The Winnipeg Jets signed five players to identical one-year, two-way contracts on Wednesday, July 2nd, to help bolster the team’s depth and American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Goaltender Isaac Poulter, defenseman Kale Clague, and forwards Phillip Di Giuseppe, Samuel Fagemo, and Walker Duehr are on one-year deals worth an average annual value of $775,000 in the NHL.
Poulter, 23, was an undrafted goaltender and signed as a free agent into the New Jersey Devils organization. The Winnipeg, Manitoba-born netminder never saw NHL action, but was called up once in each of the 2023-24 and the 2024-25 seasons. He spent his 2024-25 season with the Utica Comets, posting an .898 save percentage (SV%), a goals against average (GAA) of 2.86, and a 16-13-7 win-loss record across 36 games played.
To date, Poulter has suited up in 77 AHL games, posting a career .900 SV%, a 2.88 GAA, a 40-24-1-1 win-loss record, and five shutouts across four seasons. Before his start in professional hockey, Poulter spent four seasons with the Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League. He split the 2020-21 season between the Broncos and the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League on a loan.
Clague, 27, is familiar with Manitoba, having played four and a half seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL. The Regina, Saskatchewan-born defenseman brings experience to the Moose’s blueline and looks to be a potential call-up should the Jets run into injury issues.
Starting his professional career in the Los Angeles Kings organization, Clague, a former second-round draft selection (51st overall) by the Kings, showed early promise, earning him four NHL games early. He continued to chip away with the Ontario Reign and found himself suiting up for more NHL games as each season passed. He found himself claimed off waivers by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021-22 season and then signed as a free agent in Buffalo in the 2022 offseason. In 94 career NHL games, Clague racked up 21 points (2G, 19A) across five seasons for the Kings, Canadiens and Sabres. The 254-game AHL veteran brings 138 points (30G, 108A) across eight seasons for the Reign and Rochester Americans.
Duehr, 27, signed as a college free agent with the Calgary Flames organization in 2021-22. He spent four full seasons in Calgary before being claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks at the tail end of the 2024-25 season.
Before making his way to the NHL, Duehr spent three seasons in the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers, Tri-City Storm, Chicago Steel and the Bloomington Thunder. After his time in the USHL, he played for Minnesota State University (Mankato) in the NCAA for four seasons. To date, Duehr has 21 points (11G, 10A) in 92 NHL games and 78 points (42G, 36A) in 143 AHL games.
Fagemo, 25, was a second-round (50th overall) draft selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He spent a lot of time moving around teams in the J18 Allsvenskan, J18 Elit, J20 SuperElit, the SHL, and HockeyAllsvenskan before transitioning to North America. He first came over to North America, playing 32 games for the Ontario Reign in the 2020-21 season. He would split the next three seasons between the Reign and the Kings before being claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators in the 2023-24 season. Fagemo was later placed on waivers and claimed by the Kings a month later.
Across three seasons, he’s played just 21 NHL games, posting four points (3G, 1A) in that time. His six seasons of AHL action have seen him post 202 points (132G, 70A) in 268 games. Fagemo will be a great top-six addition to the Manitoba Moose as his AHL production over the past two seasons has been excellent for the Reign.
Di Giuseppe, 31, is coming off a Calder Cup Championship season with the Abbotsford Canucks. His professional career, dating back to 2013-14, has seen him split time in the NHL and AHL since. Di Giuseppe, a veteran of the AHL and NHL, has played for the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Milwaukee Admirals, Hartford Wolf Pack, New York Rangers, Abbotsford Canucks, and the Vancouver Canucks.
With 302 games of NHL experience across nine seasons, Di Giuseppe has posted just 81 points (28G, 53A) in that time. His AHL resume is spread across 11 seasons, having posted 204 points (83G, 121A) in 328 AHL games. He will bring a great veteran presence to the Moose and will be a solid recall option should the Jets run into serious injury troubles.
ITR 46: Offseason Chaos – Inside The Rink
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