Jeffers goaltender Mathias Anderson gloves a shot against Hancock during an exhibition game Thursday at Dee Stadium in Houghton. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — With a veteran-laden group, the Jeffers Jets hockey team appears poised to take another step this season after closing out the 2021-22 season with five wins in their last 11 games. While they are still young, with three sophomores on the roster, there is a feeling that the Jets are starting from a place of strength.

Coach Pat Nettell is excited to see his team hit the ice this season, especially after their performance in the scramble on Thursday at Dee Stadium.

“(I) wasn’t real happy with our first game, but we livened up with our second,” he said. “We even played a little bit better in our third. That’s really great for our kids to go scrimmage teams like that, to show them where we need to be, how much harder we have to work, and the things we have to do.”

The Jets return nine of their Top 10 scorers from last season, including sophomore forward Benton Rajala, who racked up eight of his 13 points over his last 12 games.

“Benton had 12 points towards the end of the season in some high-ranked games,” said Nettell. “It was awesome.”

Junior Kailob Bianco had a similar run in the second half of the season. He scored eight of his 10 points over a six-game stretch.

Considering the amount of progress both players made, Nettell hopes they both can continue to make such strides this season.

Another sophomore forward that Nettell and his staff will be counting on is Cody Turner. Turner potted seven goals as a freshman, all seven over a seven-game stretch from Jan. 22 through Feb. 12.

“Cody, he’s a sophomore,” said assistant coach Darin Johnson. “Where he started the season last year to where he’s starting the season this year, is not even comparable. He’s playing with some confidence, a little bit of swag.”

Sophomore forward Brit Heinonen closed last season strong, scoring four points in a three-game span. He finished with two goals and eight points on the season.

The quartet will all be expected to build on their growth.

During the scramble, the Jets showed team speed, something they have struggled with during Nettell’s tenure. He hopes that was just a small fraction of what they can show in key games throughout the season.

“I want to say this is the best team Jeffers has had in many, many, many years,” Nettell said. “They are all veteran players. We have speed. We have skill. Now we just have to find the back of the net.

“I think that’ll come. Our freshmen players last year, towards the middle of the season, started pumping in points.”

On the back end, the Jets feature an experienced blue line corps with four seniors, Kyle Heltunen, Bryant Collins, Brok Holombo, and Tood Rautiola.

Three of the four scored at least four points last season. The other, Collins, appears poised to put up points this season by utilizing his speed getting up the ice.

In goal, the Jets return senior goaltender Simon Rajala. A fourth-year starter at this point, the Jets will lean heavily on him to get through tough games this season. Rajala went 4-11-2 last season with a 3.55 goals against average.

“He’s got to adjust a couple of things,” said Nettell. “He’s been here for four years, so other players know him.”

His backup again this season will be junior Mathias Anderson. Anderson had a rough start to his first season with the Jets, but he finished with a 3-1 record with a 3.21 goals against average.

Nettell likes his size, and feels that he is already showing signs of confidence to start the season, after he held the Hancock Bulldogs to just two goals during the scramble.

“I thought he did a great job against Hancock (in the scramble), and he really impressed me, which is really good,” Nettell said. “He’s gonna find himself in some good, good, higher-end games. He gave me confidence, and he gave the team confidence.”

The Jets play a strong schedule this season, including facing the Calumet Copper Kings and the Bulldogs twice. They are also set to face Sault Ste. Marie in early February before taking on University Liggett eight days later in Calumet.

Nettell is excited about how the schedule plays out this season.

“We’re starting to get noticed,” said Nettell. “But, we just have to give a good showing when we do play them. We’re finally getting some of these high-quality games, but the bottom line is we have to compete.”

The Jets, on paper, are an improved team heading into the season. The question that lingers for them is who will put the puck in the net, as they will need goals to continue to build their resume throughout the season.