by Frankie Benvenuti | AHL On The Beat

The Manitoba Moose had a notable first 28 games of the season in 2025-26. The team picked up 15 wins and sat in second place in the Central Division as they entered the Christmas break, but many of the headlines were focused on three players in particular.

With the parent club Winnipeg Jets banged up, defenseman Elias Salomonsson and goaltender Thomas Milic were afforded the opportunity to make their NHL debuts. Then, netminder Domenic DiVincentiis earned his first call-up, backing up Moose alumnus Eric Comrie for a pair of games.

Salomonsson and Milic made their respective debuts in back-to-back contests. Salomonsson skated in his first NHL contest against the vaunted Washington Capitals offense at Capital One Arena on Nov. 26. Milic was tasked with a difficult road contest against the relentless Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Nov. 28.

A second-round pick of the Jets in 2022, Salomonsson recounted the moment he stepped on the ice for the traditional rookie solo lap in Washington.

“That was actually the first thing I thought of: Don’t fall,” Salomonsson laughed with reporters following his debut. “It was amazing. Of course, a lot of emotions. You just do that once, so it was a lot of fun.”

The Skellefteå, Sweden, product appeared in four games with the big club while averaging 14:44 of ice time. Salomonsson came within an inch of scoring his first NHL goal, ringing a shot of the post in his second game while facing off against Carolina.

The defender was grateful for his experience skating in the NHL.

“It meant a lot,” Salomonsson said. “This is something I’ve always chased since I was a little kid.”

With an injury to Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, another Moose graduate, Manitoba’s current goaltending duo were each given some time across the hallway.

Milic turned away 30 shots in his first game, including 26 of the Hurricanes’ first 28 attempts on goal. While it eventually culminated in a loss on the 22-year-old’s record, it was an experience he’ll never forget.

“It was cool, a lot of excitement beforehand,” Milic said of his debut. “I had my parents and some other family and friends come in. I think a lot of that was for them. It was super special. They’ve all helped me get to this point. I just wanted to do my best for them and do my best for myself, as well.”

The Coquitlam, B.C., native saw relief action in two more games before being loaned back to the Moose on Dec. 8. In a corresponding move, the Jets recalled DiVincentiis, as the young netminders swapped places in the NHL locker room.

“It was a dream come true,” DiVincentiis said. “Obviously, being recalled to the NHL is kids’ dream and to be able to do that was unbelievable. Being able to have my family come down and share those days with them and have them come watch the practices was pretty special to me. Just being able to give back for all the things that they did for me.”

There is always friendly competition between the pair of Jets prospect netminders, but beneath it, there’s a deeper level of support.

“I was so pumped up for him,” Milic said of DiVincentiis’ call-up. “I was really excited for him. I’ve said it countless times, but it’s super
cool having a guy like that. We’re in similar stages in our careers and getting to share a lot of new experiences.

“No matter what’s happening, whoever’s playing, we’re always there for each other and cheering each other on, but we’re also battling,” Milic added. “We’re fighting for games every night, so we’re doing our best to keep that healthy competition going.”

Though DiVincentiis didn’t make it into a game before being loaned back to the Moose on Dec. 14, the short stint each goalie got with the Jets was valuable experience.

“It’s pretty special to be able to get on the ice with those guys and learn from them and expand the toolbox,” the Bolton, Ont., native explained. “There’s never going to be a day that you stop learning in this game. So for me, it’s just getting that one percent better every day, learning from those guys there, and just being able to come back (to the Moose) and put them into my game.”