Manitoba Moose 2025-26 Season Preview
By: Frankie Benvenuti | Published: October 8th 2025
The Manitoba Moose kick off their 2025-26 season on Friday evening, taking on the Laval Rocket inside Canada Life Centre at 7 p.m. CT.
The organization underwent a facelift over the summer. A number of new additions have the Moose looking fresh ahead of a new season.
Returning Forces
Nine of Manitoba’s top-15 point scorers one season ago are not currently on the roster. Some departed the organization entirely, but Brad Lambert, Parker Ford, and Nikita Chibrikov were named to the Winnipeg Jets’ opening day roster.
Headlining the list of returning skaters is left winger Mason Shaw, who led Manitoba in points in 2024-25. On the blueline, Elias Salomonsson is back in antlers following an off-season full of hype surrounding the young Swede. The Jets’ second-round draft choice in 2022 scored 27 points (5G, 22A) in 53 games in his first campaign in North America last season.
Elsewhere around the rink, the likes of Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Isaak Phillips, Dylan Anhorn, Fabian Wagner, Tyson Empey, and Danny Zhilkin – just to name a handful – are back with the Moose. Ville Heinola rejoined the team this week and looks to continue climbing the franchise’s all-time leaderboard for points by a defenceman, where he currently ranks eighth.
In goal, both Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic are back after posting a .906 and .877 save percentages, respectively, in 2024-25.
Some Free Agent Adds
Casting their fishing line into the free agency pond this summer, the organization came away with several sizeable catches. At the top of the page, Calder Cup champion Phil Di Giuseppe – a veteran of over 300 NHL games, and another 328 in the AHL – signed with the club. In his 11 AHL seasons, the Maple, Ont. native has registered 204 points (83G, 121A).
Other notable additions include Samuel Fagemo, who has 132 career AHL goals in 268 outings, setting a career high in 2023-24 with 43 tallies in just 50 contests for the Ontario Reign. Walker Duehr also joins the squad with 92 NHL games and 143 more in the AHL under his belt.
Defensively, the marquee addition comes in the form of Kale Clague, a 27-year-old veteran with over 250 games in the AHL and 94 in the NHL. The Regina, Sask. native posted 39 points (10G, 29A) in 69 games with Rochester in 2024-25, before leading the Americans with 11 points (5G, 6A) in eight playoff games.
In goal, a still young but experienced Isaac Poulter was added. The Winnipeg, Man. native has a .900 save percentage in 77 AHL games across four seasons, all with the Utica Comets.
A Fresh Batch of Youngsters
While the Jets kept some of the prospects the Moose showcased over the past number of years, there are plenty of youngsters to keep your eye on as AHL hockey nears.
Turning pro this season are the exciting duo of Colby Barlow and Bayden Yager, who have shown themselves to be close friends in their short time in Winnipeg. The Jets nabbed Barlow in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and acquired Yager in a trade in exchange for Rutger McGroarty ahead of the previous campaign.
During their junior hockey careers, the pair combined for over 575 points in their respective leagues and shared the ice at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where they combined for 14 points (7G, 7A) in just five games.
First Month Outlook
The Moose play just two of their eight October games at Canada Life Centre. They’ll host the Laval Rocket twice on opening weekend, before playing in hostile territory for six straight, starting with three consecutive games in Grand Rapids, where they’ll meet the Grand Rapids Griffins, a Central Division foe.
They’ll close the trip following a game in Chicago on Oct. 25 with two games against the Tucson Roadrunners, the first meeting between the two teams since 2016-17.
Tickets for the Home Opener, presented by Canada Life, are available at moosehockey.com/tickets.
Never miss a moment of the action by adding the 2025-26 schedule to your calendar.
Ticket memberships for the 2025-26 Manitoba Moose season are available now. Visit moosehockey.com/memberships for more information.
