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![\"BROOK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4187689_web1_BJ-20260422ManitobaMooseVsMilwaukeeAdmirals12.jpg\")
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BROOK JONES \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Manitoba Moose defenceman Tyrel Bauer (2) is known for dropping the gloves, logging 401 penalty minutes in his career with the club.<\/p>\n
While Morrison\u2019s words may strike some as a backhanded compliment, that\u2019s not the case: It\u2019s high praise for a player who has become a fixture on the Manitoba Moose blue line \u2014 and perhaps on the cusp of an NHL debut.<\/p>\n
Bauer, 24, may best be known for the damage he can do with his fists, but it\u2019s the other parts of his game that may ultimately extend his pro career.<\/p>\n
His value was on full display last weekend as the Moose staved off elimination with a pair of 2-1 victories over the Milwaukee Admirals to advance to the Central Division semifinal of the Calder Cup playoffs. Bauer played a big role, particularly on a penalty killing unit that went 7-for-7 and blocked countless shots in the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s all sorts of things Tyrel brings. He certainly gives us all sorts of courage,\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great penalty killer, he brings the toughness, he brings the energy. His character is unmatched. I can\u2019t say enough good things about this young man.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bauer, the former captain of the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, is now in his fourth pro season after being drafted in the sixth round by the Jets in 2020. While his point totals will never jump off the page \u2014 he has just 21 (five goals, 16 assists) in 214 career AHL games \u2014 the 401 combined penalty minutes sure do.<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s no longer just a one-trick pugilistic pony, which is why the Jets were seriously considering calling him up down the stretch of the regular season. Bauer ultimately suffered an injury which prevented that from happening, but it won\u2019t be a surprise to see him get NHL action as early as next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to progress as a player. You want to learn. And that\u2019s been my goal from day one,\u201d said Bauer. \u201cIt\u2019s been up-and-down, as it is for a lot of players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knowing he\u2019s on Winnipeg\u2019s radar \u2014 general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff praised him publicly at the trade deadline \u2014 only adds to his motivation and confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, it\u2019s cool to hear. It\u2019s everybody\u2019s dream to play in the NHL. You watch guys go up, it\u2019s exciting to see them go up and get to play in the best league in the world,\u201d said Bauer.<\/p>\n
If and when Bauer gets the call, expect a flood of past and present teammates to be cheering him on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve known him for a while, just training with him in the summers. You know the type of guy he is. He loves the game. He\u2019s a nice guy to everybody, no matter who you are. As a teammate you see it firsthand,\u201d said Moose forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loves being at the rink, he\u2019s one of the last guys on the ice every day. And then obviously the tough side of it where he steps up for teammates. Everybody sees that. Having a guy like that in the room, you can\u2019t even really put into words what he means to this group.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, the six-foot-four, 216-pound Bauer is focused on trying to muscle the Moose as far as he can in the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cIt just keeps getting better,\u201d he said of having one series victory under the belt already.<\/p>\n \u2018\u201cYou just want to keep snowballing. That was a lot of fun. For our group, our players, to feel that energy. It was a spark for our group, to know what it feels like to win a tight game that means something.\u201d<\/p>\n Managing emotions in playoffs can be tough, especially for someone with an admittedly short fuse like Bauer. That\u2019s likely going to be tested against a deep Grand Rapids team.<\/p>\n \u201cPlayoffs go up a notch in intensity,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know what they\u2019re going to do. We\u2019re worried about us. We\u2019re going to defend, we\u2019re going to play hard, we\u2019re going to make this building a difficult building to play in like we did the last series. We feel good. We feel ready. We\u2019re going to rise up to the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/mikemcintyre<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Mike McIntyre Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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