GAMEDAY: Jets at Stars

DALLAS – Brayden Yager is expected to make his season debut tonight when the Winnipeg Jets close out a two-game road trip against the Dallas Stars.

The 21-year-old forward was recalled from the Manitoba Moose on Monday, where he has five goals and nine points in six games to start the American Hockey League season. Now, three days later, he’ll be on the wing with Adam Lowry in the middle and Isak Rosen on the other side.

“It goes back to last year, coming up, getting his feet wet, and getting a taste of the pace, the structure, and everything it takes to be an effective NHL player,” said Lowry. “I think that’s the biggest thing for young guys. You come out of junior, you’re used to having the puck on your stick, you’re used to making plays, you’re used to putting up big numbers. Then you get into the pro game and it doesn’t necessarily happen every night. It’s finding different ways to be consistent.”

Yager played in three games to close out the 2025-26 season and comes into tonight looking for his first NHL point. That will come eventually, of course, but the lessons Yager learned in those games – as well as the Calder Cup Playoffs where he had four assists in seven games – stuck with him all summer.

“The first three strides is a big thing for the NHL,” said Yager. “Getting the puck and moving your feet, and another thing I kind of found as I played the games was just puck protection and being able to hold onto the puck, and then the skill kind of takes over.”

Though Yager is a natural centre, he’s had experience playing on the wing (including at the IIHF World Junior Championship). The way Lowry sees it, he and Yager could end up swapping spots depending on how each particular shift unfolds.

“We don’t want him necessarily to change how he’s playing just because he’s on the wing,” said Lowry. “I want him to hold onto pucks, I want him to take the middle of the ice. If he’s the first guy back, he can take low, neutral zone regroups there is a lot of interchangeability. He’s a really smart player. The transition going from one to the other won’t be a big jump for him.”

Thursday's morning skate was optional and well attended, but the Jets didn't do any formal line rushes. The projected line-up is based on Wednesday's skate at American Airlines Center, where the lines looked like this:

Arniel wanted to keep the trio of Alex Iafallo, Viggo Bjorck, and Gabriel Vilardi together after how they performed against the Blues. Per Natural Stat Trick, that line had a 75 percent expected goal share and outshot their opposition 10-2 at five-on-five.

“I thought the zone time for those guys was huge for Gabe and Viggo and Al. Man, I just would like to see them get rewarded for all the time they spent in there but they did a good job,” said Arniel. “It’s four lines for me that really have to get up and running, being consistent and really kind of being forceful. Forcing the opposition to be more stuck in their end of the rink.”

As for the Stars, they’re coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. It was the first game of a six-game home stand for the Stars, who will also host the New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Winnipeg is looking to reverse the trend from last season, where Dallas won all four games in the season series. Three of those were one-goal games, with one of those going to overtime.

"We know Dallas. They’re not going to give you much, and you also have to make sure you don’t give them a lot. They’ve got some firepower over there," said Arniel. "Play these 1-0, 2-1 games - we talked about at the beginning (of the season) - that has to be our mindset. I’m not concerned about scoring goals, I’m more concerned about us winning hockey games. If we have to do it 2-1, then we have to."

In games that tight, any goal could make the difference. However, it’s important for Winnipeg to adhere to the structure that puts defence first, then generate their offence off of that.

“That’s the balance that can be hard, sometimes,” said Isak Rosen. “Especially if you haven’t scored for a while, you want to do it. But you’ve got to do the right things. That’s been a good thing, playing with (Lowry). Doing the right things and checking – and then the chances are going to come. If you keep them in their D-zone and make the right plays, then the chances will come.”

Puck drop is set for 7 pm CT.