‘Our team is at our best when we’re in tight games’

It was the type of moment Brayden Yager yearns to have his fingerprints all over.

The Manitoba Moose centre was on the ice for a late power play in an elimination game that was tied 1-1 when he identified that David Gustafsson had inside position in front of Milwaukee Admirals goalie Matthew Murray.

Yager had the puck on his stick and had to ensure the shot from the point got through, so that Gustafsson could get a chance to deflect it for a season-saving goal, propelling the Moose to a victory that extended the season.

Another 2-1 victory in the series finale allowed the Moose to advance to face the Grand Rapids Griffins in a best-of-five series that opens on Saturday afternoon at Canada Life Centre.

“We needed it. In the playoffs, it’s (about having) kind of a short memory,” said Yager, who was asked about playing a pivotal role in one of the most important goals of the season for the Moose.

“You feel good about it. But whether it’s a big goal for or a bad goal against, (have a) short memory and work for the next one. It felt good in the moment, you kind of just reset and get ready for the next game. It was pretty cool to get that goal and to see the fans, the building felt like it was blowing up. It was unreal.”

Yager is someone who has experienced a lot in his burgeoning hockey career, helping the Moose Jaw Warriors capture a Western Hockey League title and a spot in the Memorial Cup in 2024 and suiting up in a pair of World Junior Hockey Championships, serving as team captain for Canada in the second one.

But the best-of-three series against the Admirals was his first taste of the Calder Cup playoffs and that provided another important learning lesson.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever really had a three-game series before,” said Yager. “You don’t really have time to dip your toes into the water.”

The same holds true for the type of urgency that comes with the series against a Griffins team that got off to the best start in AHL history and finished second overall in the league, three points behind the Providence Bruins (who had 110 points).

After working through the final preparations on Friday, the Moose are set to try and pull off an upset of the Griffins, who are the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

“We’ve got a great team, to be honest. We match up well against any team in the league,” said Yager, who had 10 goals and 30 points in 68 AHL games this season. “We’ve got a lot of skill, we play hard. If we just stick to our identity, I think we can give a lot of teams a hard time.

“I mean, I don’t know if we really care if people are saying we’re underdogs or whatever. We have a mindset going into the series and we’re going to play our hardest. We know we can beat any team.”

In speaking to multiple players and head coach Mark Morrison, it’s clear the Moose respect their opponent, but they’re not about to be intimidated by them either.

“Our team is at our best when we’re in tight games,” said Yager. “That’s probably what this series is going to be. Throughout the whole year, we’ve been in tight games, we’ve been in these situations and that’s where we’re most comfortable.”

Morrison has seen progress in Yager over the course of his first season in professional hockey.

“The biggest part for me is he manages pucks better. And he uses his ice time better,” said Morrison. “In junior, those guys play a lot. And the emphasis here is not just playing a lot, but you’ve got to make the most of your ice time. It’s more high-tempo, 40-second shifts than it is half-tempo, two-minute shifts. So for me, that’s what he’s learned.”

A late season recall to the Winnipeg Jets — where he suited up in his first three NHL games — certainly helped Yager’s comfort level going into the post-season.

“It’s the best league in the world,” said Yager. “Coming back (to the AHL), I think you definitely feel more confident. In a sense, you feel like you have more space or you feel almost a little bit quicker. Just try to carry that coming into here, try to be a big part of our group.”

The Moose are going to need important contributions throughout the lineup in order to defeat the Griffins, who have a nice blend of prospects and cagey veterans, including Sebastian Cossa, who is an elite goaltender.

“It’s the same game plan there. We’ve got to get second and third opportunities on these goalies, make them make a first save and win the loose puck recovery and get in his eyes, just make it hard, make it difficult,” said Morrison. “It’s kind of been like that for us all year long to try to score goals. We’ve had to get dirty goals, get in the crease. So, it’s nothing new to us.”

While the Moose are without defenceman Elias Salomonsson, who had shoulder surgery on Thursday, former Brandon Wheat Kings centre Nate Danielson is dealing with an injury and hasn’t suited up since Feb. 18, so he isn’t expected to return for the Griffins in this series.

The absence of a minute-muncher like Salomonsson has opened the door for Jets defence prospect Garrett Brown to slide into the lineup and make his pro hockey debut on the third pairing with Dylan Anhorn.

Brown recognizes there will be some butterflies to work through, but he exuded the type of conviction one would expect from someone who captured an NCAA Frozen Four title with the University of Denver Pioneers last month.

“It’s a game I’ve been playing for a long time now, and so I think you can’t go into it too nervous,” said Brown, who was chosen by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. “You’ve got to be confident. And like I said, I’m just super excited. I think of all the work that we’ve been putting in as a team, and it’s going to hopefully shine through.”

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