Nic Demski good to go for Winnipeg Blue Bombers against Hamilton

Photo: Gideon Mojica/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Nic Demski will be in the starting lineup for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night. The team released its official depth chart (below) on Wednesday morning.

The five-time All-West Division selection missed practice on Tuesday due to an ankle injury and was officially listed as questionable. He has not only been listed in the starting lineup, but he does not have a game-time decision designation, which means he’s officially good to go.

Demski made two catches for 28 yards in the team’s season-opening 30-28 win over the Calgary Stampeders last week. Over 153 regular-season CFL games, the 32-year-old native of Winnipeg has made 496 catches for 6,313 yards and 42 touchdowns.

The Blue Bombers have made three changes to the roster, moving Canadian linebacker Jaylen Smith to the one-game injured list and American defensive lineman De’Shaan Dixon and American linebacker Jaiden Woodbey to the six-game injured list. Smith (head) was a full participant in practice this week, while Dixon (hamstring) and Woodbey (calf) were non-participants.

The three players who have been elevated to the active roster include American defensive linemen David Reese and Michael Fletcher, and Canadian linebacker Charles-Elliott Bouliane.

Reese finished his collegiate career at Syracuse University in 2025, where he made 27 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass knockdowns, and two fumble recoveries over 12 games. The six-foot-two, 250-pound native of Fort Pierce, Fla. spent the previous two seasons at California, where he tallied 58 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles, and five pass knockdowns.

Fletcher was a collegiate standout at Appalachian State University, where he recorded 40 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries, one pass knockdown, and one forced fumble in 23 games. The six-foot-six, 275-pound native of Flint, Mich. attended training camp with the New York Jets in 2025 and made two tackles, one pass knockdown, and one quarterback hit during preseason action.

Bouliane was the team’s third-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft out of the Université de Montréal. The five-foot-eleven, 229-pound defender made 78.5 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one pass knockdown over 29 collegiate games, earning a first-team U Sports All-Canadian selection in 2023.

The rest of Winnipeg’s lineup remains unchanged from last week’s win over Calgary. Zach Collaros completed 17-of-28 pass attempts for 233 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the victory, while Brady Oliveira rushed 15 times for 113 yards and one score. Jake Ceresna was the standout on defence as he recorded five defensive tackles and three sacks in his Blue Bombers debut.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday, June 11, with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats are coming off an overtime loss to the Montreal Alouettes, while the Blue Bombers got a walk-off game-winning field goal from Sergio Castillo to beat the Calgary Stampeders.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 21 degrees and a 30 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in to the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.