The Manitoba Moose head into Grand Rapids with plenty of momentum and a busy early-season picture already taking shape.
At 5-1-0-0, Manitoba opens a six-game road trip Tuesday against the Grand Rapids Griffins, who come in at 6-1-1-0. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m.
CDT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey, with puck drop set for 6 p.m. CDT at Van Andel Arena.
The Moose also took a hit on Monday morning when the Winnipeg Jets recalled forward Brayden Yager, his second call-up in his young pro career. The Saskatoon native has been one of Manitoba’s early engines, piling up nine points in 2026-27 to share the team lead before the recall.
He’s done that damage with five goals and four assists, including two power play goals and a game-winner in Sunday’s overtime victory over the Texas Stars. Yager’s rookie year in 2025-26 produced 30 points, and he also appeared in three games with the Jets.
So far this season, he has recorded three multi-point games, with two of them coming in three-point performances.
With Yager up in Winnipeg, Nikita Chibrikov now stands alone as Manitoba’s active points leader, and he’s been on a tear of his own. The Moscow native has nine points as well, collected through four goals and five assists, and six of those points have come over his last two games.
Over his past three, he’s piled up seven points. That stretch includes back-to-back three-point outings, making him the first Moose player to do that since Jeff Malott on March 3 & 6/24.
Chibrikov already has more than half the points he finished with last season, when he totaled 16, and his plus-four rating is tied for second on the club. He is also tied for seventh in the AHL in scoring.
Manitoba’s power play has been another early-season weapon, and it’s been the best unit in the league through six games. The Moose are clicking at 42.1 percent, which sits 6.6 percent ahead of the second-place Laval Rocket.
They’ve converted eight power play goals, fourth-most in the AHL, while getting only 19 opportunities, the fourth-fewest in the league. Chibrikov leads the charge with three power play goals, tied for fourth in the AHL, and Yager was right behind him with two.
Colby Barlow, Kevin He, and Noah Gregor have each added one.
Elias Salomonsson was back on the ice Sunday after being loaned to the Moose by the Winnipeg Jets once he was cleared to play. The Skellefteå, Sweden native fired two shots on goal in his season debut and lined up beside newcomer Henry Thrun.
Salomonsson is in his third season of North American hockey and has 36 points with Manitoba, including six goals and 30 assists, across 83 games. He also played 32 games with the Jets after making his NHL debut on Nov. 26/25 at Washington, and he has five points with the big club, including his first NHL goal on Feb. 27/26 at Anaheim.
Thrun has also come in hot. The Southborough, Mass. native has a three-game point streak going, with three assists over that span, and he has four points through his first six games with the Moose. He won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2025-26 before signing with the Winnipeg Jets over the summer.
In Other News...
Jets Suddenly Face A Brutal Test With Their Offense Going Cold
The Jets early-season wobble has arrived at a tough moment, with three straight losses exposing an offense that has gone quiet and a lineup that is already dealing with significant injuries. Connor Hellebuyck and Josh Morrissey are among the key absences, and Winnipeg has managed just 12 goals over its last five games while several forwards are still looking for their first of the season.
Brayden Yager has been summoned from the prospect ranks as the Jets try to find some life before a difficult stretch of games, and the timing underlines how quickly a promising start can get complicated. Winnipeg does not just need goals, it needs answers, and the next few days will show whether the club can manufacture them with a depleted group and a schedule that offers little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Face A Hellebuyck Decision That Could Get Very Awkward
Connor Hellebuycks situation has sat over the Jets like a deadline since he was suspended for failing to report to training camp, and the clock is about to force everybodys hand. Winnipeg has been working through the fallout quietly, but the practical options are narrowing fast as the organization tries to avoid letting an already uncomfortable situation spill into the regular season picture.
If a trade still does not come together, the alternative paths are messy in their own ways for the Jets. They could keep paying him to stay away from the active roster, or bring him back into the fold under circumstances that would immediately test the locker room. NHL insiders have also floated the possibility of a conditioning stint in the AHL, which only adds another layer to a situation that has already become one of the leagues strangest early-season storylines. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Let A Tight Road Game Slip Away Despite Strong Goaltending
A tight road game in St. Louis still left Winnipeg with the sort of empty feeling that lingers after a one-goal loss. The Jets got strong work in net from Stuart Skinner, who made 26 saves, and they had enough of a push to stay right there with the Blues, but Joel Hofer was just as sharp at the other end with 32 stops as the game stayed close into the third period.
The difference came on special teams, where the Blues were perfect on the penalty kill and cashed in once on five power-play chances. Philip Broberg delivered the decisive goal on the man advantage, turning a hard-fought matchup into a 2-1 loss for Winnipeg and leaving the Jets with one more missed opportunity than they could afford. [Read more 🡒]