The Jets were established as the Atlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999-2000 NHL season. True North Sports & Entertainment bought the team in May 2011 and relocated the franchise from Atlanta to Winnipeg, renaming the Jets after Winnipeg's original WHA/NHL team, which left after the 1995-96 season to become the Phoenix Coyotes.

Right winger Kelly Buchberger was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 NHL Expansion Draft and served as captain for most of the team's inaugural season before being traded to the Los Angeles Kings.

In 2016-17, right winger Patrick Laine set Jets rookie records for goals (36) and hat tricks (3). His 64 points was the second-highest in franchise history for a rookie, next to Dany Heatley who had 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists) as a rookie in 2001-02, and the highest since relocation to Winnipeg.

During the 2014-15 season, Ondrej Pavelec set a Winnipeg Jets franchise record with three shutouts in a row, going 187:05 without allowing a goal. He was instrumental in helping the team qualify for their first Stanley Cup playoffs since relocating from Atlanta to Winnipeg in 2011.

In the 2006-07 season, Marián Hossa made franchise history as the first Thrasher to score 100 points in one season, finishing with 43 goals and 57 assists; along with a plus/minus rating of +18. The season also marked the first division title and post-season appearance for the Thrashers, clinching the Southeast Division title for the third playoff seed.

The team made their formal regular season debut as the Winnipeg Jets on October 9, 2011, when a sellout crowd at the MTS Centre saw the visiting Montreal Canadiens defeat the Jets 5-1, with Nik Antropov scoring the first-ever Jets goal.

Mick E. Moose is the mascot of the Winnipeg Jets, as well as their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

The Winnipeg Whiteout is a hockey tradition that dates back to 1987 when fans of the original Jets franchise were asked to wear white clothing to home playoff games. It was created as a response to the "C of Red" created by fans of the Calgary Flames, whom the Jets were facing in the first round of the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets eliminated the Flames in six games, and fans have worn white for every home playoff game since.

In 2017-18, Connor Hellebuyck posted a 44-11-9 record in 67 games, setting the record for the most single-season wins by an American goaltender in the NHL, previously held by Tom Barrasso of the 1992 title-winning Pittsburgh Penguins.

Throughout his NHL career, Denny Lambert's primary role was that of an enforcer. The left winger played in 487 regular season NHL games, scoring 27 goals and 66 assists for 93 points, while racking up 1,391 penalty minutes, including a then-franchise-record 219 penalty minutes for the Thrashers in 1999-00.