Winnipeg Signs Stuart Skinner As Connor Hellebuyck's Backup or Possible Replacement
Jake TyeWed, July 1, 2026 at 5:17 PM UTC·2 min readOn Wednesday, the Winnipeg Jets made a notable addition in goal, signing former Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Stuart Skinner to a two-year deal worth $3.75 million per season, according to multiple reports.
The deal immediately raises one of the most significant questions of the Jets' offseason as to what does the arrival of a proven starting-calibre goaltender mean for the future of franchise cornerstone Connor Hellebuyck?
If the Jets elect to move Hellebuyck, Skinner's arrival ensures Winnipeg would not be left scrambling for a replacement in net. Alternatively, if Hellebuyck stays, the Jets would suddenly boast one of the more formidable goaltending tandems in the league, with two netminders capable of carrying a team through a deep playoff run.
What makes the Skinner signing particularly compelling is the playoff pedigree he brings to the table. Since the 2023 playoffs, only two goaltenders in the entire league have made more postseason starts than Skinner, who has appeared in 53 playoff games over that stretch, posting a 26-25 record with a 2.89 goals-against average in the highest-pressure situations the sport has to offer.
Dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through last season after a difficult stretch in Edmonton, Skinner arrived with his confidence under scrutiny and questions swirling about whether the 25-year-old had hit a wall.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe early returns in Pittsburgh did little to quiet the noise, but what followed was one of the more quietly impressive stretches of goaltending in the league over the second half of the season. Skinner went on a 15-game run where he posted a 9-2-4 record with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage, losing just twice in regulation and reminding the hockey world that the talent and competitive drive that had made him a starter in Edmonton were still very much intact.
At $3.75 million per season, the contract is team-friendly relative to the value a goaltender of his playoff experience typically commands on the open market. Whether Skinner ends up as a backup, a co-starter or the man taking over a crease vacated by one of the game's elite goaltenders, his arrival in Winnipeg gives the Jets options. And in a league where goaltending can be the difference between a first-round exit and a Stanley Cup run, having options in net is never a bad thing.
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Fan loudly expresses unbridled enthusiasm for Mexico's World Cup goal ... at Dodgers-A's game
Pitcher Justin Wrobleski struck out 11 during the Dodgers’ 9-3 victory against the Athletics on Tuesday in Sacramento. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images) 
By Chuck Schilken Staff Writer Follow July 1, 2026 11:39 AM PT - Click here to listen to this article
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- During the Dodgers-A’s game in Sacramento, a fan in a Mexico jersey erupted in a thunderous “GOOOAL!” behind home plate.
- His outburst came after El Tri scored during a 2-0 World Cup knockout victory against Ecuador at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, more than 2,000 miles away from Sutter Park Field.
- On the field, Justin Wrobleski struck out 11 over seven innings in a 9-3 Dodgers win, giving the left-hander his 10th victory and manager Dave Roberts his 1,000th.
A fan sitting behind home plate at the Dodgers-Athletics game Tuesday night really had his head in the game — but not the game he was attending.
In fact, his mind was on a completely different sport, at least during one particular moment in the bottom of the third inning.
The Dodgers were up 5-1 with one out as left-hander Justin Wrobleski was set to throw a 2-and-2 pitch to Athletics center fielder Henry Bolte. Without warning, a distinct and very loud sound started booming through Sutter Health Park.
“GOAL! GOOAL! GOOOAL! GOOOOAL! GOOOOOOOOOAL!”
The delighted screams were coming from a man wearing a Mexico soccer jersey in the first row. Apparently El Tri had just scored during its eventual 2-0 victory over Ecuador in a World Cup knockout game that was happening at the same time in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium.
This fan was going wild after Mexico scored in the World Cup at the Dodgers/Athletics game 🤣 pic.twitter.com/fP9EQMNNmo
— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2026
Mexico had not won in a World Cup knockout round since 1986, a fact that perhaps contributed to the fan’s over-the-top reaction to one of the goals. He stood up from his premium seat at the baseball stadium, held his fists above his head, leaned back and vocalized his approval of what had occurred at a completely different sporting event more than 2,000 miles away.
Seriously, the dude’s shrieks could be heard echoing in the A’s dugout on the NBC Sports California broadcast of the game. The fans around him appeared to be largely unfazed, with some seeming to share in the man’s enthusiasm (although slightly less energetic).
The pitcher and batter didn’t acknowledge the outburst, although Wrobleski’s pitch ended up in the dirt for a full count. The Dodgers starter recovered well, striking out Bolte with a 96-mph fastball on the next pitch to end the inning.
Wrobleski had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings as the Dodgers cruised to a 9-3 victory. It was the 10th win of the season for Wrobleski and 1,000th in the career of manager Dave Roberts.
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Ohio: 116 School Districts Now Allow Armed Employees
Ohio: 116 School Districts Now Allow Armed Employees
Four years after Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed legislation allowing school boards to choose to allow teachers and other employees to be armed, 116 school districts have chosen to allow armed employees for classroom defense.
WOWO reported that the figure of “116 school districts” is derived from state data “as of June 17.”
The Ohio Capital Journal noted that the 116 districts include “more than 70 Ohio school districts and 15 Christian schools…[with] staff members who are authorized to carry weapons on school grounds.”
Ohio Federation of Teachers President Melissa Cropper criticized the training requirements for the growing number of armed school employees, saying, “It’s not a sufficient amount of training. We’re talking about highly intense situations that require a lot of not only tactical training on how to use weapons, but how to deal with making split-second decisions.”
She did not provide an instance where an armed teacher or employee has harmed someone since the law was signed by DeWine.
Antwerp district superintendent Marty Miller explained that his district chose to arm teachers and employees because they are in a rural setting with a longer police response time.
He said, “It’s just letting the public know that your children are protected.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. He is a lever action man in an AR-15 world. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at [email protected].
10-year-old charged with murder in shooting of infant niece
10-year-old charged with murder in shooting of infant niece
The infant's father is also facing multiple criminal charges.
ByNadine El-BawabVideo byJessie DiMartino and Cristina CorujoJuly 1, 2026, 2:43 PMA 10-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his 7-month-old niece, according to court officials.
The young boy allegedly picked up a firearm that was stored under a mattress and shot the 7-month-old infant in the head, according to court documents.
Another child, a 7-year-old, was also home at the time of the shooting, according to court documents.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police responded to a report of a shooting on Friday to find that the infant had been shot inside the house.
Related16 children rescued from Ohio home where they were living in 'deplorable conditions,' officials sayThe 7-month-old was rushed to an area hospital, but despite life-saving care, died of her injuries, according to police.
Detectives investigating the incident determined that the 10-year-old had allegedly shot the baby, and he was taken into custody, police said.
After questioning, the infant's father, identified as 19-year-old Ca’Marion Pawnell, was also arrested, according to police.
Pawnell was charged with second-degree murder and multiple child endangerment charges, according to court documents.
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The father is accused of endangering a child "by allowing a firearm to be within access of other children in the home and this resulted in death" of the infant, prosecutors alleged in court documents.
RelatedBrother of NFL star Calais Campbell charged with their mother's murderPawnell allegedly told police the gun belonged to him and he stored it under the mattress, according to court documents.
The 10-year-old told investigators that he knew where the firearm was and that it was "accessible to him for an extended period of time," saying he had even taken it out and touched it previously, according to court documents.
RelatedToddler found dead in SUV outside Florida preschoolThe 10-year-old is in the custody of the Missouri Children’s Division and was taken in for psychiatric evaluation, according to Missouri’s 22nd Circuit Court.
Missouri law states that a child under 12 years old cannot be tried as an adult, so the 10-year-old will be tried through the Juvenile Division of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, according to a communications officer for the court.
No attorney information was listed for Pawnell. It was not immediately clear if the 10-year-old had an attorney.
