the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP.

"Well, it's an honor just to be mentioned with some of those great guys around the League, and this year has been such a grind and I've had a blast doing it," Hellebuyck said. "It would be a great milestone, and it would definitely be one of my goals achieved, but at the end of the day, what I truthfully want is the Stanley Cup and a chance to win it. So anything that gets me closer to that, I would do for sure."