The Manitoba Moose eclipse 20 percent of the 2026-27 season this evening in Texas when they meet the Stars at 8 p.m. CDT at H-E-B Center.  

The Moose hold a 10-4-0-0 record in their first 14 games of the campaign, including six wins in their first six games on home ice at Canada Life Centre. It’s the best start at home in franchise history.  

Manitoba has wins in three straight, and seven of its past 10 games. They stand second in the Central Division and tied for third in the league with 20 points. The Moose are coming off a weekend sweep of the Toronto Marlies on home ice in what goaltender Thomas Milic called a “statement weekend.” 

“Those were huge games for our group,” added defenceman Dawson Barteaux. “It’s been a next-man-up kind of mentality in that dressing room. Guys are bringing everything they got, every night, to take care of business. And it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of.” 

That next-man-up mentality has been tested in the first fifth of the season. Manitoba was without their two leading goal scorers going into the weekend, missing Brayden Yager and Noah Gregor, and while Walker Duehr was instrumental on Friday night, he too was absent on Saturday evening.  

The already stressed Moose blueline, missing Ashton Sautner and Dysin Mayo, was tested further on Saturday, with Henry Thrun being recalled by the Winnipeg Jets. Yet, it didn’t matter, as the Moose fought to a 4-3 overtime victory.  

Manitoba got goals from Parker Ford, Chase Yoder, Lukas Gustafsson – his first AHL goal – and Davis Burnside in overtime. Barteaux was excellent in the game, recording a pair of points, including an assist on the overtime winner. His contributions went beyond the scoresheet, as well. The Foxwarren, Man. native was huge on the penalty kill and came up with a few big shot blocks.  

“Obviously the guys we’re missing right now are huge pieces to our team, and they’re big shoes to fill,” the defender said. “Everybody’s just trying to bring that extra five percent each guy. There’s some extra opportunity for guys to try to kind of take advantage of.” 

Milic, who is off to a 6-1-0 start to the season, was complimentary of the efforts from his defenders on the weekend.   

“Adaptability is so huge,” he said. “We’ve been doing a great job of that. Guys are stepping up who maybe weren’t in the lineup, and they’re in the lineup now. Guys that were lower in the lineup are playing more minutes now. I think everyone’s doing a great job of stepping up. Whatever hand we’re dealt, we’re going to do our best with it.” 

The goaltender’s six wins this season push Milic to 50 in his AHL career, passing Drew MacIntyre, Manitoba’s developmental goaltending coach, for sole possession of seventh on the franchise leaderboards.  

“I feel great right now,” the Coquitlam, B.C. native said. “It’s a lot of fun to get those wins. But keeping the team in games and giving them a chance to win every night is my goal. They’re doing a great job scoring in front of me too, so it’s a two-way street.” 

Keeping the winning streak rolling in Texas won’t be easy, as the Moose have become familiar with.  

“They’re a great team,” Barteaux explained of his former club. “This is a very tough building to play in, too. The fans support them extremely well. They’re quick, they’re fast, they work really, really hard. We’re expecting a dogfight, and we’ll be ready for it.” 

Coverage of tonight’s matchup gets going at 7:45 p.m. CDT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Puck drop at H-E-B Center is slated for 8 p.m. CDT.