Jonathan Toews reaches another milestone in his NHL comeback by recording 1st point since 2023

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Toews reached another milestone in his NHL comeback on Monday, recording his first point in nearly 2 1/2 years.

“I guess when you put it that way it’s nice to get the monkey off your back,” Toews said after he and the Winnipeg Jets beat the New York Islanders 5-2.

Toews helped set up Nino Niederreiter's power-play goal in the Jets' third game of the season and picked up a secondary assist. Toews last got on the scoresheet April 14, 2023, in his final game with Chicago before stepping away from hockey because of health issues.

“Felt like I had a few chances to score, too,” Toews said. "Hopefully find a way to get that first goal here, too. I think ultimately you just concentrate on making plays, getting around the net, being more confident when the puck comes to you in those dangerous areas. It’s a numbers game. Just got to keep creating and find ways to find the back of the net.”

Toews, now 37, chose his hometown team to make his return after missing the past two seasons because of the effects of chronic immune response syndrome and long COVID. He said he's feeling good physically while getting up to speed.

“Still finding my way a little bit," Toews said. “It takes time to become second-nature. And then you have to find your game. You’ve got to go out there and relax a little bit. The first couple games I felt like I was getting tired late in shifts, because you’re just over-skating everything and over-working yourself. You’d rather be safe than sorry, and sometimes less is more.”

Toews captained Chicago to the Stanley Cup three times, in 2010, ‘13 and ’15. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the franchise's first championship run since 1961 and in 2016 was chosen as one of the top 100 players in the league's 100-year history.

“He’s worked hard to come back and feel good, and I think that’s the most important thing is he’s feeling good,” longtime Blackhawks teammate and current Detroit Red Wings winger Patrick Kane said last month. “I’m really happy that he’s back.”

Toews also helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals. Those tournaments and world championships are the only times he and Kane have faced off against each other since breaking in together with the Blackhawks in '07.

Assuming they're healthy, that is set to change on Dec. 31 when Winnipeg visits Detroit. Kane already asked coach Todd McLellan to put him out for the opening faceoff against the former teammate with whom he'll forever be linked.

Asked before camp opened if he thought Toews — nicknamed “Captain Serious” for his low-key demeanor — has mellowed over the years, Kane shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” Kane said. “I’m sure he’s pissed off about something. Someone said something about him, or he’s always got to prove someone wrong. That’s a great thing about Johnny. He’s always out to prove something.”

Toews is proving he still has it, averaging over 17 minutes of ice time as the Jets' second-line center. Coach Scott Arniel used Toews on the penalty kill against the Islanders after forward Cole Koepke got injured blocking a shot, but the staff is trying not to overplay him.

“He’s getting better every day," Arniel said. "That’s what we talked about, him and I, that it wasn’t going to come in one fell swoop. Every day, he’s gotten better and better and I think he’s recognizing just how to kind of play the game with his hockey smarts.

“He does veteran things. He does elite things, whether it’s using his body or his stick or his positioning and you’re just seeing him getting more and more comfortable: getting comfortable with our team and how we play but also his linemates and different people, as well.”

The next task is a long shot bid to make Canada's Olympic team one more time in NHL players' return to the Games in Milan in February. He'd also like to help the Jets win the Cup for the first time, and his teammates love having Toews around.

“It’s the leadership he has, the things he’s done in this league, and there’s nothing that he hasn’t done,” Tanner Pearson said. “It goes a long way. (He) helps us along. He’s very vocal in the room, says the right things.”

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Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) passes the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) skates upice during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets center Jonathan Toews (19) controls the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

Winnipeg Jets' Jonathan Toews (19) is introduced prior to NHL hockey game action against the Dallas Stars in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — U.S. immigration agents arrested more than 130 people in a weekend sweep through North Carolina’s largest city, a federal official said Monday, as the governor warned that the crackdown is simply “stoking fear.”

The Trump administration has made Charlotte, a Democratic city of about 950,000 people, its latest focus for an immigration enforcement surge it says will combat crime, despite fierce objections from local leaders and declining crime rates. City residents reported encounters with immigration agents near churches, apartment complexes and stores.

“We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks,” Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, said in a video statement late Sunday. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.”

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Border Patrol officers had arrested “over 130 illegal aliens who have all broken” immigration laws. The agency said the records of those arrested included gang membership, aggravated assault, shoplifting and other crimes, but it did not say how many cases had resulted in convictions, how many people had been facing charges or any other details.

Stein acknowledged that it was a stressful time, but he called on residents to stay peaceful. If people see something they feel is wrong, he said they should record it and report it to local law enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Customs and Border Protection, has said it is focusing on North Carolina because of so-called sanctuary policies, which limit cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.

Several North Carolina county jails honor “detainers,” or requests from federal officials to hold an arrested immigrant until agents can take custody of them. But Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, does not. Also, the city’s police department does not help with immigration enforcement. DHS alleged that about 1,400 detainers across North Carolina had not been honored, putting the public at risk.

U.S. courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of sanctuary laws.

Manolo Betancur, owner of Manolo’s Bakery, a Latino bakery that has been operating in Charlotte since 1997, closed his business temporarily because he said immigration enforcement officers were targeting his customers.

On Saturday, blocks from his business, he saw agents grabbing people walking along the street.

“I saw them with my own eyes," he said. "And they just shoved people to the floor.”

On Saturday, he saw uniformed agents in vehicles several times in the parking lot near his business.

“I’m scared,” he said. “Nobody wants to see another human being treated that way.” He said he would hand-deliver paychecks to his employees so they don’t have to come in.

Earlier, Gregory Bovino, who led hundreds of Customs and Border Protection agents in a similar effort in Chicago, documented some of the more than 80 arrests he said agents had made in social media posts on Sunday. He posted pictures of people living in the U.S. without legal permission who allegedly have criminal records. That included an image of a man accused of having a history of drunk driving convictions.

The activity has prompted fear and questions, including where detainees would be held, how long the operation would last and whether the tactics used in North Carolina would be similar to those that were criticized elsewhere as aggressive and racist.

However, some welcomed the effort, including Mecklenburg County Republican Party Chairman Kyle Kirby, who said in a post Saturday that the county GOP “stands with the rule of law — and with every Charlottean’s safety first.”

Bovino's operations in Chicago and Los Angeles triggered lawsuits over the use of force, including widespread deployment of chemical agents. Democratic leaders in both cities accused agents of inflaming community tensions. Federal agents fatally shot one suburban Chicago man during a traffic stop.

Bovino, head of a Border Patrol sector in El Centro, California, and other Trump administration officials have called their tactics appropriate for growing threats on agents.

Tareen reported from Chicago. Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland. Associated Press Writer Maryclaire Dale in Chicago also contributed to this report.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander at large Gregory Bovino takes a phone call, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A sign reading 'ICE is not welcome here' is displayed outside of store front amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Protestors set up outside of Manolo's Bakery amidst federal law enforcement, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A sign of support is posted outside of Manolo's bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Manuel 'Manolo' Betancur sits outside of his bakery which is closed amidst federal law enforcement presence, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Shana Blake sits in a cage dressed as the Statue of Liberty to protest federal law enforcement presence in Charlotte, N.C. Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)