Jamie Kompon on Trevor Lewis Joining the Winnipeg Jets: “It Was a Seamless Transition”
- Updated: January 18, 2021
(Photo credit: Lewis/Mike Deal-Winnipeg Free Press; Kompon/Jonathan Kozub-Getty Images)
His tenure with the Los Angeles Kings may have been underrated but never was it — nor will it ever be — underappreciated.
After being drafted in 2006, it took four years for Trevor Lewis to become a full-time King. Like many players who had developed within the organization during that time, the wait was longer but worthwhile nonetheless.
When he did join the club on a full-time basis, Trevor Lewis was immediately integral to the Kings’ success, establishing himself as a key figure in the club’s defense-first state of mind. While finding his name on the scoresheet may have been somewhat of a rarity, Lewis’s defensive play — especially on the penalty-kill — made the Salt Lake City native a fan favourite in Los Angeles for many years. Heck, Lewis’s contributions were front-and-center en route to the Kings’ Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. The former, by the way, he celebrated with Kings then-assistant coach, Jamie Kompon.
Photo Credit: John Delaney (Winnipeg Jets)
Now, Lewis has reunited with Kompon.
After nearly a decade-and-a-half with the organization, Trevor Lewis moved on from the Kings organization in 2020. Having been invited by the Winnipeg Jets on a professional tryout earlier this month, Lewis made the team, joining Kompon, who has been a part of the club’s coaching staff since 2016.
I recently spoke with Kompon about reuniting with Lewis and what the wily veteran brings to an exciting Jets squad.
“It was a seamless transition,” the Jets associate coach said of Lewis’s addition to the team. “I’ve known Trevor since he was drafted into the NHL with the Kings, so we have a real strong relationship.”
For many teams, a resume that includes being a penalty-killing expert with two Stanley Cups under his belt is, in a manner of speaking, a sight for sore eyes. Yet, while he certainly had a few options to consider, Lewis liked Winnipeg for, among other reasons, the connections he had from Los Angeles, which is not limited to the Jets associate.
“Having Nate Thompson and Derek Forbort, who he’s very familiar with, already signed, I think that made his comfort level that much easier,” Kompon noted. “Then, knowing myself and [new Jets assistant coach] Dave Lowry who coached [in Los Angeles] for two years, I think that was really critical in his decision, also.”
Beyond his connections to the Kings, Lewis has a desire not only to continue playing but to suit up for a team that complements his style as a competitor.
“Trust me, he’s been on our radar for a long time,” Kompon emphasized. “He’s a player that fits perfectly and complements perfectly into what we’re trying to build with our third and fourth lines.”
At the end of the day, Kompon and his staff are looking for players with the right attitude. For Kompon and company, Lewis fits as someone who can help lead the younger Jets players find greater success, both as a team and individually.
“Trevor is just a model player,” beamed Kompon. “He is a great human being and a great player in terms of his role and what he brings to the team. You walk into our dressing room and no one has any Stanley Cups. So, when you walk into the room with two Stanley Cups, you get instantaneous respect. But, you would never know by the way Trevor carries himself.”
Photo credit: Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images
And dating back to his days in the AHL, it is Lewis’s blue-collar drive that sets him apart from so many.
“He comes to work every day and leads,” a matter-of-fact Kompon continued. “He’s a quiet leader in terms of how he lets his play speak for himself and his work ethic. We needed a top-notch penalty-killer and he’s done that his whole career. Then, on the bench last game, he was terrific with all our young kids and all our players. That line now has an identity with him, [Nate Thompson] and Mathieu Perreault. Nate and Trevor kill penalties together, [Perreault] plays on the power play, so that’s really important to have that identity of a fourth line. But, they go out and spend some time in the offensive zone. They know their role and know how to provide energy.”
Overall, it comes back to having the right attitude, and Lewis impressed at Jets camp. After all, turning a PTO into a contract is not an achievement to take lightly.
“When he came to camp on a PTO, we were confident in what he showed me in his first practice that we were going to flip it to an NHL contract,” Kompon reflected. “So, he was excited and we’re excited to have him.”
Trevor Lewis and the Winnipeg Jets have played just one game so far this season, but it was a promising outing.
Trailing 3-1 to the Calgary Flames this past Thursday, the Jets stormed back to a 4-3 overtime win. As for Lewis, he played 9:12 of total ice time and helped the Jets kill off two of the three penalties they had. On Monday, Lewis and the Jets are in Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs where they hope to continue their winning ways.
To suggest that Trevor Lewis is an unsung hero, though, would be quite the understatement.
The 34-year-old is determined to prove that he still has a lot left in the tank, and turning his PTO into an NHL contract was certainly an ideal way of proving that.
From Lewis, Thompson and Forbort to Kompon and Lowry, some may even call the Winnipeg Jets the unofficial “Kings of the North”. Although, in fairness, since yours truly just thought of that moniker, it is doubtful to gain much momentum. Even Jets assistant coach Charlie Huddy — the owner of five championship rings as a player — briefly played for the Kings, albeit with no direct association to the aforementioned names prior to Winnipeg.
Nevertheless, while it was certainly emotional for the Los Angeles Kings and their ever-loyal fanbase to part ways with Trevor Lewis, there is very little — if any — reservation in wishing the veteran the best of luck and even rooting him on in the ‘Peg. After all, due to this season’s unique divisional alignment, it’s not as if the Kings and Jets will have to play each other. Not during the regular season, at least.
Whichever way you look at it, it is hard for Kings fans not to cheer on Trevor Lewis and also — perhaps with the exception of the 2013 and ‘14 Western Finals — Jamie Kompon: two of the genuinely good men in hockey.
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One Comment
About Ryan Cowley
Liza Ramirez
January 18, 2021 at 10:31 am
Nice article Ryan! 😁