Winnipeg Jets' Pionk cleared for Vancouver; Scheifele visits Penticton Vees

Head coach Scott Arniel provided a set of timely roster updates as the winnipeg jets prepare to resume play on Feb. 25 ET in Vancouver, saying Neal Pionk is ready to return and that Colin Miller has resumed skating and will undergo an IR skate. Separately, Jets forward Mark Scheifele — a part-owner of the Penticton Vees — made a special visit to that WHL expansion club this week.

Winnipeg Jets injury updates

Arniel outlined the status of three defensemen ahead of the club's three-game road trip that begins in Vancouver on Feb. 25 ET. Colin Miller is back on the ice and scheduled for an IR skate on Wednesday. Miller has been out of the lineup since suffering a lower-body injury on Dec. 21 and had recorded one assist and a minus-8 through 15 games this season before his absence.

Neal Pionk, who had not played since Jan. 13 after a lower-body injury sustained when he blocked a shot, is being treated as a possibility for the upcoming road trip and has been described as ready to play in Vancouver. Before his injury absence Pionk had two goals and six assists through 40 games.

Haydn Fluery remains out and is being handled week-to-week; Arniel said he is improving but will need time to regain conditioning. Fluery had been pointless through 17 games this season prior to his injury-related absence.

Mark Scheifele's Penticton visit

Mark Scheifele served a ceremonial role with the Penticton Vees on Feb. 20, reading the Vees’ starting lineup ahead of that club’s game in Brandon. Scheifele, a first-round pick of the Jets in 2011 and age 32, is a part-owner of the expansion Vees alongside former NHL goaltender Mike Richter; Graham Fraser is the team’s majority owner. He was introduced to the Vees’ locker room by head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson.

Penticton opened an extended Eastern Conference road swing with a 4-0 loss in Brandon on Feb. 20, the first of six games across Canada’s prairies. The Vees were scheduled to visit the Regina Pats on Feb. 21 with a chance to set a new WHL record for most wins by a team in its first season. The club needed one more win to surpass the 2003-04 Everett Silvertips and two wins to tie the 1982-83 Longueuil Chevaliers for most wins in a Canadian Hockey League franchise’s first campaign.

What to watch on the road trip

The immediate observable benchmark is the roster configuration for the Feb. 25 ET opener in Vancouver. If Neal Pionk is available for the trip, the team would regain a defenseman who had contributed two goals and six assists in 40 games prior to his absence; if he is unavailable, the club will continue managing without him while waiting on conditioning updates for those still rehabbing. Colin Miller’s return to on-ice activity also offers a clearer timeline for another player who has been sidelined since late December.

• Key takeaway: Pionk is ready for Vancouver; Miller is skating; Fluery remains week-to-week.