Mark Scheifele

Mark Scheifele (born March 15, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Scheifele was born on March 15, 1993, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, to parents Brad and Mary Lou.

His father played gridiron in high school and Brad's brother, Kyle, helped lead the football team for four years at the University of Guelph.

As the youngest of three siblings, Scheifele was raised in a Christian family and attended Grandview Baptist Kitchener every Sunday.

Scheifele grew up playing minor hockey in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario, playing for the Kitchener Jr. Rangers rep program in the Alliance Pavilion League.

Scheifele originally played as a defenceman before being moved to a forward position.

While playing minor hockey, Scheifele said he wore the number 55 because he wanted to be like his older brother Kyle.

He attended Grand River Collegiate Institute for high school, during which he competitively played volleyball, basketball, badminton, and track and field.

Scheifele only began to specifically focus on hockey when he was 16 years old.

After his minor midget season in 2008–09, Scheifele was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Saginaw Spirit in the seventh round of the 2009 OHL Priority Selection.

His rights were later traded to the Barrie Colts and he was drafted seventh overall by the Winnipeg Jets.

After his minor midget season in 2008–09, Scheifele was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Saginaw Spirit in the seventh round of the 2009 OHL Priority Selection.

However, he failed to make their roster and was assigned to his hometown Kitchener Dutchmen Jr.B. club for a year of seasoning in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (OHA).

During his time with the Dutchmen, he began to be noticed by universities and offered NCAA scholarships.

Although he originally committed to play for the Cornell Big Red men's ice hockey team, he opted to forgo his commitment to play in the OHL.

Following the 2009–10 season, Scheifele's playing rights were traded by the Spirit (along with a second-round choice in 2013) to the Barrie Colts in exchange for goaltender Mavric Parks.

Early in his rookie season with the Colts, Scheifele was awarded the OHL's Central Division Academic Award for the month of October and ranked second on the team in scoring.

He was subsequently invited to the 2010 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game at the WFCU Centre.

He was selected by the Jets in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, becoming the Jets' first-ever draft pick after relocating from Atlanta.

Scheifele grew up playing minor ice hockey in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario, playing for the Kitchener Jr. Rangers rep program in the Alliance Pavilion League.

Prior to the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Scheifele was ranked 19th overall amongst OHL prospects and 16th among North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Ultimately, he was selected seventh overall by the Winnipeg Jets, the organization's first draft pick since relocating to Winnipeg from Atlanta.

Scheifele attended the Winnipeg Jets training camp prior to the 2011–12 season and played in their exhibition games.

He also announced he would wear the jersey number 55 since his favourite number 19 was taken by Jim Slater.

During the pre-season, he scored two goals and two assists in an exhibition game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, earning the first star.

On October 3, 2011, the Jets announced that they had signed Scheifele to an entry-level contract, and that he would start the season on Winnipeg's NHL roster.

Scheifele subsequently made his NHL debut on October 6, 2011, and scored his first career NHL goal on October 19, 2011, against James Reimer of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After playing in seven games, he was re-assigned to the OHL and rejoined the Barrie Colts to continue his development.

After the Colts were eliminated from the OHL playoff race, he was called up by the Jets to play for their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps for the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs.

In September, he was named an assistant captain on the Colts, alongside Alex Lepkowski and Steven Beyers.

Scheifele participated in the Jets' training camp ahead of the 2012–13 season, and played in four games with the team, before being sent back down to the Colts.

Scheifele remained with the Colts for the duration of the season, recording 79 points in 45 regular season games.

During the OHL playoffs, he recorded 39 points in 19 games, including four goals in Game 4 against the London Knights to nearly qualify for the Memorial Cup.

Scheifele played his first full NHL campaign during the 2013–14 season.

Throughout his tenure with the Jets, Scheifele has helped lead the team offensively and has served as a leader in the dressing room.

After making his senior debut at the 2014 IIHF World Championship, Scheifele won his first IIHF World Championship gold medal in 2016 and was named his hometowns Athlete of the Year.

During the 2015–16 season, he surpassed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his professional career and scored his first NHL hat-trick.

As a result, he finished the regular season with a then-career high 61 points in 71 games and lead the team in goals.

He followed that season up by leading the Jets in scoring and finished seventh in the league with 82 points in 79 games.

Scheifele has competed for Team Canada at both the junior and national level at international tournaments.