The Moose Can Have a Huge Role for the Jets This Season

The Manitoba Moose had a pretty good Sunday afternoon, beating Chicago 8–3. But for the Winnipeg Jets, the final score probably wasn't the most interesting part. Brayden Yager scored twice and added an assist. Noah Gregor scored and added two assists. Those kinds of numbers get noticed when you're watching the AHL and wondering which players might eventually find their way back to Winnipeg.

Yager’s developmental path has been interesting to me.

The 21-year-old hasn't exactly followed the development path everybody imagined when he arrived. Last season with Manitoba, he scored 30 points in 68 games. He also had a minus-15 rating and 108 shots on goal. Those aren't terrible numbers, but they weren't the kind that had Jets fans demanding he be called up.

Maybe we sometimes talk about prospects as if development is a straight line. Draft the player, send him to the AHL, watch the numbers go up, and eventually he becomes an NHL player. Hockey doesn't always work that way.

Sometimes a young player needs more time. Sometimes he needs to learn to handle the physical side of professional hockey. Sometimes he needs to become more consistent. And sometimes he just needs to play a lot of hockey without everybody deciding what he is after every good or bad game.

Yager's three-point afternoon is encouraging. What matters more is what happens over the next few weeks.

Gregor is waiting for his call-up this season.

Gregor is a slightly different story. He didn't make the Jets out of training camp, so he's waiting in Manitoba for his next chance. The 28-year-old already has four points through his first two AHL games. Last season he split his time between the AHL and NHL, putting up 17 points in 26 games with Charlotte and nine points in 38 games with Florida.

That's useful depth for Winnipeg. And maybe that's the bigger story here.

The Moose isn't simply where players go when they don't make the Jets. It's also where the organization can develop players, rebuild confidence and keep experienced players ready for the inevitable injuries and lineup changes that come with an NHL season.

Yager and Gregor both might have roles with the Jets this season.

Yager doesn't have to become a star tomorrow. Gregor doesn't have to be disappointed about starting in the AHL. They both just have to keep playing.

And for the Jets, that's not a bad place to be.