Five skaters depart as Manitoba clarifies its lineup, but an influx of NHL talent from the Winnipeg Jets promises to ignite fierce competition for final roster spots.
The Manitoba Moose trimmed their training camp roster Tuesday, releasing five players from their tryout agreements as the club continues preparations for the 2026-27 season.
Goaltender Evan Cormier, defenceman Dylan Finlay and forwards Brandon Funk, Teague McAllister and Erik Pastro were released from camp. The moves leave Manitoba with 29 players on its current roster - 17 forwards, 10 defencemen and two goaltenders.
That number is likely to change considerably in the coming days, and already comes on the heels of the Jets snipping 12 players from camp on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo by Bruce Fedyck/USA Today The Winnipeg Jets remain in the midst of their own training camp and preseason schedule, with another significant round of cuts expected before the NHL roster is finalized. Many of those players will be assigned to Manitoba, creating additional competition for spots with the Moose and potentially pushing some current players down the organizational depth chart.
Manitoba's current group includes several players who spent significant time with the Moose last season, including forwards Fabian Wagner, Colby Barlow and Kevin He, along with defencemen Elias Salomonsson, Ashton Sautner and Dysin Mayo. Prospects such as Brayden Yager, Jacob Julien, Kieron Walton and Parker Lindauer are also currently in camp.
In goal, the Moose are down to Isaac Poulter and Alex Worthington. Poulter appeared in 43 games for the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL last season after making three appearances with Manitoba, while Worthington split his season between Norfolk and the WHL's Wenatchee Wild.
The Moose open their regular season Saturday, Oct. 3 against the Chicago Wolves at Canada Life Centre, meaning the club has little more than a week to sort through what should soon become a much more crowded training camp roster.
