Moose Begin Calder Cup Playoffs on Wednesday
Published on April 21, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba Moose embark on their quest for the Calder Cup on Wednesday, April 22 on home ice at 7 p.m. CT. The Moose face the Milwaukee Admirals in a best-of-three First Round series at Canada Life Centre.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. CT - Canada Life Centre
Game 2: Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. CT - Canada Life Centre
Game 3*: Sunday, April 26, 2 p.m. CT - Canada Life Centre
*if necessary
Experience the Calder Cup Playoffs:
Tickets on Sale Now
Single game tickets for the Central Division First Round are available now. To secure your seats or find information about group tickets, visit moosehockey.com/tickets.
Playoff Packages for the entire post-season are available at moosehockey.com/playoffs. Playoff packages provide multiple payment options including "Pay As We Play" and guarantee your seat as the Moose move through the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Moose on 680 CJOB and AHLTV on FloHockey
Listen to coverage of every Central Division First Round game on 680 CJOB, CJOB.com/sports and the Winnipeg Jets App. You can also watch all the action live with a subscription to AHLTV on FloHockey.
Playoff Series Primer:
The Manitoba-Milwaukee Matchup
The Moose finished the regular season seven points ahead of Milwaukee in the standings. Manitoba wrapped the campaign with a 35-29-5-3 mark, good for 78 points and fourth in the Central Division. The Admirals featured a 32-33-4-3 record for 71 points and fifth in the division. Milwaukee captured the season series between the teams, winning five of the eight games. The Moose held an 18-15-2-1 record on home ice, compared to the Admirals' 12-20-2-2 mark on the road. The two teams split their four matchups at Canada Life Centre this season.
Mason Shaw led the Moose with 44 points (15G, 29A) and Manitoba featured seven players with at least 30 points on the roster. Jake Lucchini paced the Admirals with 50 points (17G, 33A), with six Milwaukee skaters reaching 30 points.
Storylines
You Again!?
The Moose and Admirals are no strangers to playoff matchups with the teams matching up for the third time in five years. Prior to their recent clashes, Manitoba and Milwaukee only met once in the post-season back in 1999 during the IHL Playoffs. The teams' first Calder Cup Playoffs meeting came in 2022 in the Central Division Semifinals with Milwaukee winning in five games. Defenceman Declan Chisholm led the Moose with seven points (2G, 5A) while forward Tommy Novak paced Milwaukee with six points (1G, 5A). The following season saw the teams clash again in the Division Semifinals, and the series required the full five games once more. Jansen Harkins led the Moose with seven points (4G, 3A) while Jordan Gross was the top Admirals scorer at seven points (2G, 5A).
Show Time
Both the Moose and Admirals saw an influx of talent arrive at the conclusion of the NHL season. The Moose welcomed a pair of first round picks in Brad Lambert and Brayden Yager back to the group from the Winnipeg Jets. Lambert finished the campaign with 25 NHL games to his name, picking up six points (3G, 3A) with the Winnipeg Jets. The Lahti, Finland product features 106 points (36G, 70A) in 173 career AHL games with the Moose. Yager made his NHL debut on April 13, and appeared in three games with the Jets, after posting 30 points (10G, 20A) in 68 AHL games with the Moose. Meanwhile the Admirals saw four players return from the Nashville Predators with Joakim Kemell, Zach L'Heureux, Reid Schaefer and Ryan Ufko all back in Milwaukee. Those four skaters combined for 106 NHL games this season.
Next Generation
This First Round series showcases a large group of NHL prospects. The Moose skate into the set with 10 Winnipeg Jets draft picks on the roster. The Admirals lineup features a similar 10 Nashville Predators draft selections. Both sides prospect pools have been bolstered through trades as well. 2023 Pittsburgh first round pick Brayden Yager skates on the Moose side, while 2023 Vegas first round selection David Edstrom and 2022 Edmonton first rounder Reid Schaefer feature on Milwaukee's roster. Overall, the Moose roster features three first round picks (Colby Barlow, Brad Lambert, Yager) and six players selected in the first three rounds of the NHL draft.
Stingy Sides
The Moose and Admirals both rank among the top teams in the AHL when it comes to keeping the puck out of their net. The Moose ranked ninth in the AHL, allowing 216 goals, an average of 3.00 per game throughout the regular season. The Admirals wrapped the campaign allowing the 13th-least goals on the season at 221 goals-against, for an average of 3.07 per game. The teams were neck-and-neck in save percentage for the 2025-26 campaign. Moose and Admirals netminders finished in a four-way tie for 10th in the AHL with a .896 save percentage. Thomas Milic logged the most minutes in net for Manitoba, posting a 20-13-6 record over 41 appearances. The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic participant set new career bests with a 2.64 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and four shutouts. Meanwhile, veteran goaltender Matthew Murray made 47 appearances this season, marking down a 22-22-4 record supported by a 2.83 GAA, .904 SV% and four shutouts.
Veteran Leaders
Both teams enter the series looking to their veterans to help drive the offence into the post-season. Moose leading scorer Mason Shaw enters the post-season with 422 professional games under his belt. Meanwhile, Jake Lucchini has 454 games of pro experience while pacing the Milwaukee attack. Each of Manitoba's top five scorers feature over 300 games of professional experience, while three of Milwaukee's top five producers have cleared that mark. Phil Di Giuseppe brings the most experience to Manitoba's roster, having appeared in 702 professional outings. Jordan Oesterle heads up Milwaukee's veterans with 674 games in the professional ranks. The Moose have 6,058 total games of professional experience on the roster, while the Admirals feature 6,313 games.
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