Dylan Samberg excited for continued growth with Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg (54) shoots in the second period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series in Dallas, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg says he’s excited to be back in Winnipeg for another three seasons.

On Wednesday, the club announced it reached a new deal with Samberg hours before the two sides were scheduled for an arbitration hearing.

“There’s some nerves that go into it, especially as you get down to the deadline and what not, but I’m glad we were able to agree on a deal and get things moving forward,” Samberg said.

Samberg’s new deal will pay him $5.75 million annually for the next three NHL seasons.

“You always want to have longer term… but sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way [when] both sides just can’t agree,” he said. “I have on year of proving myself and I want to continue to add more years onto that and prove that I belong here.”

The 26-year-old was drafted by the Jets in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft. Samberg made the full-time jump to the NHL three seasons ago and established himself as a top-4 blueliner during the 2024-25 campaign while setting career highs in goals and points.

“It’s a tough league, and everyone wants to get there,” Samberg explained. “It’s hard to make it to the league, but it’s even harder to stay there.”

Samberg says he was happy with how he handled moving up to the Jets second pairing and logging more minutes against other team’s top lines. In fact, he tied for sixth in the NHL in plus/minus rating.

“I’m excited for next year, and I want to continue to grow on that second pair,” he said. “Playing alongside Neal Pionk has been awesome, and all the guys have been great to me over the years.”

The Winnipeg Jets won the Presidents’ Trophy after finishing with the best regular season record in the NHL but fell to the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The team is heading into the 2025-26 campaign with Winnipeg native Jonathan Toews joining the fray and top-line winger Gabe Vilardi re-upping on a six-year deal.

“It shows that guys want to stay here,” Samberg said. “We’re very tight-knit and very close and had a fun year. It’s always fun when you’re winning, and we want to continue to do that.”

Samberg added he’s looking forward to putting down roots in Winnipeg for another few years.

“It reminds me a lot of home—just less trees up there,” the Minnesota native said. “The weather’s the same from where I grew up, and everything’s pretty much the same. Everyone’s really been nice and welcoming, which is great.”

“I think we have a really good group here and a really good chance of making something special.”