The Manitoba Moose announced their leadership group for the 2025-26 AHL season on Thursday, naming forward Mason Shaw the 13th captain in franchise history. Forward Phillip Di Giuseppe and defenceman Ashton Sautner will serve as assistant captains.

Shaw, 26, wore an ‘A’ in his first season with the Moose in 2024-25 and made an immediate impact, leading the team with 37 points (17G, 20A) in 72 games. The Wainwright, Alta., native was recognized with the FloForm Countertops Most Valuable Player Award at season’s end. Shaw previously captained the Iowa Wild in 2022-23 and has registered 158 points (60G, 98A) in 269 career AHL games between Iowa and Manitoba. A 2017 fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild, he’s also suited up for 82 NHL contests, all with Minnesota, recording 20 points (8G, 12A).

Sautner, 31, enters his fifth season on the Moose blue line and has been part of Manitoba’s leadership group for several campaigns. The Flin Flon, Man., product has appeared in 479 AHL games with Manitoba, Abbotsford, and Utica, tallying 95 points (23G, 72A). He’s also recorded three assists in 23 NHL appearances with the Vancouver Canucks.

Di Giuseppe, 32, joins the Moose after capturing the 2025 Calder Cup with Abbotsford. The veteran of more than 600 professional games brings a wealth of experience, having produced 204 points (83G, 121A) in 328 AHL contests and 81 points (28G, 53A) in 302 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, and Canucks.

Manitoba also unveiled its 28-player roster for the start of the 2025-26 regular season, featuring 15 forwards, 10 defencemen, and three goaltenders. The group includes nine Winnipeg Jets draft picks, three of whom were selected in the first round: Colby Barlow (2023), Ville Heinola (2019), and Brayden Yager (2023, PIT).

The Moose also feature two additional early-round Jets prospects in Elias Salomonsson (2nd, 2022) and Danny Zhilkin (3rd, 2022), both participants in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic.

New faces in the lineup include Di Giuseppe, defenceman Kale Clague, who posted a career-high 39 points (10G, 29A) last season, and forward Samuel Fagemo, whose 132 goals since 2021 lead all AHL skaters over that span.

Returning veterans include captain Mason Shaw, defenceman Ashton Sautner, and forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who appeared in five Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Jets last spring and enters the season with 98 points (41G, 57A) in 166 career AHL contests.

The Moose open their 2025-26 campaign this Friday against the Laval Rocket as they look to return to Calder Cup contention.