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![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4194152_web1_CP173318094.jpg\")
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Andy Clayton-King \/ The Associated Press Files<\/p>\n
Forward Lucas Wahlin appeared in six regular-season games and all five playoff games for the Manitoba Moose this season after finishing up his four-year college career with the University of St. Thomas, where he served as captain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an honour to be playing,\u201d said Wahlin. \u201cThere\u2019s so many different guys here and there\u2019s so many different skilled guys here with so many different attributes that they can throw in. You just have to capitalize on every opportunity, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m trying to do day-by-day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wahlin has impressed since joining the organization last month after wrapping up a four-year college career with the University of St. Thomas, where he served as captain.<\/p>\n
The undrafted Minnesotan scored his first professional goal and added his first two assists in six regular-season games with the Moose down the stretch, and has now appeared in all five playoff games for Manitoba while some more experienced players at this level are sidelined as healthy scratches.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the urge to win is just that much higher,\u201d he said of the biggest difference he\u2019s noticed in jumping to pro hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you expect more from your teammates and your teammates expect more from you. That\u2019s how it should be. You just want to do as much as you can for the coaching staff, for the organization and for your teammates as well.\u201d<\/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 Wahlin celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday as the Moose fell 2-0 to the Grand Rapids Griffins to even their best-of-series 1-1. His parents and fianc\u00e9e were in town to watch the action at Canada Life Centre.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously the intensity is ramped up so much more, the expectations are so much higher and you want to win every game,\u201d he said of his first taste of professional playoff hockey<\/p>\n Wahlin seems to be well-equipped for the intense environment. He has a motor that never seems to stop and doesn\u2019t shy away from physical play despite his 5-11, 160-pound frame. There\u2019s also some offence to be found, as proven by the 131 points (56G, 75A) he had in 137 career NCAA games.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like his compete level. He\u2019s learning the league and he\u2019s learning the pro game. And he competes hard on pucks,\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n \u201c(Doesn\u2019t) always make the right play right now, but once he starts making the right decisions, with his compete level he\u2019ll be good.\u201d<\/p>\n The fact Wahlin is bit older than a typical first-year prospect straight out of junior, for example, helps the cause.<\/p>\n \u201cI find all the guys that we get from college are a year or two older. It\u2019s a little bit easier, just from a strength point, battling on pucks,\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Supplied<\/p>\n Lucas Wahlin, Manitoba Moose.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what the league is. It\u2019s battling for pucks and scrums. It\u2019s not as organized I guess as the NHL, and sometimes you\u2019ve got to beat two and three guys that are in the corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Wahlin signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Winnipeg Jets which kicks in next season. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of other college free agents such as Brandon Tanev and current Moose teammate Parker Ford who have made it to the big leagues with this organization.<\/p>\n Knowing that the likes of Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and head coach Scott Arniel have been watching every Moose playoff game from the press box at Canada Life Centre only adds more fuel to his fire,<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really cool. The guys I\u2019ve been playing with, Lambo (Brad Lambert) and Yags (Brayden Yager), they just came back from the NHL. It\u2019s noticeable with guys that get called up,\u201d said Wahlin.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s something to look forward to. Hopefully I see myself filling some of those shoes someday.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, the focus is on the present and Wahlin is trying to soak up as much as he can of the playoff experience.<\/p>\n Manitoba is in tough against a Grand Rapids team that finished 29 points ahead of them in the regular season, but a weekend split on home ice has given the group some hope. And, not surprisingly, Wahlin has a simple but smart way of looking at things.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve heard the term underdog thrown around a little bit. Obviously they had a really good regular season. But if you look at the points, everyone\u2019s back to zero,\u201d said Wahlin.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, we didn\u2019t get as many wins as they did in the regular reason, but the way I look at it is it\u2019s a good team versus a good team. We split the first two, now we\u2019ve got to get after it.\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
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