Former Wheat King And Moose Defenceman Kale Clague Leaves Manitoba For KHL Opportunity

Kale Clague’s Manitoba hockey chapter has come to a close.

After returning to the province where he spent the majority of his junior hockey career, the former Brandon Wheat Kings standout and Manitoba Moose defenceman is heading overseas, signing a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of Russia's KHL.

The move ends Clague’s brief stint in the Winnipeg Jets organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract last summer. Despite bringing NHL experience and offensive upside to the club’s defensive depth chart, the Regina product spent the entire 2025-26 campaign with the Moose. 

Clague, 28, remained a steady contributor from the back end, finishing the season with nine goals and 27 points in 67 games with Manitoba. 

Although he did not receive a call-up to Winnipeg, Clague’s return to Manitoba represented a familiar stop in his hockey journey.

Before beginning his professional career, Clague spent four seasons with the Wheat Kings, developing into one of the Western Hockey League’s premier offensive defencemen. He was part of Brandon’s 2015-16 WHL championship team and became a major piece of the organization’s blueline before making the jump to the professional ranks.

Originally selected by Los Angeles in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, Clague worked his way through the organization and eventually made his NHL debut with the Kings. He later spent time with the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, appearing in 94 career NHL games while recording two goals and 21 points. 

While consistent NHL minutes proved difficult to secure, Clague became an established AHL defenceman.

Across stops with the Ontario Reign, Rochester Americans and Moose, Clague produced 39 goals and 165 points over 321 career AHL contests, consistently providing offence from the back-end. 

His strongest offensive professional season came in 2024-25 with Rochester, where he recorded 10 goals and 39 points before signing with Winnipeg the following offseason. 

The move to Avtomobilist provides Clague with a new opportunity and likely a larger role than the one available in North America. The KHL club officially added him from Manitoba on a two-year agreement, giving the puck-moving defender a chance to become an impact player overseas. 

For Winnipeg, the departure removes one experienced option from the organization’s defensive depth chart. The Jets still have a number of younger blueliners pushing for bigger roles, but Clague represented a veteran presence capable of playing heavy minutes at the AHL level.

For Clague, the next step will come thousands of kilometres away from Manitoba - the province where he won a WHL title, developed into an NHL draft pick and most recently attempted to earn his way back to hockey’s highest level.