By: Frankie Benvenuti

The Manitoba Moose turn their attention to the future after a 2-0 start to the season. They’re looking ahead to their first road trip of the campaign this weekend. 

Manitoba makes its first trip to Grand Rapids of the season on Friday night. They’ll make a nearly four-hour bus ride to Rosemont, Ill., following the contest, where they meet the Chicago Wolves on Saturday evening. Puck drop in Grand Rapids is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT, while Saturday’s affair kicks off at 7 p.m. CDT.

Grand Rapids is off to a good start in the early going, posting three points in their first two contests. They scored a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Monsters in their season opener on Friday, before falling 5-4 in overtime in Cleveland on Sunday. 

The Griffins claimed the top seed in the Western Conference a season ago, posting a 51-16-4-1 record in the regular season. Their current point leader, Sheldon Dries, is on recall to the Detroit Red Wings. 

Grand Rapids are otherwise led by four relatively new faces, with Jesse Kiiskinen and Théo Rochette sitting at three points apiece, while Noah Dower Nilsson has a pair of helpers. The Griffins roster also features former Winnipeg Jets defenceman Jacob Bryson, who signed with Detroit in the offseason. 

The Moose, early as it may be, are plenty familiar with the Wolves. Manitoba outscored them 11-3 through two games this past weekend, taking four points. Chicago will celebrate their Robert W. Clarke Trophy title for winning the Western Conference in 2025-26 ahead of Saturday’s tilt. They have been idle since their trip to Winnipeg. 

The two in-division contests offer the Moose a chance to bond as a team. Eight players are either brand new or only joined the club in the final stretch of the 2025-26 campaign.

“Getting on the road is always fun,” said second-year forward Colby Barlow. “Dinners, card games, whatever it may be, you’re always together, you’re always doing something. To get the first one going here, it’s exciting.”

Barlow is currently tied for second on the Moose with three points (1G, 2A) and has found early success with his linemates Kevin He and Jacob Julien. 

“I know Jules pretty well; I played a decent amount of games with him last year,” the Orillia, Ont. native explained. “Kev’s just a workhorse. He’s so fast. He gets in the right spots. That’s an easy guy to play with.”

The trio, with a combined age of just 63 years, have been around each other for a number of years, all playing in the Ontario Hockey League against one another. Together, they combined to play 654 games, and score 632 points (324G, 308A).

They continue to search for improvements in their game, despite the hot start to the season. 

“I think we gel well off the ice,” Barlow detailed. “We talk about things in between periods, things we have to do better and whatever it may be. I think it’s going really well, and I’m happy for both their starts this year.”

You can follow along with the action in Grand Rapids on Friday night on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Coverage gets going at 5:45 p.m. CDT.