The two first-round picks on the Manitoba Moose are having very different starts to their American Hockey League (AHL) seasons.
Yager Looking Comfortable & Confident With Moose
On the plus side, Brayden Yager has had a nice opening 15 games and is looking comfortable and confident in his first foray into professional hockey.
The 20 year old and 2023 14th-overall pick (Pittsburgh Penguins) has quickly taken a prominent place in the lineup, playing centre on the top line between AHL veterans Phil Di Giuseppe and Samuel Fagemo and also drawing time on the power play.
Thus far, the former Moose Jaw Warrior and Saskatoon Blade has picked up two goals and six assists for eight points to sit tied for third in team scoring. Those numbers don’t jump off the page — the Moose have been a low-scoring team thus far with 35 total goals for a 2.33 per-game average — but his vision and playmaking skills have been on display regularly at even strength and the man advantage. He scored his first professional goal in his first game against the Laval Rocket on Oct. 10.
Yager is used to being a prolific producer, having put up 129 goals and 332 points in six Western Hockey League (WHL) campaigns, so it’s safe to say his presence will be key to the Moose’s attack improving. Last season, he recorded 82 points in just 54 games between the Warriors and Hurricanes and put up 95 in 2023-24, when the Warriors won the WHL championship. He also captained Canada’s squad at the 2025 World Junior Championships and recorded three assists in five games.
Barlow Off to Slow Start in Second-Straight Season
On the flip side, Barlow has had an unremarkable first 15 games of his in first pro campaign. The 20 year old has just one goal and one assist, despite drawing second-line minutes on the left wing with Danny Zhilkin and Jaret Anderson Dolan. His only goal, the third-period game winner against the Texas Stars on Nov. 8, came during a goal-mouth scramble.
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Barlow got off to a similarly-slow start last season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after being traded to the Oshawa Generals from the Owen Sound Attack in an early-October blockbuster, and was left off Canada’s 2025 World Junior Championship selection roster as a result of his disappointing play.
However, the now 20-year-old really picked it up when the calendar flipped to 2025 and ended the season with 32 goals and 29 assists for 61 points in 62 games to finish fourth in team scoring. He was also lights out in the postseason and played a key role in the Generals’ run to the OHL championship by racking up 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 21 games.
The Moose will hope he can heat up in a similar fashion as the season goes on, because he has a truly wicked shot that goaltenders have difficulty handling. Barlow is well-known for his maturity and work ethic, so it’s likely the organization isn’t panicking about a 15-game sample size. However, with some combination of AHL veteran forwards Nikita Chibrikov, Parker Ford, and Brad Lambert set to return from the Jets as the parent club gets healthier, Barlow may find himself a victim of a numbers game.
The Moose, who are riding a four-game winning streak, are currently 7-6-2-0 and third in the Central Division. They are back in action Thursday, Nov. 20 when they host the Chicago Wolves at Canada Life Centre in the first game of a six-game homestand and just their fifth game in Winnipeg this season.
