Last season was a mixed bag for Winnipeg Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff.Yes, the Jets were able to draft Patrik Laine with the second overall pick in June, landing a potential franchise-changing player. But it was a miserable ride to get there.The end result of the year to draft a player like that is exciting, Cheveldayoff said. The process of getting there is certainly agonizing. Were very fortunate to have won the draft lottery, to have the opportunity to pick second. When you have an opportunity like we did, to pick a Patrik Laine in the spot we did, those are things that help accelerate the process (for) an organization.The 18-year-old Laine is coming off of a year in which he scored 17 goals and 33 points in 46 games for Tappara of the Finnish League. A right winger, he has drawn comparisons to Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals and he held his own just fine for Finland at the World Cup of Hockey.Unlike Ovechkin, who was essentially a one-man team in his rookie year of 2005-06, Laine joins a Jets squad with Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien, Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault -- players who should allow Laine time to develop without having the responsibility of carrying the Jets on a nightly basis.Theres a lot of value to that, Cheveldayoff said. The different paths the players had. A guy like Blake Wheeler, who was a high draft pick and (had) a lot of expectations. Now hes at the pinnacle of his career with what he accomplished last year from an offensive perspective and, obviously, from a leadership perspective.Some things to watch for this season from Winnipeg:IN TROUBAOne of the hallmarks of Cheveldayoffs tenure as GM has been his stockpiling of young players. Now, he is faced with parting with one. Through his agent, defenseman Jacob Trouba publicly requested a trade during training camp. Trouba, 22, had six goals and 15 assists in 81 games last season, although the right-handed shooter was often put on the left side in his pairing.GOAL DRIVENOndrej Pavelec, Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson all saw significant time in goal for the Jets last season. Pavelec compiled a 2.78 goals-against average and .904 save percentage in 33 games. Hellebuyck recorded 2.34 GAA and .918 save percentage in 26 games, while Hutchinson had a 2.84 GAA and a .907 save percentage. So is the No. 1 job up for grabs? Cheveldayoff said he is looking for someone to step up.SPECIAL TEAMSOne of the reasons the Jets dropped 21 points in the standings last season was the poor play of their specialty units. Winnipeg had the leagues worst power play and the 25th ranked penalty kill. Were the problems schematic or execution?If you ask (head coach) Paul (Maurice) how his summer was, Im sure a lot of it was spent in the computer looking at different things with regards to those type of situations, Cheveldayoff said.MAKING HIS MARKOne of the bright spots for the Jets in 2015-16 was the play of Mark Scheifele. The seventh overall pick in the 2011 draft played in 71 games and finished with 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points. The Jets possess a formidable top line with Scheifele in the middle and Wheeler on right wing.WHEELING AND DEALINGWheeler, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound right wing for the Jets, finished last season with 26 goals and 78 points in 82 games, which helped the 30-year-old make Team USA for the World Cup of Hockey. While the U.S. bowed out meekly with three straight losses in the preliminary round, Cheveldayoff believes playing in the international tournament could benefit Wheeler.Youre going to grow from it, Cheveldayoff said. 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Diazs opponent is not yet set.Felix Diaz wants a big fight and he wants to stay on peoples radar, and you cant do that if you dont fight, DiBella said. He wants to fight [unified junior welterweight world champion] Terence Crawford, but he has to stay active and keep making a name for himself to get those kinds of fights. The win against Sammy Vasquez was a start. I look forward to seeing him back in the ring.Diaz, a 32-year-old southpaw who won an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic in 2008, can fight at either welterweight or junior welterweight. The only reason he fought his previous two bouts at welterweight, DiBella said, is because he was unable to get a meaningful fight at junior welterweight.Last October, Diaz lost a controversial majority decision in a welterweight bout to former junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Petersons hometown of Washington, D.ddddddddddddC. Then Diaz got the big win against Vasquez.We want to get him back in the ring this year, no matter what kind of fight it is, DiBella said. There isnt a big fight for him right now, but Felix Diaz is unlike a lot of fighters. He is willing to fight for the money that is there for the level of fight this will be. But he is extremely popular in the Dominican Republic, so he is going to fight on the island in sort of a homecoming fight.Diaz (18-1, 8 KOs) has not boxed in his home country since 2013.Well publicize the fight as much as we can and keep the pressure on everybody and try to force the issue that Felix Diaz deserves a big fight, DiBella said. Hes an Olympic gold medalist, extremely talented; he was crowd-pleasing against Sammy Vasquez, and the only loss of his career is a loss you can easily argue wasnt really a loss to Lamont Peterson. Felix Diaz is a beast in the ring, but he has to earn his shot and thats what he is doing. Credit to him. Hes going to stay active and force his way into a big fight. ' ' '