Nighthawks captain Vigfusson thrives at NHL development camp

Adam Vigfusson couldn’t have authored a better ending to his first professional hockey experience.

Vigfusson scored the final goal during the Winnipeg Jets Development Camp, deking blocker side in a shootout attempt to give team Blue the victory in Friday’s scrimmage over team White in the last on-ice action of the camp.

Jets prospects, including 2023 first-rounder Brayden Yager rushed the ice to celebrate with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League player.

“That’s my go-to move and it worked out,” Vigfusson said with a big smile following the conclusion of the camp.

“All these guys have a future in the sport and to go through that was pretty special.”

Vigfusson was preparing for his first season at the NCAA division 1 level when he got the invitation from Jets director of player development Jimmy Roy to join the NHL team’s development camp as a free agent.

The Gimli product scored 61 points in 40 regular season games in his 20-year-old for the Niverville Nighthawks, captaining them to Turnbull and Centennial Cup championship wins.

“I was super eager to come out here and work with these guys and learn as much as possible,” Vigfusson said.

“It was such a cool experience and I loved every second of it.”

Fans might not have recognized Vigfusson on the ice at the Jets camp. After getting hit with a puck to the jaw late in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League season he returned wearing a bubble all throughout the league playoffs and at the Centennial Cup. Vigfusson dropped the full face protection for the NHL camp.

“It was definitely an adjustment,” he said with a chuckle.

“It felt good to be in a visor again.”

He was named tournament most valuable player at the Centennial Cup, drawing attention from Division 1 scouts and nabbing an NCAA offer. This development camp was the perfect place for Vigfusson to get a preview of what life at the collegiate level will look like.

Of the 32 players invited to Winnipeg’s development camp, 13 of them played last season at the Division 1 level in the NCAA, including three who played in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, the same league as St Cloud.

“Learning throughout camp was the main takeaway for me,” Vigfusson said.

“Learning from top end guys and seeing how much talent there is out here. It’s incredible and to be apart of it was awesome.”

Niverville head coach Dwight Hirst was a guest coach at the camp.