The Winnipeg Jets have added the Bloomington Bison of the ECHL to their affiliates for the 2026-27 season, joining the Manitoba Moose of he American Hockey League (AHL). Winnipeg previously had the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL while Bloomington had the New York Rangers as their NHL affiliate.
What is being said about the move
"We are excited to begin this new partnership with the Bloomington Bison," said Craig Heisinger, Senior Vice President & Director of Hockey Operations/ Assistant General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets and General Manager of the Manitoba Moose.
"This is an important step forward for the Bloomington Bison," said Head Coach Phillip Barski. "When we evaluated what we wanted in our next affiliation, we focused on alignment, communication, player development, and a shared commitment to winning."
"I'm thrilled about the next step in growing our organization," said Bloomington Bison President Andy Zilch.
Previous affiliations of Winnipeg, Bloomington
The ECHL Bison were previously affiliated with the NHL Rangers and the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL for the first two seasons of the Bison franchise. Bloomington made the playoffs in their second season after a 37-30-2 regular season record, but were eliminated by the Toledo Walleye in the first round.
The Jets and Moose ended their previous affiliation agreement with the Admirals after three years. That agreement began in August of 2023. Manitoba saw a big improvement last season, winning 10 more games and grabbing 22 additional points compared to the 2024-25 season
Speaking of Manitoba and the ECHL, plenty of prospects have gone through the ECHL to make a name for themselves and ultimately end up playing useful hockey with the Moose. For instance, and more recently, goaltender Thomas Milic was one of those players. Winnipeg selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft and he quickly shot up the prospect ranks. Milic played in 36 ECHL games with Norfolk and 54 games with the Moose between 2023-24 and 2024-25. He would make his NHL debut with the Jets, playing three games and 41 games with the Moose in the same season. He could be a future number one netminder for the Jets in the near future.
Another goaltender on the WInnipeg and Bison radar is Isaac Poulter, who recently re-signed with the Jets organization. Last season, he spent time in both the ECHL an AHL. He appeared in three games for the Moose, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.76 goals against average. He would end the season with Norfolk, recording a record of 25-17-1 with a 2.76 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
While new affiliation agreements can be scary, Winnipeg has plenty of good prospects to send to the Bison, who are quickly becoming a solid ECHL franchise. If Poulter ends up playing with the Bison this season for any length of time, he could really elevate the team. He has experience with the league and played extremely well last season in the ECHL. Bloomington could also raise its attendance and profits with the help of the Jets and their social media team. In turn, both teams are going to make each other better because of this agreement. This is a rare win/win for both sides.
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