Tight-Knit Roster, Head Coach Helping Manitoba Succeed Amidst Adversity

From the outside looking in, the Manitoba Moose’s roster stood no chance.

Before their recent 2-1 shootout win against the Texas Stars, an abundance of COVID-19 cases and NHL recalls decimated Manitoba’s lineup over their previous 10 games. At times, the Moose lineup was unrecognizable. In just about every game, they were short four or five top-six wingers, at least three quality defencemen, and both of their goalies. They were dressing just five or six NHL-contracted players a night, whereas their opponents had upwards of 12 in their lineup.

Within the Moose’s dressing room, however, there was hardly any panic.

“The key to this group at the moment is that they believe they can win any game no matter who they have in the lineup. Which is special,” Moose Head Coach Mark Morrison told Full Press Coverage after practice on January 26. 

In improbable fashion, the Winnipeg Jets’ AHL affiliate found a way to put up a 7-2-1-0 through that hectic stretch. Despite the drastic personnel turnover, it was business as usual for the fifth-best team in the AHL.

“We’re not looking for excuses, we’re looking to win games,” Manitoba defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic said confidently after the Moose completed a series sweep against the Chicago Wolves on January 23. 

To understand how Manitoba was able to play spoiler for such a continuous stretch and pick up an important chunk of points against divisional opponents, you’ve got to peel back the onion layers. It’s not so black and white. Obviously, Manitoba’s AHL depth — and the quality of such — was a huge factor.

Up front, you had Greg Meireles (the teams’ fourth-line centre) and Haralds Egle (a frequent healthy scratch) record eight points in 10 games where they each saw an increase in their respective usage. On the blue line, Moose captain Jimmy Oligny logged upwards of 23 minutes a night (per InStat). And most importantly, between the pipes, PTO-signing Evan Cormier and third-string goalie Philippe Desrosiers were rock solid with a communal .919 SV%.

In some way or another though, everybody stepped up. It wasn’t always pretty, but time and time again, the Moose found a way. As defenceman Nelson Nogier points out, a big part of the AHL is making the most of the opportunities you’re given. Which they did. As a team.

“I think it speaks volumes to the group we have in that dressing room,” Nogier said. 

Manitoba's series sweep over Chicago was about as David vs Goliath as you could get. #MBMoose had practically none of their top nine forwards playing

Cormier / Desrosiers were both excellent in the crease.

Pardon the cliche, but these past two wins were truly character wins. pic.twitter.com/TfI5inbmFX

— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) January 24, 2022

Getting all these depth pieces to buy in — some of which, mind you, were PTOs who sometimes joined them just a day or two before the game — is no small feat. It’s a testament to the culture that’s been long fostered, dating back to the start of the 2020-2021 COVID-shortened season.

“We have really good chemistry and a really good work ethic. That’s half the battle,” Morrison said.

And that sort of thing doesn’t come about organically. In fact, the collective buy-in is a result of a multitude of factors that largely stem from two things: an inclusive locker room and a beloved player’s coach in Morrison. The two are the pillars of the Moose’s foundation, one that looks strong enough to make a serious Calder Cup run this year.

Inclusivity

A meeting between the Moose’s coaching staff and the teams’ leadership group would go on to set the tone for the season.

As Manitoba assistant coach Eric Dubois recalls, the coaches asked Oligny, Kovacevic, Cole Maier, and Luke Johnson to name the first thing that came to mind when it comes to being a good teammate.

The first word spoken was inclusion.

“It might have been Kovy that mentioned the word,” Dubois said. “But it was unanimous between them that that should be the most important thing on our board [in the dressing room].”

As impressed as Dubois was by the answer, he was far from surprised. He saw how tight of a group this was last season and a large chunk of players had returned this year (16 players on the current roster spent some time with the Moose last season).

It all starts with Manitoba’s captain Jimmy Oligny. The 28-year-old defenceman says it’s important that everyone is given a warm welcome once they arrive. It may sound like a given, but it’s important nonetheless.

“Those are [the] little details that go a long way and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Oligny said. 

Left winger Evan Polei has been the new guy before. Now, the 25-year-old forward is someone who leans on his past experience to set a good example.

“It’s my fifth year now, so I guess I’ve seen it a bit now from older guys. And for me, when I came in, it was always just [about] getting talked to, you know? People coming up to me, asking how my day was, what I [got] up to last night. Just having a conversation and making me feel welcome,” Polei said.

Team cliques and cold shoulders can present a major obstacle for a newbie.

“If he’s not welcomed the proper way, it’s hard for a player to feel good. To feel comfortable,” Dubois said. “You know you feel like you’re walking on [egg shells]. You don’t want to disturb, you don’t want to be noticed by anybody if you’re not included.”

When forward Mikey Eyssimont joined the club, he didn’t know a lot of players on the team. When he arrived in Winnipeg to get a feel for the city before training camp, he met defenceman Declan Chisholm. The two became close friends. He says it wasn’t long until he sparked up a close connection with the rest of his teammates, too.

“It’s nice to be a part of something like that. Coming to a new city and just kind of inheriting some really good friends. And it definitely helps with us on the ice as well,” Eyssimont said. 

For netminder Arvid Holm, it meant a lot to enter such a welcoming locker room during the 23-year-old Swedish goaltender’s first AHL season.

“It’s a very including locker room and a lot of nice guys,” Holm said. “Especially the guys who have been here before, they’re very welcoming and take everyone under their wings.”

All of this has become a big factor for the Moose. When you have a team as close-knit as this one battling for one another, their performance is kicked up a few notches.

“You can see that there’s some desperation in their game at times where they block shots, or they dive at the blue line to get a puck over,” Morrison said. “They just do a lot of things to win the two points.” 

‘Mo’

If the Moose’s locker room were a blossoming flower, Morrison would be the sun that helps it grow.

The admiration his players feel for him is palpable. It’s not hard to see why, especially when you hear Morrison peel back the curtain to his coaching philosophies (which align with catering to the modern-day athlete).

“I think everyone learns a different way, you know? Some people learn with communication. Some people you have to be hard on. Other people don’t get the point, so you have to show them a video. I think it’s important that you learn [about] everybody and what makes them tick.

“I could go over 10 different players in that room and it’s important to know how they’ll take information in from you. Some guys, you need to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them. Other guys, you don’t. They don’t want to; it’s a 10-second conversation, they want to see it on video and [be] done. I think it’s important for us as coaches to learn all the different personalities and what it takes to teach them.” 

Nogier says that with a coach like Morrison, players as a whole feel more comfortable playing their own game.

“We have our structure and what we want to achieve as a whole when we come into a game — as a team — depending on an opponent, but you have some length on the leash to do what you want to do to be creative as a player, as well. I think when guys know that they have that ability to do that, it allows them to play more freely and play with a little more confidence.”

Kovacevic appreciates the way Morrison treats the players.

“I think Mo lets us be ourselves. He’s not trying to micromanage and he’s not playing any mind games. He understands we’re giving it our all and he kind of lets us run the room. He has a good feel for us. When he needs to come in and say his piece, he will. But he’ll also let us kind of run our own ship at times, too.”

Morrison’s pulse on his group is one thing, but he’s a darn good coach, too. The Moose’s system is a defensive juggernaut. Their overall team numbers would be better than they are if it weren’t for these last 10 games where their underlying numbers were a bit ugly, which caused their overall numbers to dip a bit. But still, the numbers speak for themselves (data via InStat).

EV GF%	57%	2nd
CF%	53.8%	4th
xGF%	54.4%	3rd
SCF%	56%	3rd

“We could go a long way,” Morrison said of his herd. “We could do a lot of damage. It’s a good hockey team and I think the important thing for us is we’re having a lot of players play bigger minutes who are improving.  When players do come back into our lineup, we also have a good understanding of some of the guys who stepped up here and who can play more minutes now.”

Calder Cup Contention

“I think when we have a healthy lineup and a lot of our top guys back, we’re going to have a real shot at winning this thing this year,” Polei said. 

He’s not wrong. Let’s spitball a bit here. Once April rolls around, this is what the Moose’s lineup could look like.

Luke Johnson – Cole Perfetti – Austin Poganski

Jeff Malott – David Gustafsson – Kristian Reichel

Mikey Eyssimont – Cole Maier – Nicholas Jones

Evan Polei – CJ Suess – Greg Meireles

Vile Heinola – Jonathan Kovacevic

Declan Chisholm – Leon Gawanke

Jimmy Oligny – Simon Lundmark

 

Mikhail Berdin
Arvid Holm

 

That’s insane.

Now, obviously, I made some assumptions here. One of which is that Perfetti will be sent back down once the Jets’ regular season is done. Same for Gustafsson. While the latter seems like a slam dunk, the former may not seem feasible. Perfetti has seemingly graduated onto the big leagues, having been with the Jets since his World Junior experience was cut short. But I think when it’s all said and done, Perfetti’s returned to the Moose and tasked with playing a prominent role in a high-stress environment.

Even if two or three of those forwards aren’t around when the dust settles, there’s a ton of insurance at each position — which is key for any playoff run, especially one where COVID-19 protocol could play a factor.