The Manitoba Moose (0-0-0-0) kick off the 2026-27 regular season against the Chicago Wolves (0-0-0-0) on Saturday.

Tickets are available for this afternoon’s game at moosehockey.com/tickets. Coverage of today’s matchup gets going at 1:45 p.m. CT on CJOB.com, the Winnipeg Jets App and AHLTV on FloHockey. Action at Canada Life Centre begins at 2 p.m. CT. 

Rookies… We Have A Few

Seven rookies were named to Manitoba’s opening day roster, including four players turning pro. Those include Kevin He and Kieron Walton, who both come out of the Ontario Hockey League. Lukas Gustafsson, Davis Burnside, and Lucas Wahlin all come out of the NCAA.  Kevin He is set to become the first China-born player in the history of the AHL. He split time in the OHL between the Niagara IceDogs and the Flint Firebirds, recording 239 points (127G, 112A) in 252 games. The remaining listed players have all donned the antlers before, with Gustafsson, Burnside, and Wahlin all appearing at the end of the 2025-26 season, and Walton recording one assist in four games in 2024-25.

Nice to See You Again!

Of the 27 players on the opening night roster, 19 of them played games with the Moose in 2025-26, including three goaltenders, five defencemen, and 11 forwards. Manitoba’s top six scorers from a season ago have departed the organization, paving the way for a younger roster to begin the campaign. The likes of Domenic DiVincentiis and Thomas Milic return between the pipes. Isaak Phillips, Ashton Sautner, and Dawson Barteaux return on the blueline. Offensively, the list is extensive. Colby Barlow, Brayden Yager, Parker Ford, Nikita Chibrikov, and Danny Zhilkin – to name just a few – are back in the fold. 

Have We Met Yet?

The Moose have added a number of new faces to the organization through free agency in the summer. The defensive corps received a series of additions. Calder Cup champion Henry Thrun joined from Toronto, and Dysin Mayo moved west from Cleveland. Thrun scored 23 points (5G, 18A) with the Toronto Marlies a season ago on route to a ring, while Mayo recorded 29 points (3G, 26A) with the Monsters. Noah Gregor, who tallied 17 points (11G, 6A) in 26 games with the Charlotte Checkers in 2025-26, joins the offence, alongside Mikey Milne, who spent a number of seasons with the Iowa Wild, and played his junior hockey with the Winnipeg ICE. 

Gregor’s Big First

As Noah Gregor celebrates his first game in antlers, it marks a big milestone. The Beaumont, Alta. native will skate in his 400th career professional game, with 330 of those coming in the NHL. Gregor signed with the Winnipeg Jets following a stint with the Florida Panthers organization. Gregor scored 17 points (11G, 6A) in 26 games with the Charlotte Checkers in 2025-26, the first time he had played in the AHL since 2021-22. He was a member of the San Jose Barracuda at the time. Gregor has scored 79 points (40G, 39A) in his NHL tenure. 

Who’s Trending?

Danny Zhilkin is coming off a career-best season in 2025-26, smashing his previous highs in goals, assists and points. In 62 games, he recorded 24 points (12G, 12A), more than half his career total of 41 points (17G, 24A) through 159 games across three seasons. He earned his first NHL call-up, skating in six games with the Jets, adding an assist.