The Manitoba Moose were powered by great goaltending last season to sneak into the playoffs and give Grand Rapids a scare. Will they have the same success in 2026-27?
There is a world where Viggo Bjorck, whom the Winnipeg Jets took with the eighth overall pick, is the top-line center on the Manitoba Moose. A year in the American Hockey League will help his development and make the Moose a great team. That’s not a world Winnipeg lives in.
The Jets are eager to return to the playoffs after a rough 2025-26, and it’s why there’s a path for Bjorck to make the team and center a top-six line from day one. It’s also why the farm system is depleted and has been for years.
The Moose weren’t a great team last season, hovering around the .500 mark and finishing with the fourth-best record in the Central Division. They haven’t done much to change and improve, making anyone wonder what will have them playing better this season.
Stats from 2025-26:
Record: 35-29-5-3 (4th in the Central Division, tied for 10th in the Western Conference & tied for 17th in the AHL)
Offense: 2.56 goals per game (30th in the AHL)
Defense: 3.00 goals per game (9th in the AHL)
The Burning Question: Can Great Goaltending Save This Team Again?
The Moose have a great goaltending tandem with Thomas Milic and Domenic DiVincentiis splitting starts. The duo willed them into the Calder Cup Playoffs last season and allowed them to win a playoff series. Plus, they gave the top-seeded Grand Rapids Griffins a scare when DiVincentiis put together a 39-save shutout in Game 1 of the series.
So, maybe the tandem puts together another remarkable season. The Jets won’t need either this season, considering they have Connor Hellebuyck and signed Stuart Skinner as a backup. So, this is an opportunity for the Jets to split starts between both prospects in the AHL as they prepare to become NHL starters.
The problem is that it’s unlikely that they can carry the Moose beyond the playoffs. They raise this team's floor and give them a chance every night but the rest of the roster must step up as well. That wasn’t the case last season.
The Moose need more from the rest of the roster; specifically, they need more from an offense that was bottom-five in the league. That leads to the other problem for the Moose: they didn’t make enough moves this summer to improve.
Even worse, they lost Mason Shaw, who had a team-leading 44 points. For what it’s worth, the Moose also lost Ville Heinola in the offseason, who many hockey nerds remember for being part of the Jacob Trouba trade to the New York Rangers in the 2019 offseason. Now, he’s in the Vegas Golden Knights organization (don’t worry, the Jets still won this trade by getting Neal Pionk).
Why The Moose Are Optimistic
It all starts with the goaltending, which is a theme with the Jets from the top down. Great play in the net will make them a top-of-the-division team, especially considering it might be the best tandem in the division.
Goaltending aside, the Moose also added some players who can help. Noah Gregor is a middle-six center who comes from the Charlotte Checkers, and Michael Milne is a depth forward coming over from the Iowa Wild. On the defensive side, Henry Thurn was brought in from the Calder Cup-winning Toronto Marlies; he is a veteran who is great in his own end.
The free agents won’t move the needle and make this team great but they’ll help and keep it competitive. If the offense is good enough and is better than it was last season, the Moose are suddenly one of the best teams out there.
Prospects To Watch
If Bjorck starts the season in the AHL, he’s the prospect to watch. That’s not just for the Moose but the entire league. He was one of the NHL-ready prospects in the recent draft, and it’s why he’ll likely be on the Jets right away and never look back.
The other forward prospect to watch is Brayden Yager, who many remember for being the return in the Rutger McGroarty trade but has become a pivotal part of the Jets' future. Last season was an adjustment for him as he scored 10 goals and added 20 assists as a rookie, and the hope is he takes a big step forward this season.
Otherwise, the prospects to watch are in the net. Milic is the 23-year-old built for the AHL as a smaller goaltender, coming off a season with a .905 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA). DiVincentiis, meanwhile, is the 22-year-old with a higher upside, who struggled with a .896 SV% and a 3.03 GAA but was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a .955 SV% and a 1.43 GAA in five games. Both will be intriguing to watch, and who knows, maybe the Jets will need one if they end up trading Hellebuyck.
