Winnipeg Jets add 3 Manitobans to alumni game roster for Heritage Classic

The Winnipeg Jets are bolstering their roster for the upcoming 2026 Heritage Classic alumni game, announcing 15 new player additions and a coach. This expansion brings the total roster closer to its final form for the highly anticipated event.

Among the notable new additions are three players hailing from Manitoba. Winnipeggers Cody Eakin and Derek Meech, along with Eric Fehr from Winkler, will bring local talent to the ice. They join a growing list of former Jets stars set to participate.

The alumni game will pit the former Jets against the Montreal Canadiens. The roster now includes forwards Nik Antropov, Sam Gagner, Tanner Glass, Anthony Peluso, Jim Slater, Drew Stafford, and Tim Stapleton. Defencemen Grant Clitsome, Tobias Enstrom, Ron Hainsey, and Mark Stuart, as well as goalie Michael Hutchinson, have also been named.

These new additions bring the total named players to 21. They are set to join previously announced roster members such as Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, and Paul Stastny. Fan favorite Chris Thorburn, however, is no longer listed on the roster. Claude Noel, the first head coach in Jets 2.0 history, will lead the team from the bench. The alumni game is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, at the Canada Life Centre, the day before the main Heritage Classic game.