Fast Facts: Moose at Grand Rapids – Oct. 24

The Manitoba Moose (1-3-0-0) finish off three straight games in Grand Rapids on Friday evening, facing off against the Griffins (4-0-0-0). Manitoba lost a second straight to the Griffins 4-2 on Friday. The Moose goals came from Phil Di Giuseppe and Brayden Yager. John Leonard scored twice for Grand Rapids, helping to secure Grand Rapids’ fourth win. Coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. CT on cjob.com, the Winnipeg Jets App or AHLTV on FloHockey.  Action from Van Andel Arena begins at 6 p.m. CT.

Thinking Outside of the Box

The Moose are one of the least penalized teams in the AHL through four games this season. They’ve been penalized 14 times, including a fighting major, leading to just 11 opportunities for their penalty kill units to see the ice. Manitoba averaged seven minutes in the sin bin nightly in the early going, the third-lowest mark in the league, bettered only by the Springfield Thunderbirds and San Diego Gulls (six minutes). The Moose penalty kill is operating at 72.2 percent, and they’ve added one shorthanded goal, which came courtesy of Phil Di Giuseppe on Oct. 18 in Grand Rapids. They have also only taken one minor penalty in the first period of games. Manitoba’s opponents have been assessed 45 minutes’ worth of penalties in their opening four contests.

Vets on the Board

Several of Manitoba’s veterans registered their first points of the season in Grand Rapids last weekend. Samuel Fagemo scored his first goal with the club, and Phil Di Giuseppe and Kale Clague captured their first respective points in antlers on Friday night inside Van Andel Arena. On Saturday, Di Giuseppe built on it, finding the back of the net in the second period with a shorthanded marker. Moose captain Mason Shaw picked up a helper on the goal, getting his season off the ground. With four veterans getting on the scoresheet, the Moose now have 16 active players with at least one point, fifth in the league.

Hey… I’ve Seen You Before

Manitoba will see a goaltender they’ve already opposed in 2025-26 for the first time this season. Last weekend, the Moose squared off against both Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava in Grand Rapids, putting a pair of goals past each of them. Cossa, who started Friday night’s game, stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced. In eight games against the Moose in his career, Cossa owns a 6-1-0-1 record and a .929 save percentage. In his career, he has a .909 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average. Postava was spectacular in his outing on Saturday night, turning aside 35 shots in his second AHL game.

Yager’s Rookie Charge

Brayden Yager currently sits in a tie for seventh in the rookie scoring race with three points (2G, 1A) through four games. He scored a pair of points (1G, 1A) in two games in Grand Rapids last weekend, registering his first assist in the AHL on Friday night. Yager’s hot start comes after totalling 332 points (129G, 203A) in 265 WHL games split between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Who's Trending?

Moose captain Mason Shaw secured his first point of the season last time out, assisting on Phil Di Giuseppe’s shorthanded goal. The Wainwright, Alta. native led the Moose with 37 points (17G, 20A) last season. Four of those points (4A) came against the Griffins, the second-most on the team against Grand Rapids.