Moose hope for boost from Phillips TheAHL.com

Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer

Back to two weeks ago, the Manitoba Moose's hopes of making the Calder Cup playoffs were tenuous at best.

The Moose are already 15 points below the Central Division playoff line, with two games remaining in Calgary. There was another two-person race last weekend in Grand Rapids.

On Jan. 3, those hopes looked even slimmer after Calgary trailed the Moose 3-1 in the first period. Got at least one point. Two days later, they won 3-2 in the final 90 seconds of regular time.

They pushed through a tough road schedule, winning in overtime in Milwaukee and earning a sweep against the Griffins.

Then came Wednesday's acquisition of the defender. Isaac Phillipswas drafted from the Chicago Blackhawks as a blueline teammate by his parent team, the Winnipeg Jets. Dmitry Kuzmin. The move gives the Jets a fifth-year pro at just 23 years old who already has 56 games of NHL experience and is capable of competing for more opportunities.

More immediately, Phillips could come in and give the Moose a huge boost as they try to find a playoff spot. The Moose are now on a 4-0-1-0 winning streak, cutting fifth-place Rockford's playoff spot to 12 points with three games remaining.

What's most striking about Phillips, who made his Moose debut Friday night, is his poise. Phillips was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2020 and debuted in the most unusual 2020-21 pandemic season, entering the AHL and quickly establishing himself as a stable presence.

Phillips earned himself his first four NHL games in his second season and played 33 games on the Chicago blueline in 2023-24.

But the Eagles are in the midst of a complete rebuild, and defensive prospects have continued to pour into the system since Phillips arrived. Alex Vlasik It’s very mature in Chicago right now. Nolan Allen As a 2021 first-round pick. a year later it was Kevin Korchinski As the seventh overall pick. Wyatt Caesar Leaving the University of Minnesota-Duluth after his junior season in 2023. Louis Crevier Breakthrough is pretty quick. Ethan del Mastro Selected as an AHL All-Star last season. Last June the Eagles won Artem Levshunov Selected with the second overall pick in the NHL draft.

Some of that talent is already in Chicago. The remainder is continuing development in Rockford. Allen, Kaiser, Korchinski and Vlasic are all left-handed, just like Phillips. It was becoming increasingly clear that finding long-term housing in Chicago would be difficult.

With Phillips, the Jets gain experience in the backfield. With the Jets, Phillips got a new opportunity. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, the Barrie, Ont., native has a strong offensive presence in the game and is willing to take advantage of that size. He can skate and pass the ball. This season, he has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 28 games with Rockford and has 79 points and a +22 rating in 200 games in the AHL.

Perhaps most importantly, he's very coachable, something teams crave from their prospects. He served as an alternate captain while at Rockford.

So as the Moose begin 10 of 13 games at the Canadian Life Centre, they're looking for a boost from a new back. They are last in the league in goals per game and are 28th in goals against as we near the midpoint of the schedule, but there is still plenty to work towards. For a young defender whose contract expires at the end of this season, it's a significant opportunity to get up close and personal with Winnipeg's front office.

“I'm very excited,” Phillips told reporters this week. “This is a new opportunity for me. I want to come in, play my game and add some stability to the backend here.

“I still feel like there’s a lot to improve on in my game.”

About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio . In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.