BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Bloomington Bison announced that the team has entered into an affiliate agreement with the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets and the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.

“I’m thrilled for the next step in growing our organization,” said Zilch. “The Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose have a long and proven track record of developing talent on and off the ice. Their vision and professionalism align with our values in Bloomington, and this affiliation will provide even more opportunities for our players, and for our fans to see them grow.”

The Jets won the President’s Trophy as the top team in the NHL in the 2024-25 season and have been in Winnipeg since 2011-12 when they relocated from Atlanta. Though a different franchise, the first professional team that played under the “Winnipeg Jets” name was in the World Hockey Association from 1972-79 and remained in the NHL until 1996.

"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. “The Bison have already shown their commitment to success on the ice, reaching the playoffs in their second season of operation. We look forward to the opportunity, and professional environment, this affiliation will provide for our prospects.”

The Manitoba Moose saw a 10-win, 22-point improvement in the 2025-26 season compared to the previous campaign and qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“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. Winnipeg and Manitoba have a strong development model, a clear hockey identity and a history of preparing players the right way. We believe this partnership gives our organization, our players and our fans a tremendous opportunity moving forward.”

Many NHL-caliber players have developed through the Winnipeg organization. A recent prospect to advance from the ECHL to the NHL was Thomas Milic, whom the Jets selected in the Fifth Round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, Milic appeared in 36 ECHL games with the Norfolk Admirals and 54 AHL games with Manitoba. Last season, Milic made his NHL debut with Winnipeg, appearing in three games with the Jets and 41 games with the Moose. Other notable prospects who played in the ECHL include goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis and forward Jacob Julien, who were selected in the 2022 and 2023 NHL Drafts, respectively.

Goaltender Isaac Poulter recently re-signed with the Jets and spent time in both the ECHL and AHL in 2025-26. He appeared in three games for the Moose last season and earned a 2-0 record with a 2.76 goals-against average. Poulter ended his 2025-26 campaign with a 25-17-1 record with the ECHL’s Admirals and had a 2.76 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. Additional players to split time between the AHL and ECHL last season included defenseman Dawson Barteaux and forward Chase Yoder.

Bloomington was the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack for the first two seasons of Bison Hockey.