Samuel Hrenák didn’t try to hide his excitement. Grinning ear to ear, joy palpable, the 6-foot-3 Slovakian goaltender amplified it for everyone to see.Speaking to Jets media shortly after being selected No. 71, the second-highest pick Winnipeg has ever used on a goaltender, Hrenák wanted everyone to know he was ecstatic.“Today, when I was awake at 4 a.m., I couldn’t think of wearing any other jersey than the Winnipeg Jets,” Hrenák said. “And I’m not saying that because it sounds good … I’m excited and I’m so grateful that I can be part of this amazing organization.”The 18-year-old’s enthusiasm was enough to pause the cynicism that follows Winnipeg’s precipitous fall from first to 26th place. The Jets’ poor season may yet have large consequences but, for one post-draft moment, Hrenák’s expression of joy was enough to distract from ongoing speculation about the team’s future.Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL DraftScott WheelerThen Hrenák started talking about Connor Hellebuyck.“I think he’s the best goalie in the NHL right now,” Hrenák said. “Hopefully, I will have time to meet him and talk with him … It’s an amazing thing to be in the same organization.”Winnipeg’s franchise goaltender is not guaranteed to be a part of the team next season. Hellebuyck’s frustration with the team’s step backward led to trade talks that continued right up until the draft began. Discussion went deep with the Buffalo Sabres, but they couldn’t agree on a price. A deal that may have included Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and centre Josh Norris, along with the No. 4 pick, did not reach completion.So Hellebuyck is still a Jet. Does this mean he’ll be around to mentor Hrenák after all? Will he be the goaltender on record when No. 8 pick, Viggo Björck, makes his NHL debut? And why did Winnipeg go on to draft a second goaltender in the same draft for the first time in its history?Here’s what’s next for Winnipeg with Hellebuyck, what they still need to do with their roster, and what their 2026 draft reveals about their organizational priorities.Does drafting goalies mean change is coming?The Jets’ selection of two goaltenders feels like a recognition of the inevitable changing of the guard at that position.Regardless of what happens to Hellebuyck, the Jets still needed more than Thomas Milic and Dom DiVincentiis in their system. Neither Hrenák nor John Parsons, taken 220th, will threaten Milic or DiVincentiis’ AHL jobs next year. Their selections simply add exclamation marks to Winnipeg’s pre-existing lack of coverage.It’s noteworthy that Winnipeg did not avoid drafting from the United States, despite concern that American players, Hellebuyck included, are pushing to play at home.Hrenák started his North American career in the USHL, a short drive away from Winnipeg. He said he’s excited to continue working on his game close to his new NHL team. Zachary Wooten, the 20-year-old forward for Green Bay in the USHL, is from Apple Valley, Minn. The Jets also drafted Wooten’s teammate, Landon Hafele, in the fifth round. And Björck has said multiple times that playing in high-pressure markets brings out the best in players.Winnipeg otherwise picked fast, competitive, high hockey IQ players who interviewed well — Björck and Hrenák were outstanding in this regard — and whose character is meant to include that extra bit of “dog on a bone” energy that teams covet.