Manitoba Moose preparing for division semi-finals against Grand Rapids Griffins starting May 2nd
While the Winnipeg Jets may not be in the playoffs, Manitoba’s other professional hockey team, the Manitoba Moose, have advanced to round 2 of the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. The Moose opened their Calder Cup Playoffs with a series against the Milwaukee Admirals, the affiliate of the Nashville Predators. The Moose hosted all three games of the best of three series as the higher seeded. After losing game 1 4-1, the Moose rallied over the weekend to win back to back 2-1 games to advance to the next round.
The Calder Cup Playoffs format is a little different to begin for each division in the AHL, but in the Central Division (the division with the Moose), has the winner of the 4/5 series advancing to face the number 1 seeded Grand Rapid Griffins. The Division Semi-Finals will be a best of 5, and the Moose will be in tough for this series against the affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. The Griffins finished 2nd overall in the AHL league standings, finishing the 72 game regular season with a record of 51-16-4.
In the opening series against the Admirals, David Gustafsson led the Moose with 1 goal and 2 assists in the 3 games. Parker Ford, who spent some time with the Jets this season, also was a key contributor in round 1, scoring two important goals. Domenic Divincentiis was the backup goalie in game 1, but in game 2 and game 3 he had two tremendous starts in goal. Divicentiis allowed just one goal in game 2 and one goal in game 3, posting a .962 SV% in his 2 wins with 50 total saves.
The Griffins were consistently one of the best teams throughout the AHL regular season. John Leonard, a former 6th round draft pick, led the Griffins in points with 54 in 47 games. Michael Brandsegg-Nygrad, a 20 year old forward for the Griffins, is among the top prospects in the Red Wings organization, and he finished his first pro season with an impressive 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points in 60 games. In net for the Griffins is a 1st round (15th overall) pick from the 2021 NHL Draft in Sebastian Cossa. The 6’7″ netminder had his best pro season yet, finishing the season with a 26-8-4-5 record with a 2.33 GAA and a .915 SV%.
Game 1 of this series will be played at Canada Life Centre on May 2nd at 2:00 pm CDT. Game 2 of the series will also be played in Manitoba on May 3rd, before the series shifts to Grand Rapids for the next 1-3 games. The Moose will enter this series as big underdogs, and it’ll be a chance for the players (including those who spent some time with the Jets) to gain some valuable playoff experience against one of the AHL’s best teams in the regular season.
Up Next
The NHL Draft Lottery will take place on May 5th, where the Winnipeg Jets will have a 6.5% chance of winning the draw for the 1st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
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