Moose Jaw Warriors 2023/24

2023/2024 W ARRI O R S HOM E OP E NE R

Editor’s Note

It’s not without struggles and triumphs that an organization reaches a 40th Anniversary milestone. Congratulations to the Moose Jaw Warriors for enduring the test of time and making this city proud of their 40 years of accomplishment.

The Moose Jaw Warriors have contributed greatly to Moose Jaw’s winter sports’ scene and ultimately will continue to grow and finetune their annual team, some seasonal successes and unfortunately some losses, culminating in hours of entertainment for hockey fans, as well as giving this community something more to be proud of.

Moose Jaw Express.com

468 High Street West Moose Jaw, Sask S6H 1T3 306 694 1322

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jritchie@moosejawtoday.com

Special Thanks to all who contributed their time, effort and knowledge on this project and in particular to:

Joan Ritchie Editor

Owning a WHL franchise team comes with a great commitment.

After considering a number of facets of the organization, thoughts run to the hockey players – young men vying for an opportunity to make it to the NHL. Fortunately, over the years Moose Jaw Warriors have invested into these eager hockey players with great successes, many making the ‘big time’ leagues. It has and continues to be an opportunity to mould young lives and build character, as well as giving these young men a chance of a lifetime. It’s a test of endurance and growth for the players. This chance of a lifetime comes with a cost, as these guys leave the security of their own homes to venture out into the world of hockey. As a parent, I certainly can relate to the parents of these young men as they relinquish day-to-day responsibility over their sons. I am sure it is invigorating to see them work towards a lifetime goal, nevertheless, possibly a little apprehension in letting go.

A very large commitment and responsibility lies with the coaches and staff as they conscientiously work hand-in-hand building a solid team, mentoring these guys in both sport and life in general, in becoming community-minded and being role-models.

Playing a team sport is a great confidence builder, realizing that in-general a team player isn’t an “island unto themselves” but fosters mentorship between the players and coaches working together for a shared goal.

Writers: Randy Palmer, Joan Ritchie, Moose Jaw Warriors

Designer: Sandra Stewart

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The Moose Jaw Warriors continue to shine bright here in the friendly city, as this community continues to support the organization by purchasing season tickets, attending as many hockey games as possible and by cheering on our favourite WHL team throughout the winter months.

Congratulations to the Moose Jaw Warriors on your achievement as we look to this 2023-24 season with great expectation!

A Note from MLA, Tim McLeod

Congratulations on your 40th Anniversary, Moose Jaw Warriors!

Hockey is an integral part of life here in Saskatchewan and likewise, life here in Moose Jaw wouldn’t be the same without the Warriors.

Over the years, your organization has had an incredibly positive impact on the community around you. From your support for local hunger initiatives to promoting the Special Olympics and participating in a reading program for kids, your positive presence in our city is continuously felt.

Our province takes great pride in our athletes - the commitment to excellence is a source of inspiration across Saskatchewan. All the players have refined their natural ability through hard work, discipline, and determination, which is the hallmark of real champions.

I would like to thank all the players, parents, coaches, managers, trainers and support staff throughout the years for your dedicated efforts and tremendous commitment to the Warriors organization. My family and I have enjoyed countless evenings watching the Warriors play and look forward to making many more memories at your games.

Here is to many more years of community involvement and great hockey!

Tim McLeod, MLA for Moose Jaw North

Tim McLeod

MLA for Moose Jaw North

How it all began: When the Warriors came to Moose Jaw

How a group of guys having a conversation in a dressing room led to the Warriors arriving in Moose Jaw

It was a little over 40 years ago that three players from the Moose Jaw Pla-Mors old-timers team looked into the stands at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre and decided it was time for a change.

How that change would happen was a bit of a mystery at the time, but there’s little question regarding the success of the plan they ended up putting together.

With the Moose Jaw Warriors entering their 40th season in the Western Hockey League, it’s safe to say things worked out quite well, and then some.

“Every Sunday we’d get together and play and eventually, we’d start talking,” said Lorne Humphreys, one of the team’s original four founders, during the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame ceremony in 2019. “It was ‘what’s going on, we’re not drawing’. The junior game would be starting up and we’d watch it at the rink, and there would only be 700 people when it should be 1,500 or more. So we got thinking about that, which league we had to be in, and what we had to do.”

Humphreys was joined by Barry Webster, Bill Kelly and Jim Little in seeking a solution, which eventually led to

the crew turning their attention to the Western Hockey League. The major junior loop had evolved into a major draw in Saskatchewan’s largest cities and heading into 1983-84 season had just seen the successful arrival of the Prince Albert Raiders from the SJHL.

Meanwhile, out east in Manitoba, the Winnipeg Warriors had been in the WHL since the 1980-81 season but struggled to draw fans to the cavernous Winnipeg Area, where the NHL’s Jets also played.

It was with that information that the four founders made their now famous move — a letter announcing their intentions to purchase and relocate the franchise and a presentation to the WHL board of governors extolling the virtues of Moose Jaw and what the city had to offer. That included the 3,200-seat Moose Jaw Civic Centre, which at the time was considered an architectural marvel and to this day remains one of the most unique arenas constructed in western Canada.

“We started talking about this probably as early as 1979 or 80 and didn’t get serious about it until years later with the actual letter on the bid and the presentation,” said

306-694-6300

Way back when it all started…

Although hockey in Moose Jaw is known to most as our beloved Moose Jaw Warriors, the “Warriors” name has a history of dating back as far as 1926, when the Moose Jaw Warriors played for a single season as a member of the Prairie Hockey League. eir record stood at 13-12-2-3-3 and they soon became the Moose Jaw Maroons from 1927-1928, and then the Millers from 1937-1942.

e Moose Jaw Canucks, a junior ice hockey team based in Moose Jaw, Sk. came on the scene a er evolving from the Moose Jaw Cubs

in the early 1930’s. From 1938 until 1966, the Moose Jaw Canucks were part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) and Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL).

e Canucks won the Abbott Cup in 1945 and 1947, making them the Junior “A” Champion for Western Canada and earning a playo against the George Richardson Memorial Trophy winning Eastern Champion for the Memorial Cup.

e Moose Jaw Canucks became part of the WHL for just two seasons in 1966. e Canucks lost their Memorial Cup competition against the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors in both years. In the summer of 1966, the Canucks were one of ve SJHL clubs that le the provincial league to join franchises in Calgary and Edmonton in

the new Western Canada Junior Hockey League. e league was considered a “rebel league” by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, and thus denied the right to compete for Canadian junior hockey’s top prize, the Memorial Cup. In the WCJHL’s inaugural season, the Canucks won the league championship despite nishing 4th in the overall standings. e following year, the Canucks would lose out in the league semi- nals a er another 4th-place nish.

Following the reorganization of junior hockey in 1970, which saw the Western Canada Hockey League gain Tier-I status, the Canucks attempted to rejoin the WCHL but were denied. e Canucks would remain in the Tier-II SJHL until the arrival of the Warriors.

Canucks Hockey Club (1935-36)

1944-45) Canucks

(1947-48) Canucks

(1946-47) Canucks

Moose Jaw Canucks

Fred Hucul

Born in Tubrose, Sk, Hucul played junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Canucks. Most of his lengthy pro-career was spent in the minors, especially the WHL. During his last amateur season in 1950/51, He was recalled for three games in Chicago. Defenceman Fred Hucul spent parts of four seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks. He was an exceptional playmaker who could be dangerous on the power play. Beginning in 1954-55, Hucul played eight of the next nine seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the WHL. He was a top o ensive defenceman in the league and was placed on the rst all-star team four times and the second team twice. Prior to the 1967-68 season, the veteran rearguard was picked by the St. Louis Blues in the Expansion Dra . He provided stability on the team’s blueline in 43 games, and then retired two games into the next season when he was with the CHL’s Kansas City Blues.

SHOTS

Emile “ e Cat” Francis, goalie (born 1926 in North Battleford) got his start playing hockey in Moose Jaw and went on to play with the Chicago Black Hawks (47) & New York Rangers (48-52). He nished his career coaching and serving as GM for the New York Rangers.

Sid Hillard was the ticket taker at the Moose Jaw Arena when it was home to the Moose Jaw Canucks. Somewhere between the opening of the arena in 1922 and it burning down in 1955, kind hearted Sid Hillard turned a blind eye while many a young man cra ily sneaked in to watch the games.

Old time Hockey in Moose Jaw, with no goalie masks or helmets, unless you were the lucky one to a ord the leather headgear.

Glen “Baldy” Smith, Jack McLeod, Red Mellor. Hockey hero`s of the past.

From Moose Jaw to the NHL: A look at former Warriors who became NHL stars

The Moose Jaw Warriors have a long and storied history of producing professional hockey players throughout their 40 years in the Western Hockey League. Here’s a look at some who reached the highest levels of the National Hockey League and remain some of the most beloved players in team history

Theoren Fleury

One of four players with their number (9) retired by the team, Fleury played for the Warriors from 1984 to 1988, dressing in 274 games. He holds the franchise record for goals (201), assists (271), and points (472) while also racking up 551 penalty minutes.

Drafted by the Flames in the eighth round in 1987 and utterly fearless despite being undersized, Fleury would go on to play 1,084 games in the NHL, scoring 455 goals and 1,088 points over 17 seasons.

In the process, he became the model for how smaller players could find a way to succeed in an NHL that had become dominated by larger skaters.

Fleury won the World Junior championship with Team Canda in 1988 and later that same year claimed the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames, putting down one of the most famous goal celebrations in the process when he scored an overtime winner against Edmonton. Fleury also won gold with Canada at the 2002 Olympic Games, making him one of only a handful of players with a World Junior gold medal, Stanley Cup and Olympic gold.

Fleury was inducted into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in 2010.

Mike Keane

One of four players with their number (25) retired by the team, Keane played for the Warriors from 1984 through 1987, playing in 185 games, Keane scored 76 goals and 196 points while racking up 238 penalty minutes and developing the hard-nosed style of play that would lead to an incredible NHL career. His best season for the Warriors was 1985-1986 when he had 34 goals and 83 points.

Keane played for Canada at the World Juniors in 1987 and would be signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Canadiens prior to the 1988-89 campaign. He’d go on to play 16 seasons in the NHL, playing 1,161 games, scoring 168 goals and 470 points to go along with 881 penalty minutes. Along the way he’d win three Stanley Cups, with Montreal (1993), Colorado (1996) and Dallas (1999). Keane is currently a development coach with the Winnipeg Jets and was inducted into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in 2008.

Ryan Smyth

One of four players with their number (28) retired by the team, Smyth played for the Warriors from from 1992 through 1995 and in 188 regular season games put up 110 goals and 224 points, making him one of the top career scorers in Warriors history. Smyth was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1994 NHL Draft and remains the second highest Warrior selected in the Draft. Smyth went on to have a storied NHL career, playing in 1,270 games with four teams over 19 seasons and finishing with 386 goals and 842 points while playing a gritty style with no fear of the hard areas of the ice. He added to his legend by representing Canada in international competition no less than 13 times through World Junior, World Championship and Olympic competition. Smyth earned the nickname Captain Canada for his dedication, and wore the C for Canada six times. Smyth won Olympic gold in 2002, world titles in 2003 and 2004, the World Cup in 2005, Spengler Cup in 2013 and was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2019.

Smyth was inducted into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in 2017.

Kelly Buchberger

One of four players with their number (24) retired by the team, Buchberger played for the Warriors from 1984 through 1986 and suited up in 123 games. A renowned enforcer, Buchberger put up 26 goals and 65 points to go along with 320 penalty minutes in his WHL career, 206 of those in his final season in Moose Jaw during the 1985-86 campaign. Buchberger was selected in the ninth round of the 1985 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers and would evolve into one of the most respected leaders in the league, serving as the Oilers captain for five years and spending one year as the Atlanta Thrashers captain before joining the L.A. Kings and wearing an ‘A’ in his two seasons there. All told, Buchberger played 1,182 games over 18 NHL seasons, scoring 105 goals and 309 points while racking up 2,297 penalty minutes — 34th all time in the NHL. Buchberger made his NHL debut in the 1987 Stanley Cup final and won his first Cup, repeating the feat with Edmonton in 1989-90. He also played for Canada in three World Championships, winning in 1994. Buchberger was inducted into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in 2009.

Lyle

Odelein

Odelein joined the Warriors for the 1985-86 season and would quickly develop into a solid offensive defenceman with a bit of grit to his game. Odelein would play three seasons and 189 games with Moose Jaw, putting up 33 goals and 163 points to sit fourth all-time in defenceman scoring with the Warriors.

That production led the Montreal Canadiens to select Odelein in the seventh round, 141st overall in the 1986 NHL Draft and he’d join the team full time for the 1990-91 campaign. That would lead to a 16-year NHL career that saw Odelein play in 1,056 games, scoring 50 goals and 252 points

while racking up 2,136 penalty minutes. He played seven seasons in Montreal and won the Stanley Cup in the 1992-93 campaign, emerging as a fan favourite with the Habs in the process.

Odelein was the first player selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 1999 expansion draft and would serve as their captain for their first two years in the league.

Odelein also played for Canada in the first World Cup of hockey and won silver.

Odelein was inducted into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame in 2013.

Curtis Brown

Selected sixth overall by the Warriors in the 1991 WHL Bantam Draft, Brown would play for Moose Jaw from 1992-93 through the first half of the 1995-96 season, developing an offensive game that saw him drafted in the second round, 45th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 1994.

Brown would play 257 games with Moose Jaw scoring 111 goals and 236 points to sit 14th overall in team career scoring. His best season in Moose Jaw was 1994-95, where he put up 51 goals and 104 points while also playing his first NHL game, where he recorded a goal and assist.

Brown would win the 1996 World Junior Championship with Canada and helped the Rochester Americans win the Calder Cup that same year.

Brown would go on to play 13 seasons in the NHL, playing 736 games with 129 goals and 300 points, with seven of those seasons with the Sabres.

Brown is currently the pre- and post-game analyst for the San Jose Sharks on NBC Sports California.

Reed Low

One of the toughest players to ever put on the Warriors jersey, it was estimated by former Times-Herald sports editor and longtime Warriors writer Rick Moore that Low never lost a fight in the Western Hockey League. A product of the Moose Jaw Minor Hockey Associ-

ation, Low played only 123 games over two seasons from 1996-98 with the Warriors, but racked up 449 penalty minutes in that span to sit 12th all-time in team totals. His physical skills led the St. Louis Blues to select Low in the seventh round of the 1996 NHL Draft and set up a four-year whirlwind of an NHL career. Low showed no fear when it came to facing the toughest the NHL had to offer, successfully going toe-to-toe with the likes of Bob Probert, Brad May, Darren McCarty, Craig Berube and Stu Grimson while staking his place as a top NHL enforcer.

Low would have nine fights in his first nine NHL games and cap his career with 81 fights over four seasons. Low ended up with 256 games played in the NHL, scoring three times with 19 points and 725 penalty minutes, twice recording 50 penalty minutes in a game. Low has since gone on to become an important member of the St. Louis Blues community, working as an officer with Alumni Association for several years and becoming a charity auctioneer and motivational speaker.

Deryk Engelland

Throughout his time with the Moose Jaw Warriors from 1999 through 2003, Engelland was one of the most feared enforcers in the league, but it was what he did in the final years of his NHL career that made him one of the most respected players of the modern era.

Engelland played four seasons and 243 games for the Warriors, scoring 14 goals and 48 points in that span. It was his physical abilities that attracted the NHL’s attention, as seen by his 520 penalty minutes.

Engelland was drafted in the sixth round, 194th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and spent several years in the minors, winning the Calder Cup with Hershey in the 2005-06 season.

Signed by Pittsburgh prior to the 2010-11 campaign, Engelland would become a full-time NHLer and would play 11 seasons, covering 671 games where he scored 30 goals and 127 points.

Engelland was selected in the first round of the NHL expansion draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, and immediately become a team legend when, as the team’s assistant captain, he gave a heartfelt speech on ice prior to their first-ever home game. His address to the crowd came after 58 people were killed in a mass shooting only days before, and his tireless efforts to help the community recover led to Engelland winning the NHL’s Mark

Messier Leadership Award that season.

Engelland retired in 2020 and remains in the Vegas Knights organization, winning a Stanley Cup this spring.

Troy Brouwer

One of the greatest leaders in Warriors history, Brouwer carries the mantle as the only captain to bring the Warriors all the way to the Western Hockey League championship final.

It took a few seasons for Brouwer to get to that point, though, as he had 117 points through 199 games leading into what would become the storied 2005-06 Warriors campaign. Still, the Chicago Blackhawks had taken notice of his overall game and made him their seventh-round selection in the 2004 NHL Draft.

Named captain heading into the 2005-06 season, Brouwer would put up 49 goals and 102 points to win the WHL scoring title before battling through injury and recording another 10 goals and 14 points in 17 playoff games. The Warriors would go all the way to the WHL final before falling to Vancouver in four games.

Brouwer’s 219 career points are 18th overall in Warriors history.

Brouwer would crack the NHL full time in 2009-10 with Chicago and won the Stanley Cup that season. He’d play 14 NHL seasons, playing 851 games with 182 goals and 363 points to go along with 595 penalty minutes. Brouwer retired after the 2019-20 season and has since served as a scout for the St. Louis Blues.

Morgan Rielly

Rielly hasn’t been out of a Warriors uniform all that long, but it’s safe to say he’s one of the team’s most respected current NHL players thanks to his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Before he even set foot in Moose Jaw, the high-scoring defenceman had a winning pedigree, winning the Telus Cup with the Notre Dame Hounds. His preternatural skill as a 16-year-old rearguard in the WHL immediately drew NHL attention, and despite suffering an injury that limited him to only 18 games in his draft year, Rielly would become the highest-ever Moose

Jaw NHL pick in history when he was selected fifth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2012 Draft.

Rielly would play one more season with the Warriors — finishing with 21 goals and 100 points in 143 games — before joining the Leafs full time for the 2013-14 campaign.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Rielly is currently one of the NHL’s top defencemen and one of Toronto’s assistant captains, having led all rearguards in goals scored with 20 in the 2018-19 campaign. His NHL career has spanned 11 seasons, where he’s played 719 games with 73 goals and 414 points.

Rielly is heading into year two of an eight-year, $60 million contract signed in 2021 that will pay him $10 million this season.

Brayden Point

Quite possibly the most respected and beloved member of the Warriors in the modern era, Point burst onto the scene as a wildly undersized 15-year-old in the 2011-12 WHL playoffs and has done nothing but put up points since.

Using his unbelievable skill and agility, Point put up 57 points as a 16-year-old, racked up 91 the following season, had 87 points in 60 games as a 18-year-old and capped his career with 88 points in only 48 games in the 2015-16

season, his final in the WHL, All told, Point had 134 goals and 324 points over 252 games in Moose Jaw to sit third all time in career scoring behind Theo Fleury’s 472 points and Chad Hinz’ 332 points.

All that production led to the Tampa Bay Lightning selecting Point in the third round, 79th overall, taking a flyer on the skilled but undersized forward being able to find his way in the land of giants that is today’s NHL. How has turned out?

Eight NHL seasons, 499 games, 218 goals, 463 points, two Stanley Cups and absolute, bona fide superstardom. Point put up 41 goals and 92 points in the 2018-19 season and enjoyed his best season yet in 2022-23, scoring 51 goals and 95 points. He also led the NHL in game-win ning goals with 12 in 2017-18 and led all playoff scorers with 14 goals in both the 2020 and 2021 playoffs, each a Lightning Stanley Cup win. Point signed an eight-year, $76 million contract prior to the 2021-22 season and will make $11.25 million this season.

Warriors coach O’Leary looks back at training camp and toward season

Putting systems in place, developing structure among major goals through exhibition and heading into regular season

The Moose Jaw Warriors are like any Western Hockey League team wrapping up the pre-season and heading into a new campaign.

Questions here and there, some spots to fill and a whole lot of optimism.

That was especially the case as the local squad headed into their first exhibition games earlier this month, with head coach Mark O’Leary more than happy with what he’s seen from his charges in the early going.

“There were some guys who I thought were really good, and some guys where we know there’s more there, and that sorts itself out,” O’Leary said. “If the last couple of practices are any indication I think that’s a great sign, I’m really happy with the way the team looks now that we’re getting a little more structured… It’s a little bit scrambly through training camp with the new bodies, but things are tightening up here and I think the response from the players has been really good.”

The Warriors threw a bit of a new look into the mix in the early going, as the team focussed on their structure with and without the puck, with the change in system taking some time to adapt to.

An important factor in that direction is seeing older players take leadership, something that has happened throughout the early part of the pre-season.

“That can be refreshing at times, but it’s also important that the guys can follow details,” O’Leary said. “That’s where we look to our leadership group and older guys to lead the way and show the young guys when it’s done right. So far, that’s been the case.

“Any guy who has been to a pro camp, they’ve been on the other side of it, where they’re a young guy and they’re looking to the older veterans to see it done right. That’s something they can learn from and bring to this side of things and that’s where we have leadership, guys who have been four and five years now and are leading the way.”

Of that group, it should come as little surprise that the four overagers competing for spots on the team played a major role. Defenceman Lucas Brenton along with forwards Atley Calvert, Josh Hoekstra and Eric Alarie all looked dominant at times, something O’Leary expects to continue as the battle for three 20-year-old spots continues.

“One of the things about having a mindset that you want to develop and draft your own players and keep guys

around here is you run into these things where you have more than three 20-year-olds who are capable of playing meaningful minutes,” he said. “So it’s a good problem to have, and at the same time it’s something we know will take care of itself. And in the time being they need to be our best players and they’re leading by example.”

Of course, every team needs youngsters coming up through the works. O’Leary said he could name a long list of rookies who stood out, but one rose to the forefront: former Yorkton Terriers forward Pavel McKenzie, “He’s a guy who played Junior A as a 17-year-old and he’s come in after summer looking a lot stronger,” lauded O’Leary. “He had an opportunity to practice with us last year at the end of the season and I think that’s helped his comfort level coming into camp. So we’re real excited for him and what kind of year he can have.”

With some of the initial personnel decisions out of the way at the end of camp, improving the aforementioned structure will be a goal going forward.

“We want to get really comfortable with it so we’re a little less hesitant,” O’Leary said. “Even the guys who played here before, sometimes it can feel like a long summer and some of those habits and details can need a refresher. So it’s getting reps in with the structure so we can play fast and not think so much, and that’s what the pre-season is about.”

Finally having the chance to take the ice against someone other than themselves was something everyone who had been through camp was looking forward too.

“That’s always fun,” O’Leary said of the first pre-season games. “You can go over so much video and practice against the same guys, but this will take the intensity up another notch and that’s where we’ll take steps as well.”

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Pavel McKenzie, here covering the play during the three-on-three game during training camp, has drawn plenty of attention heading into the first game of pre-season.

Warriors captain Mateychuk excited for what lies ahead for team this season

Training camp offers first signs of off-season hard work and potential for local WHL team heading into 2023-24 campaign

Moose Jaw Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk had been through this song and dance before.

Training camp and preparing for the Western Hockey League season is nothing new for the 19-year-old defenceman and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, so when he hit the ice for the team’s main camp at the beginning of the month, it was pretty much old hat.

With one exception: instead of being the wide-eyed kid finding his way in a new league and with a new team, he’s now the rugged veteran, likely playing his final season in a Warriors uniform.

With that comes all sorts of expectations, and Mateychuk is looking forward to having a chance to live up to them.

“It’s great to be back in Moose Jaw and skating and competing with the guys and the younger prospects, it’s that time of year where you start to get excited about the season coming up,” Mateychuk said, adding that the competitive spirit has been there from the jump.

“It’s different when you’re competing like that. You can skate all you want in the summer, but it’s different when you’re out there with guys who are playing for spots on the team and you want to lead by example. But it still felt good out there even if there was a bit of rust.”

Seeing some intensity right off the hop was plenty welcome in Mateychuk’s eyes, especially with what they hope to accomplish this season.

“I think we sent a good message this year that we want to compete and we want to be the best team in the league,” Mateychuk said matter-of-factly. “It starts right at the start of training camp, there’s no days off for that, it’s not just a switch you can flip on. I think we showed that that we’re here to compete and we’re going to do what we have to in order to compete.”

The Warriors weren’t the only priority for Mateychuk to start the season, as a couple weeks after camp he was off to Columbus for his second NHL rookie camp. That will come on the heels of Mateychuk’s showing in development camp this summer, an experience he felt helped him continue to develop his game.

“It was a good couple of days and a chance to show what you bring to the table and I thought that went pretty well,” he said. “Then the rest of the summer you’re just getting ready for training camp and preparing as much as you can.”

Mateychuk’s early NHL experience has many parallels to what youngsters in Warriors camp and the preseason

went through — the nerves and wide-eyed wonder of playing at a completely different level of hockey.

“In the WHL as a young 14- and 15-year-old, you’re learning as you go,” Mateychuk said. “It’s the same in the NHL, there are new things and you hear about it from other guys, but until you experience it you never really know. That’s been the biggest thing, soak up all you can and ask all the questions you can and just learn as much as you can.’

That’s where his role as captain and one of the faces of the Warriors’ franchise comes in. Mateychuk went out of his way to help rookies feel welcome, as the veterans in his earliest days did for him.

“It’s just trying to make them feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation,” he said. “If I see an unfamiliar face, I’ll go up to them and say ‘hey, I’m Denton’ and let them know if they need anything they can ask me. Just make them feel comfortable and welcome.

“This is completely new to some of them, and some of them were in camp last year and are trying to learn just like I was their age. So you lead by example and keep it chatty with them and make them feel like they belong.”

While Mateychuk has his eyes on the season in Moose Jaw, as a signed NHL prospect, there’s always a chance he might stick in Columbus.

“That’s what you go into camp for, you just want to climb and if it isn’t this year, you want to take steps to the next level,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to try and do, make strides and go from there.”

And should he make his return?

“We want to be a top team and everybody knows that. I think everyone came in in good shape here, we worked hard in the off-season and it’s great that guys know what this season can be and put in that kind of effort.”

Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk came into training camp looking for a competitive environment and found just that throughout the opening weekend of the season.

Warriors to celebrate 40th anniversary with special logo,

Special events to take place throughout season as WHL club celebrates four decades in league

The Moose Jaw Warriors will have a special look as they celebrate their 40th season during the 2023-24 Western Hockey League campaign.

This summer, the team unveiled a special third jersey that will be worn during select home dates in addition to a 40th-anniversary logo that the team will use throughout the season.

The Warriors moved to Moose Jaw from Winnipeg for the 1984-85 campaign and have grown into one of the league’s most stable franchises since despite playing in one of the smaller communities.

“This is an exciting time for the City of Moose Jaw and Warriors organization,” said Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger. “The history of the Moose Jaw War riors is remarkable, from starting out playing in the Civic Centre and then moving to the Events Centre, the organization has had many great memories because of the support from the community and everyone who has been part of the Warriors organization.”

The jersey will feature a reverse retro design with ruby red as the main colour — ruby being the gemstone for a 40th anniversary. The design will be similar to that worn by the team in their inaugural season and will include the Warriors wordmark that was featured on jerseys from 1984 through 1992 across the front. The shoulder logos will include the 40th-anniversary patch as well as the team’s current logo.

The Warriors will also be celebrating the team by bringing back prominent players and individuals for games throughout the 2023-24 campaign.

“This is a big milestone for the organization and community, and we are all looking forward to being a part of it,” Ripplinger said.

More details on celebrations will be released as the season progresses.

Their first exhibition game was played on Thursday, Sept. 7 in Swift Current and Saturday, Sept. 9 against Swift Current in Assiniboia, with their first action being

played at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Saturday, Sept. 16 against the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Warriors were in Prince Albert on Friday, Sept. 22 to open the regular season before playing their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 23 against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Warriors 40th logo

What’s in a logo: Looking at past designs over the last 40 years and the current Snowbirds crest

Relationship with 431 Air Demonstration Squadron highlighted by current design first revealed prior to 2022-23 season

Throughout their 40 years in the Western Hockey League, the Moose Jaw Warriors have seen very few changes to their main logo design.

What began with a First Nations individual riding a skate back in the inaugural 1984-85 season, that turned into what became the team’s main logo from 1988-89 through the 2021-22 campaign.

That all changed in the summer of 2022, when the Warriors joined the 431 Air Demonstration Squadron — better known as the Canadian Forces Snowbirds — to unveil their current main crest, featuring a Snowbirds Tutor jet flying towards the onlooker.

The first logo for the team, when they arrived from Winnipeg, was a more antiquated design, and the team mainly featured a Warriors wordmark across the front of the jerseys as the main design from the inaugural season through the 1988-89 campaign.

That season marked the arrival of what would become the team’s main logo for over 30 years — a First Nations chief headdress facing to the right, with a hockey stick headband and puck for an ear.

The first version of that logo featured a basic all-capital script through to the 1996-97 season, when the team name was given a more action-oriented look. Three seasons later, a gradient was added to the wording, and that stood as the main logo until the summer of 2022. It was then that the team switched over to their modern main crest, with a major press conference that included the Snowbirds themselves and a special video presentation announcing the change.

“It’s an exciting day for the organization and the city of Moose Jaw and we’re excited for the new era,” said Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger at the time “I think the new logo is great and our front office and (designers) Rock and Bloom did a great job. Obviously,

we’re very honoured with our roots with the Snowbirds, the Royal Canadian Air Force and 15 Wing.”

Snowbirds commander Lt. Col. Denis Bandet carried much the same sentiment.

““It’s pretty awesome to be included in this,” he said. “We’ve had a relationship with the Warriors going on 12plus years now, and having the Warriors as an honorary Snowbird organization as well is pretty special. Seeing the development and everything come to light is pretty exciting.”

As Bandet and Ripplinger touched on, the two organizations have been close for many years. in addition to their annual ‘Snowbirds Night’ featuring specially designed jerseys, the Warriors have a ‘home-and-home’ with the Snowbirds each season. Members of the flight team will take part in a scrimmage with the WHL crew, and in exchange, players spend a day at 15 Wing learning about the squadron, culminating in a handful taking to the air for a special demonstration flight.

The Warriors have also had a series of special secondary crests over the years, with the main second logo currently featuring a snarling Moose and also acting as the main logo for Moose Jaw Minor Hockey teams.

A special 40th anniversary logo has also been designed for this season and will see use on special throwback retro-reverse jerseys throughout the campaign.

The Moose Jaw Warriors have had three main logo designs over the years, with the newest design highlighting the relationship between the team and the Snowbirds air demonstration team

Masters honoured by induction into Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame

Sixth-highest scoring defenceman in team history looks back at time with team and importance of WHL scholarship program

think you’re lucky but it doesn’t seem quite right knowing the guys who have won it in the past,” Masters said. “So with that in mind you have to take a moment and self-reflect and look at your career and realize maybe you had a good career and give yourself a bit of the pat you deserve.”

Former coaches and teammates made sure to give Masters his just due during the video tribute, which featured the likes of former teammate and billet Devon Oleniuk, former coach Lorne Molleken, teammates Kletzel and Travis Thiessen and a special message from son Kyle Masters, a member of the Kamloops Blazers.

Former Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Kevin Masters was one of those players who might have slipped under the radar from time-to-time, but in hindsight proved incredibly valuable to the team’s success. Night in and night out during his four seasons with the Warriors, you knew Masters would be in the line-up, you knew he’d provide a solid presence on the blueline and you knew he’d find a way to chip in with points and help the team win.

That kind of a career in the Western Hockey League can attract some attention, and for Masters, it all resulted in his induction into the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Masters said of his reaction to receiving the news from former captain Derek Kletzel that he had been chosen for the honour. “You don’t see it coming at all and you look at players who have come through and have won it and you don’t see yourself in that category. So when Derek phoned in December, I think I probably checked the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st, and when I confirmed it wasn’t it kind of sunk in a bit.”

While Masters himself was a bit taken aback to find him self included alongside the likes of Theoren Fleury, Ryan Smyth and Mike Keane with such a high team honour, the selection was for a very good reason.

Masters is the sixth-highest scoring defenceman in team history, putting up 38 goals and 146 points over 246 games and just as impressively missing only two games in three full WHL seasons with Moose Jaw from 1988 through 1992 -- a tribute to his incredible physical fitness in a time when that wasn’t as much of a focus for players. “I think a lot of guys find (the selection) surreal, and you

Once his time with the Warriors came to an end, Masters put his WHL scholarship program funds to good use, attending the University of Calgary and graduating with a degree in Kiniseiology while playing for the Dinos in the then-CIAU.

“You can’t put a price on it,” Masters said of the scholarship program. “You might not be putting as much time into your summer jobs as you did in junior, they train

Former Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Kevin Masters is presented a print of his Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame bronze plaque by Matt Hill with Conexus Credit Union.

harder and prepare more for the year to come, so they don’t spend as much time on summer work.

So when you leave that junior career, it could be all-of-a-sudden ‘oh, oh, what do I do now?’ and I’ve seen guys start to worry. To be able to leave junior, have money, and be a little bit wanted because I played in the WHL, I was able to get an education.”

Masters and wife Kathryn have spent plenty of time in rinks since his playing days ended, following the burgeoning hockey careers of Kyle with the Blazers and Lukas with OHA Edmonton.

Seeing Kyle follow in his footsteps in the WHL and even exceed his father by being drafted in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by Minnesota in 2021 has been an added thrill for Kevin.

“He’s much better than I am and driven like I’ve never seen, kind of

like they all are nowadays,” Kevin said of Kyle, who has developed into a point-a-game defenceman since his off-season trade from Red Deer to Kamloops. “I hope I don’t meddle too much, you picture that stereotypical parent, and hopefully I’ve provided some help…He’s doing well, he’s very lucky to be in Kamloops now, and when he left Red Deer, Moose Jaw was also on the list and it was ‘I hope they’re kind of interested’. It didn’t work out with Moose Jaw, but now he gets to play in a Memorial Cup, he plays with a smile and he loves the game.”

Kevin does have one advantage over Kyle, though -- unless the younger Masters returns to the WHL as a 20-year-old and has another great season, his dad will have more points in his WHL career.

“Hey, I was lucky to be able to play steady, play four years, and when you get to do that, the points will add up

and you look okay in the end,” Kevin said with a grin.

The bronze plaques for Masters and fellow inductee Paul Dyck will soon be installed on the north wall of the Moose Jaw Events Centre concourse, joining the aforementioned luminaries already enshrined.

“I picture that as guys that everybody talks about, so in that regard, it’s kind of cool,” Masters said. “I’ll probably have to get back here for a game and see it up and then maybe it’ll be ‘wow, it’s real’. But ultimately it’s very special and it’s something I’ll absorb over time.”

From Moose Jaw Warriors to MJHL coaching legend: Dyck honoured by Hall of Fame induction

Former standout defenceman enshrined in Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame during induction ceremony

burgh Penguin for the job.

The rest, as they say, is history. MJHL championships in 2013 and 2018. Fastest coach to 250 wins in league history, more than 400 wins overall. Two-time MJHL coach of the year. And status as one of the top bench bosses in the league.

Through it all, Dyck has been able to draw on his experiences with the Moose Jaw Warriors and coach Lorne Molleken to help form his winning ways.

It might come as a bit of a surprise to anyone who knows about Paul Dyck and his incredible career, but the former Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman actually had no plan of getting into the coaching ranks once his playing days were finished.

But fate had different ideas, and 12 years after he first took the reigns of the Steinbach Pistons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Dyck is a bona fide legend when it comes to coaching in the Junior A league. And fittingly, he’s now also a member of the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame.

Dyck was enshrined in the Hall alongside former teammate Kevin Masters during a gala event at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Thursday night, with his impressive run as coach of the Pistons playing a large role in his selection.

But none of that would have happened if Dyck had his way initially.

“I had no intentions of coaching,” he admitted while speaking to the media after his induction. “I came back to my home community and was passionate about the team being there. They were struggling and they asked if I wanted to help out and ‘as long as I don’t have to coach’ was my response. I was willing to help stabilize the franchise in the corporate community; that was something I was looking forward to doing.”

Then an assistant coach resigned a month into his tenure, leading to Dyck taking over those reigns. A year later, the head coach resigned and recommended the former Pitts-

“There were a number of things, it all started with the coaches and how they treated me, they were very respectful and they were very honest with me and transparent and I always appreciated that. That’s something that I try to do now with our players,” Dyck said. “Then you grow up, those are your formative years, you’re 18and 19-years-old and your billets play a large role in that. And I had some great teammates, guys I looked up to. But overall, it’s grow as you go, trying to figure it out.” It didn’t take long for coaching to grow on Dyck, either — pretty much from day one, he was bitten by the bug.

Paul Dyck with a print of his Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame plaque, presented by Matt Hill from Conexus Credit Union.

“I stepped on that ice (as head coach), and after that practice, something happened in my mind that said ‘I liked that; I actually really enjoyed that’ and I’ve been there ever since,” Dyck said. “That was December 2011 and I’ve really enjoyed it. I love the level, I love the age group, it’s my hometown, we have a tremendous board of directors and great ownership and our community has really bought in. It’s been a special run.”

Of course, Dyck’s performance as an elite WHL defenceman — translating into 17 goals and 68 points in 144 games and an 11th-round selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 NHL Draft — played a major role in his induction. Several players and coaches, including Molleken, former Warriors goaltender Scott Barnstable, former Pittsburgh scout Pierre Maguire, former pro coach Dave Tippett and teammate Sandy Smith, spoke about his play on the blueline, including his incredible ability to get off the first pass out of his zone. All told, Dyck would play 10 seasons in the IHL and five professionally overseas.

Being honoured by his WHL team was naturally a touching moment, and one filled with plenty of reminiscing. “That’s what this game is about, celebrating the people in it,” he said. “I haven’t been here in a long time, I’ve driven through a couple of times, but it was extremely memorable running into people I haven’t seen in a number

of years, like Rob Carnie who did our play-by-play, and some of the people in the video tribute who weren’t here but felt like they were. And seeing Kletz (former team captain Derek Kletzel), he was such a good player for us and such a great human. And going in with Kevin is very special as well.”

Both Dyck and Masters will soon have their bronze plaques installed on the wall of the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame on the north concourse of the Moose Jaw Events Centre, and Dyck admits that seeing his plaque among other luminaries from over the years will be a surreal moment.

“When I was at the (Winmar Warriors) game and admiring the building, I took a few minutes to take in that wall and see some of the former teammates up there and guys like Mike Keane and Theo… what an honour,” he said. “You see that up there and you feel humbled by it and it’s such a great honour.”

WARRIORS FLEX PACKAGES

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Adult 6-Game – $126 + taxes

Student 6-Game – $84 + taxes

Child 6-Game – $51 + taxes

Mateychuk named Warriors MVP during 2023 Yara Awards Night

Team handed out annual honours prior to final game of regular season

The Moose Jaw Warriors held their 2023 Yara Awards Night prior to their final game of the regular season on Saturday. Mar. 1.

Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk picked up a pair of honours, winning the team’s Player of the Year and Top Defenceman honours.

and 65 points in 63 games during the regular season, finishing ninth in scoring among Western Hockey League defencemen. Mateychuk’s 57 assists were also a career-best and fifth overall among rearguards. Jagger Firkus also picked up a pair of honours as the team’s Top Scorer and Three-Star Award winner.

The 18-year-old Seattle Kraken prospect led the Warriors with 40 goals and 88 points in 66 games while finishing 10th overall in league scoring. Brayden Yager was honoured with the Most Sportsmanlike and Humanitarian Awards. One of the top prospects for the 2023 NHL Draft, Yager put up 28 goals and 78 points in 67 games and had only 14 penalty minutes in that span.

Neither award came as much of a surprise given Mateychuk’s solid play all season. The Columbus Blue Jackets first-round pick put up eight goals

Denton Mateychuk accepts the Moose Jaw Warriors Player of the Year award from team president Chad Taylor. Stephen Simon

Brayden Yager accepts the Moose Jaw Co-Op Humanitarian Award from Geoff Anderson.

The Safeway Top Defenceman Award is presented by Pat Litzenberger to team captain Denton Mateychuk.

Jagger Firkus accepts the Tim Horton’s Top Scorer Award from Kathy Howe.

Warriors forward Jagger Firkus accumulated the most three-stars points through the season and is presented the Emerald Custom Creations ThreeStars Award by Duane and Kiana Hrechka.

The C&E Mechanical Most Sportsmanlike Player Award is presented by Chris Prebushweski to Brayden Yager.

The Prince Albert product has also been a mainstay in the community, with his work with various charitable organizations and minor hockey teams landing his Humanitarian Award nomination. There was little question who the Fan Favourite award would go to, with local product Atley Calvert honoured after putting up 40 goals and 73 points in 67 games. Calvert also picked up one of the team’s most coveted awards as the Cody Smuk Unsung Hero.

Defenceman Cosmo Wilson was the Rookie of the Year after putting up two goals and 11 points in 56 games and slotting in nicely as his role increased in the later months of the season.

The Scholastic Achievement Award was won by goaltender Jackson Unger, who continued to maintain a high average in classes through Vanier Collegiate.

Fellow rearguard Matthew Gallant took home the Most Improved Player award after his solid play down the stretch helped the Warriors return to the 40-win plateau for the first time in three seasons. Gallant had two goals and 11 points in 53 games.

The Conexus Credit Union Cody Smuk Unsung Hero Award is presented by Darla and Marty Smuk and Brandon Carter from Conexus to Atley Calvert.

Kevin Gibbs presents the Yara Belle Blaine Fan’s Choice Award to Atley Calvert.

The Andy’s Transmission and Automotive Most Improved Player Award is presented to Matthew Gallant by Larry Sentes.

Defenceman Cosmo Wilson accepts the JGL Rookie of the Year Award from Chris Olfert.

Jackson Unger receives the Vanier Collegiate Scholastic Achievement Award from team academic counsellor Leanne Mieli.

The Warriors gather for a team photo at their bench with 20-year-olds Connor Ungar, Ryder Korczak and Logan Dowhaniuk after their final game of the regular season.

For every Warriors home win, Yara donated $1,000 to Hunger in Moose Jaw. That total hit $22,000 this season, with proceeds going to fund lunches for 13 elementary schools in the city. Hunger in Moose Jaw executive director Sharla Sept and Aaron Bourque from Yara Belle Plaine present the cheque to Atley Calvert.

Warriors Lynden Lakovic, Cosmo Wilson, Ben Riche, Harper Lolacher and Ethan Hughes are presented with the Warriors’ Booster Club First Goal Awards by booster club president Randy Nesvold.

2023-2024

Moose Jaw Warriors Players & Prospects

MOOSE JAW WARRIORS STAFF

hockey operation

business operation

Jason Ripplinger General Manager

James Gallo Director, Hockey Administration

Mark O’Leary Head Coach

Scott King Associate Coach

Curtis Pereverzoff Assistant Coach

Matt Weninger Goalie Coach

Olivia Howe Coaching Assistant

Layne Richardson Athletic Therapist

Tanner Arnold Equipment Manager Roy Rysavy Locker Room Attendant

Jaret Schneider Director, Business Operations

Brady Shave Director, Finance

Olivia Howe Manager, Sales & Marketing

Elizabeth Black Manager, Game Day & Special Events

Marc Smith Manager, Web & Digital Services

Marianne Simon Administrative Assistant

Cassidy Maier Retail Associate

Eric Alarie

Lucas Brenton

Owen Berge

Josh Banini

Sam Borschowa

Atley Calvert

Matthew Gallant Denton Mateychuk

Lynden Lakovic

Ethan Hughes

Pavel McKenzie

Josh Hoekstra

Landen McFadden

Patrik Kral

Brady Ness

Harper Lolacher

Ben Riche

Andre J Tomasec

Tate Schofer

Connor Schmidt

Brayden Yager

Cosmo Wilson

Jackson Unger

Ethan Semeniuk

Jonah Tonhauser

Warriors Alumni Golf Tournament continues as huge success for education fund

More than $100,000 on annual basis as event continues to see popularity among both former players and the local business community

The Moose Jaw Warriors Alumni Golf Tournament has become one of those events that just seems to find success year in and year out, like clockwork.

The 2023 edition of the tournament this past summer at the Hillcrest Golf Club was no exception, as the 100plus competitors took to the course on another beautiful day, enjoying the camaraderie while doing their part to support the education fund. That aspect remains the most important part of the event, as organizer Todd Hudson expects another $100,000 or more to be added to the education fund coffers by the time things are said and done. “That’s kind of the benchmark we try and reach every year,” Hudson said

shortly after tee-off on Friday morning. “It’s pretty good that a WHL hockey team can raise that much money in one day, and it’s all about the community coming out and showing their support.”

It’s not difficult to find former players who have put the education fund to good use. At least three-quarters of the alumni on hand this year had dipped into fund to create their postWHL careers, including one member of the Warriors and Legends Hall of Fame.

“I look forward to this weekend every year, just to see the guys and be a part of it all and support the organization,” said Scott Thomas, who was inducted in 2010 alongside Theoren Fleury. “It meant a lot to me back in

Moose Jaw Warriors and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Brayden Yager rolls a putt on the ninth hole during the 2023 edition of the Moose Jaw Warriors Alumni Tournament.

the day, it’s a big part of who I’ve become…. I married a girl from Moose Jaw, we have a cabin at Buffalo Pound so we keep coming back here.

“And supporting the scholarship fund is very important, too. I was lucky enough to be a recipient back in its infancy and it’s certainly far larger now, thanks to events like this. They’re pretty much fully funded when they go to school and I’m honoured to be a part of that and to support that cause.”

Former Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Scott Thomas is now Dr. Scott Thomas, a chiropractor with Attridge Chiropractic and Wellness Clinic in Saskatoon. As he touched on, the education fund played a role in him earning his degree and launching his career, even if the program was in its earliest days when he was playing in the early 90s.

“For me, it became pretty apparent I wasn’t going to make a future playing hockey when I was about 19 and I started thinking about what I was going to do after that,” Thomas said. “Fortunately for me at the time, I got into school thinking I was going to be a teacher but three years in decided to become a chiropractor. The scholarship fund definitely helped me get through my undergrad, and kick-started me into my career and I’ll always appreciate that.”

While the fund only covered a small portion of Thomas’ education, seeing it grow into the kind of system that can support four years of college or university education is a hugely positive development in his eyes.

“These kids are going to be comfortably supported, they’re not going to have that stress and that’s so important,” Thomas said. “For these kids to play hockey and know they have that nest egg, that’s an amazing thing and makes a huge difference.”

Fleury himself didn’t need to rely on the education fund — a 16-year NHL career saw to that — but being able to support the program is one of the things that keeps him coming back year after year.

“I think that was the best thing the league put in, having a chance to earn money for U.S. colleges, and there are guys who have used it to become very successful people,” Fleury said. “Guys like Scott Thomas and so many others, there are so many untold stories of guys who used the education fund and went on to great things.”

Of course, none of this would be a thing if it wasn’t for the ongoing support of the Moose Jaw business community. Hudson barely even has to ask for their help at this point, just putting out the word is often enough to see the funds roll in.

“The Moose Jaw business community is so behind this tournament, it’s been 12 years and it’s the same guys who step up year after year,” Hudson said. “They help make this tournament so successful.”

And, of course, the alumni. With so many players coming back every year, the tournament has the star power to keep everyone interested.

“Guys like Korzy (Ryder Korczak) and Theoren Fleury of course, (Cody) Beach, some real character guys like Tanner Eberle, the list goes on and on,” Hudson said. “Those guys help make this tournament what it is, and we can never thank them enough.”

Greg Lawrence MLA for Moose Jaw Wakamow

Tim McLeod MLA Moose Jaw Nor th

Former Warrior and current New York Rangers prospect Ryder Korczak tees off on the first hole during the 2023 edition of the Moose Jaw Warriors Alumni Tournament.

Warriors legend Fleury a longtime supporter of Alumni Tournament

Camaraderie, memories and opportunity to support education fund keeps former NHL standout returning year after year

It’s hard to overstate just how much Theoren Fleury means to the Moose Jaw Warriors.

The first legitimate full-on National Hockey League superstar to emerge from the team in its earliest years, Fleury helped put the Warriors on the map back in the day and remains a fan favourite any time he’s in Canada’s Most Notorious City. As it turns out, the feeling is mutual. And one just has to look at the dedication the former Calgary Flames star has given to the MNP Moose Jaw Warriors Alumni Tournament over the years.

Fleury was once again among the hundred-plus participants taking part in the annual education fund fundraiser this past July at the Hillcrest Golf Club, and that’s nothing unusual in any way — the Warriors’ all-time leading scorer has played in the event every year going on a decade, and has no plans of stopping any time soon.

“I was saying to somebody last night, when I got here and I was 16, no one thought I could play and this was sort of the catalyst to everything that I’ve accomplished in my life,” Fleury said when asked what keeps him coming back. “Moose Jaw is a special place;

we have 11 Stanley Cups and people don’t realize how important it is to young people who come and pursue their dream of playing in the NHL.

“For the team to be going into their 40th season, it not only says a lot about the city and people who live here, there’s a culture that has been built from the beginning and that’s made the team special to play for and a special place to be.”

Fleury put up three 100-point-plus seasons as a member of the Warriors from 1984-88, including a 68-goal, 160-point campaign in 1987-88.

From there, well, there’s a rather famous overtime goal celebration, 1,084 NHL games, 1,088 points, a Stanley Cup and an unforgettable 16-year career.

All that could have led Fleury to

leave his WHL days behind, but that just isn’t an option when there’s an opportunity to lend his former team a hand.

“I belong to one of the best NHL alumni in the league in Calgary, and I know how important we are to the community in Calgary and how important this tournament is to the Moose Jaw Warriors,” Fleury said. “Life comes full circle and I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons in life, but I’ve never forgot about the four years here… There are so many great people who live in Moose Jaw, and as a retired guy now, it’s a chance to pay it back to the people who paid it forward and that’s what I’m always trying to do.”

Warriors Alumni Tournament chair Todd Hudson is naturally happy to see Fleury coming back year after year and lending his star power to the event.

“I’m so happy he does,” Hudson said. “He loves this community, and I don’t know if he’s missed a year since our group took this over 12 years ago. He’s been very faithful; he accepts Moose Jaw as his second home and loves the community and the support he receives from around here.”

Moose Jaw Warriors legend Theoren Fleury watches the line on his first shot of the MNP Moose Jaw Warriors Alumni Tournament this past July.

Warriors general manager Ripplinger keeping close eye on overage situation as season begins

With four 20-year-olds in training camp and six potentially returning, many decisions pending

Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger has had to make his share of tough decisions in his two seasons in charge of the Western Hockey League team, but the 2023-24 campaign brought something he’s yet to deal with.

Too many overagers.

In fact, Ripplinger was even able to add a 20-year-old goaltender his first two seasons — to great effect on both occasions — as the team continued to carry a relatively young line-up overall.

This season, the Warriors have four overagers in camp and two more who could potentially be returned to the team. And that could make for some tough decisions in the near future, especially as the regular season begins.

“It’s a different year, for sure,” Ripplinger said during fitness testing on August 30.“Usually we’re looking for 20-year-olds here, but this year we have four quality 20s that could play in the league. We know what they can do so we just have to make sure to go with the right three.”

Leading that group, of course, is Moose Jaw Minor Hock-

What else is there to talk about?

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Warriors defenceman Lucas Brenton was one of four 20-year-olds in training camp and among six who could be with the team until mid-October.

ey product Atley Calvert. The former Prairie Hockey Academy standout is potentially one of the top overagers in the league after putting up 40 goals and 73 points in 67 games last season. He was with the Warriors for the start of the pre-season but was to attend Pittsburgh Penguins camp as an unsigned free agent.

Defenceman Max Wanner is signed by the Edmonton Oilers and is unlikely to return, while import forward Martin Rysavy was off to Columbus Blue Jackets camp as a drafted but unsigned overager.

That leaves defenceman Lucas Brenton (68-2-13-15) alongside forwards Eric Alarie (65-19-27-46) and Josh Hoekstra (67-10-7-17) as players who will be battling for spots with the Warriors until the NHL situation shakes itself out.

Teams can carry any number of 20-year-olds until mid-October, but must cut down to three for the remainder of the season,

“We’ll be evaluating everyone through camp and see who is the right fit and go from there,” Ripplinger said. “There’s always some obstacles there and if something happens and Atley signs with Pittsburgh, then we’re down to three 20-year-olds. So we’ll have to see what happens and make decisions as the time comes.”

While it seems unlikely that Wanner and Rysavy will be back, it’s not out of the question. And one just has to look

back to this past November to see how something like that can come out of the blue when elite forward Ryder Korczak was returned to the team and played a key role in their success the rest of the campaign.

Production from their overagers will also be key — something the Warriors have had success with in recent years.

Goaltenders Carl Tetachuk and Connor Ungar played the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons respectively and were utterly outstanding, Tristin Langan had 53 goals and 113 points in 2018-19 and a season earlier, Jayden Halbgewachs tied the team’s single-season goal-scoring record and won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 70 goals and 129 points.

As a result, Ripplinger has no intention of rushing things, especially knowing what can happen if one of the overagers makes one of ‘those’ jumps in their game — like Langan’s leap from 42 points in his 19-year-old year.

“You never know what can happen, and that’s why we want to make sure we make the right decisions,” Ripplinger said, adding that it’ll likely be far closer to the overage deadline before anything final is decided.

Warriors forward

Firkus looking for big things during upcoming season

Seattle Kraken prospect embracing role as elder statesman in likely final season with team

Watching Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus during the final scrimmage of training camp, sometimes all you could do was just sit back and laugh.

Not only was the Seattle Kraken prospect the best forward on the ice for long stretches, some of the plays he was setting up and moves he was making to create space looked like he belonged at a much higher level of play. His goal in the second period was Firkus Prime: a quick dipsy doodle at the blueline to evade a pressing defenceman, a burst of speed to the right faceoff circle and a perfect bar-down shot top corner, one of two goals he scored in the game.

None of this is even remotely a surprise at this point, as the 19-year-old forward will without question be one of the top players in the Western Hockey League should he return to the team after Kraken camp. Until then, it was a matter of getting business done with the Warriors training camp and pre-season. And needless to say, business is good.

“Things have been going really well, it feels good and pretty similar to all the other camps,” Firkus said shortly after his Team Black finished off a 7-2 win. “They’re all kind of a blur to be honest, I don’t remember a whole lot about them, but I think this has been awesome in that I’m an older guy on the team and I can talk to the young guys and meet some of the prospects and help them come along, too.”

Firkus is taking his role as an elder statesman on the Warriors seriously and the team is as well -- he’s currently billeted with 2023 first round WHL Entry Draft pick Aaron Sawatzky as the Warriors brass aim to see a bit of Firkus’ magic rub off on one of their young up-and-comers.

“The last couple years, being in the playoffs and playing all these games, it’s matured me to the point where I know what the young kids are feeling and what I wanted when I was younger,” Firkus said. “All I really wanted was the older guys to talk to me and to have respect from them, and that’s what I’m trying to do here with these guys.” As one of the faces of the franchise, there also comes a fair amount of fame. And there has been moment or two where youngsters have been almost in awe upon first meeting him.

“A little bit, but not that often,” Firkus said with a grin. “It’s pretty cool when that happens, and when a kid does that to you, you want to be the nicest person back to them and show not only that I’m a decent hockey player,

but I’m a good guy off the ice as well.”

Of course, there’s always the chance that when Firkus finished off his final exhibition game prior to heading to Kraken camp, it’ll also be his final game in a Warriors uniform. That’s the ultimate goal, and Firkus is hoping the comfort level of having been through two NHL camps will help in that direction this time around. As a 19-year-old, Firkus will have to crack the Kraken outright or be returned to the Warriors, but he can play nine regular season games before his NHL contract kicks in.

“I expect it’ll be pretty similar to the last couple seasons, a lot like here in Moose Jaw right now, just a higher level,” Firkus said. “So you have to go and play your game and show the staff that you’ve improved through the summer and the year and show you’ve matured.

“That’s probably the best thing about coming to camp here, getting the pace and going forward to Seattle,” he added. “It’s coming up quick so I have to make sure I’m ready and the staff here have done a great job helping get me ready for it.”

Should he return to Moose Jaw, there’s little question Firkus will be expecting huge things. Coming off a campaign where he put up 40 goals and 88 points in 66 games, there’s little question that 50 goals and 100 points is within the realm of possibility.

“If that happens, that would be great, but I think we have a really good team here and the main goal will be to win a championship,” Firkus said.

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus will undoubtedly see more than a few moments like this during the 2023-24 Western Hockey League season.

New York Rangers prospect wraps up junior hockey career after becoming one of Warriors team leaders

Ryder Korczak didn’t have to wait long to rejoin the ranks of professional hockey.

A couple days after the Moose Jaw Warriors were eliminated in the Western Hockey League playoffs, the New York Rangers assigned their prospect to the Hartford Wolfpack. And with that, Korczak saw his time as a junior hockey player come to an end.

“It’s been fun, since I was 16 in Calgary,” Korczak said after the Warriors loss to Winnipeg in Game 6 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. “Everyone says that it goes by fast, but it truly does in your 20-year-old year and it did for me. The guys were awesome and the coaching staff was awesome, I can’t thank them enough and it’s been great.”

That Korczak played in Moose Jaw at all last season was fortuitous. As a signed 20-year-old, the Rangers could have kept the Yorkton product in the AHL or even sent him to the ECHL, but instead opted to return him to junior in mid-November.

Just like that, Korczak went from being a raw rookie to a hyper-experienced veteran, and he made the most of the change of scenery. All told, he’d finish the season with 28 goals and 69 points in 48 games, a pace that would have put him at 97 points and in the top five in WHL scoring had he played the full 68-game season.

Korczak then tacked on three goals an 11 points in 10 playoff games as the Warriors swept Lethbridge before throwing a scare into the WHL’s top regular-season team. “I’m proud of our group, looking at the first series there and sweeping Lethbridge, we played really well,” Korczak said ot the Warriors’ post-season run. “Then in this series, too, we played really well, but they had more stuff go their way. So I’m extremely happy with our team and how we played.”

Of course, it’s never easy moving on from a team you grew up with. That’s no different for Korczak, especially with a crew as tight as the Warriors are.

“We’re all very close, we’ve known each other four or five years and those are my brothers in there,” he said. “So it’s sad to say goodbye, for sure.”

Korczak didn’t take long to become an impact player with the Warriors, as after joining the team in the off-season trade in 2019 that sent Jett Woo to Calgary, the then-17year-old put up 18 goals and 67 points in 62 games.

The following season was played in the Regina Hub due to the pandemic and saw Korczak put up three goals

and 16 points in 17 games. That summer, the NHL came calling, with the Rangers selecting Korczak in the third round, 75th overall.

He followed up with the best season of his WHL career, racking up 25 goals and 79 points while playing all 68 games.

It was a solid run and one Korczak will look back on with fond memories.

“I’d say it was a rollercoaster, there were some ups and downa, but a lot more ups than downs,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun so I’m going to remember the whole experience, for sure.”

Moose Jaw Warriors overager Ryder Korczak celebrates a goal against the Winnipeg Ice during the Eastern Conference semifinal. Zachary Peters

Pick by pick: A look at the Moose Jaw Warriors selections in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft

General manager Jason Ripplinger looks at each of the 10 selections made by the Warriors this past summer

It might have been a rather unusual Western Hockey League Prospects Draft for the Moose Jaw Warriors given their lack of middle-round picks, but general manager Jason Ripplinger is still confident he and his scouting staff were able to find some solid future players for the club.

The Warriors made 10 selections throughout the day back in late May, adding five forwards and five defencemen to their protected roster. It all began with the team picking a pair of defencemen -Didsbury’s Aaron Sawatzky 16th overall and Saskatoon’s William Degagne 38th overall -- as Ripplinger continued the strategy of putting together a solid blueline corps. “With the first two picks you’d like to get a defenceman and a forward, and we took a defenceman with our first pick, but Degagne, we had him in the first round, too, and I wasn’t going to leap over him to get a forward,” Ripplinger said. “So we were really happy with how that worked out. I’ve always been taught and my knowledge is to build from the back end, and the better the D, the

more pucks that are out of your end in a hurry.”

A 5-foot-10, 168-pound product of Didsbury, Alta., Sawatzky saw action in 33 games with the Airdrie Xtreme of the Alberta Elite Hockey League last season, putting up 10 goals and 38 points in that span. He then added another goal and eight points in nine playoff games. The season prior, Sawatzky had six goals and 19 points in 33 games.

“He has lots of upside,” Ripplinger said. “His ability to skate, to carry the puck up ice and move pucks is great, and his ability and hockey sense make him a good allaround player. I wouldn’t say he’s exceptional at all the things he does, but he’s good at most of the things, and as he gets older a mature he’s going to be a hard player to play against.”

Degagne played for the Saskatoon Generals of the Sask AA Hockey League, and as a 5-foot-10, 150-pound rearguard, he put up 13 goals and 35 points in 30 games and then added another two goals and five points in three playoff games.

“We go off our list; that ‘s how it happens, and we were surprised to see him still around,” Ripplinger said. “He’s improved a lot from the beginning of the season and I believe he has a really high ceiling, a lot of growth in his game and that he could be a solid defenceman. He’s smart, he’s skilled and he can skate.”

The Warriors didn’t have to look very far for their thirdround pick, as they added Carson Deichert from the Moose Jaw 15U AA Warriors. The 5-foot-7, 135-pound centre had a stellar campaign in the SAAHL, putting up 21 goals and 58 points in 28 games. He was also a point-

The Moose Jaw Warriors made Aaron Sawatzky their first-round pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft this May.

Michelle Ellis

a-game player at the 18U AAA level, with a goal and four points in four games.

Deichert joins overage forward and 40-goal scorer Atley Calvert as the only Moose Jaw Minor Hockey products on the team.

“He’s a really good player with a lot of skill,” Ripplinger said. “It’s good in a small community when you get a chance to draft a quality player like himself, and it shows that Minor Hockey in Moose Jaw is going in the right direction to develop a player like Carson.”

Moose Jaw went way out west for their fourth-round pick, as they selected North Saanich, B.C. forward Tyson Schamehorn. A 5-foot-11, 155-pound left winger, Schamehorn played for Okanagan Hockey Academy and had 11 goals and 28 points in 26 games.

“He’s a big power forward who has some skill and come playoff time as he gets older, he’ll be even harder to play against,” Rippllinger said.

That was it for Warriors selections until the eighth round, with Ripplinger estimating it was a two-hour wait before they selected again, where they picked up forward Ben Dnes from the Winnipeg Bruins Gold U15 AAA. At 5-foot-10 and 148 pounds, Dnes had 16 goals and 43 points in 33 games for the Bruins to go along with another three points in three postseason games.

“He’s another two-way, 200-foot player,” Ripplinger said. “He plays hard at both ends of the ice, he’s a dangerous guy to play against and he has some skill around the net. There again, that’s the identity that we want to build, we want some grit but they have to play the game.”

The Warriors stayed in Manitoba for their ninth-round selection, picking up Lac du Bonnet product Benson Hirst. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound defenceman suited up for Pilot Mound Hockey Academy was a point-a-game player, with eight goals and 28 points in 27 games in the regular season before ramping it up with four goals and seven points in four playoff games.

“Benson’s a big solid defenceman, a good puck-moving player who skates pretty good,” Ripplinger said. “He has good ability and is smart and plays with some grit. We have him ranked higher than he went so it was good to see him still there.”

With their second pick in the ninth round, the Warriors added Saskatoon’s Davey Fisher. A teammate of Degagne on the Saskatoon Generals, the 5-foot-10, 160-pound centre had no problem putting up points in the SAAHL with 28 goals and 58 points in 30 games. He also had two goals and three points in three post-season contests.

“He’s an up-and-down winger with some skill,” Ripplinger described. “He has a nose for the net and plays hard with some grit and has decent hands around the net, too, scoring nearly 30 goals last season.”

Moose Jaw made their fourth Saskatchewan-based pick

of the draft in the 10th round, taking Nipawin defenceman William Chabot. The 5-foot-9, 168-pound rearguard suited up for Notre Dame U15 Prep and had four goals and 14 points in 26 games before adding another three points in the playoffs.

“He’s really poised and hard to play against, a really good puck mover,” Ripplinger said. “He has some skill and does a lot of things right.”

The Warriors’ final two picks both came out of Alberta, beginning with Riley Thorpe in the 11th round. The St. Albert product played for his hometown Sabres in the U15 AAA loop, and the 5-foot-8, 140-pound centre had 27 goals and 49 points in 33 games. He was just as effective in the playoffs with four goals and eight points in six games and also suited up for three U17 AAA games, picking up a pair of points.

“Probably a player I can honestly say we had no idea why he was still around that late,” Ripplinger said of one of the potential steals of the draft. “We like him, he has good hands, he can score and he can be gamebreaker. He’s going to be a really intriguing player for us, for sure.” With their final selection in the 12th round, Moose Jaw selected defenceman Dylan Deets from Edge School U15 Prep. A 5-foot-8, 159-pound Calgary product, Deets had four goals and 26 points in 29 games and three points in four playoff games.

“He’s a smaller offensive defenceman who’s really smart and moves the puck and is a great skater,” Ripplinger said. “He’s a very interesting player as well, he could probably play at his size, but if he gets bigger and stronger he could be a really good player in this league.”

Now, it’s just a matter of seeing how the players develop in the coming years.

“Sometimes it’s not even if they grow and get stronger,” Ripplniger said. “It’s whether their hockey sense can adapt to the speed of the game, and we’ll see how that goes with the guys we picked today.”

Warriors Calvert hoping for big season with hometown team

Potential for plenty of success on horizon, but first comes another shot at the NHL

If everything goes completely according to plan for Moose Jaw Warriors forward Atley Calvert, he’ll have played his final Western Hockey League regular season game.

Because if things work out ideally for the 20-year-old Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product, he’ll find himself playing professional hockey at some level in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

Calvert headed off to Penguins rookie camp in mid September and as a free-agent overager, can be signed and sent to any of Pittsburgh’s minor professional affiliates in Wilkes-Barre (AHL) and Wheeling (ECHL).

“It’s definitely in the back of your mind,” Calvert said after the Warriors’ Black White Intrasquad game. “You’re obviously going there and are going to try and stay, that should be your goal as a 20-year-old player, and you just have to go about it the same way… If you know you’ve given everything you have, then you just have to let the chips fall where they may.”

Before he had to think about all that, though, there was Warriors training camp to get through. And Calvert looked the part of a 20-year-old coming off a 40-goal season as he had plenty of scoring opportunities in the scrimmages and picked up goal and assist in the intrasquad game.

“I think it was a good camp and a lot of kids came out and showed what they could do,” Calvert said, adding that the Black White game was a good test. “It’s good for everyone to play against all the older guys and for all the older guys to be in the line-up since the games (earlier in camp) weren’t full groups. But the pace was good, everyone is getting their legs back and getting their gametouch back, so it’s an exciting time and camp is just the first step.”

Calvert spent the off-season honing his game in and around Moose Jaw, but spent the better part of a week with the Penguins in development camp, taking the ice alongside Pittsburgh first round draft pick Brayden Yager.

Calvert’s showing there led to him being asked to return for rookie camp beginning next week, where he’ll once again play in the Buffalo Sabres rookie tournament after suiting up for the Sabres last year.

“It’s a lot faster, but at the end of the day you’re there for a reason and it’s the exact same as it is here,” he said. “You have to play your game and play your style and be ready to play with new players every night. I was on the home team last year, so I’ll be a visitor there this time.”

Having the experience in Buffalo last year will only help this time around.

“I think it’s big, it was my first experience with an NHL camp, I did everything for the first time and even going into this summer I was prepared and knew what to expect a little bit,” Calvert said. ”Being in Buffalo really helps and every camp you go to is an experience that you should take pride in.”

Should things go the Warriors’ way and Calvert returns, it’ll be a hard focus on winning, with the former Prairie Hockey Academy standout aiming to take the next jump in his production while contending for a title.

“I think at the end of the day we want to win,” Calvert said. “This is kind of the end of the phase here with a lot of guys who will be moving on, guys who have been here since the COVID bubble and some guys who have been here for a few years now.

“So we just have to take it day-by-day and we can’t take it for granted because all the other teams in the division and conference are going to be tough, too. So we’re going to have to be ready for Game 1 in the season.”

From there, it’ll be a hard push in the playoffs, and ideally taking that final step that has eluded the Warrior franchise.

“The last couple of years we’ve made it to the second round and ran into some good teams, so we want to push for a WHL championship and do something that hasn’t been done before,” Calvert said. “And being the 40th anniversary, it’s going to be a big year and exciting one.”

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Atley Calvert will be a key component to the Warriors success this season -- should he return from NHL training camp.

Yager wins Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy as WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player

Honour comes after picking up only 14 penalty minutes through season

and Darren Boyko (Winnipeg Warriors, 1982-83) having won previously.

Almeida and Bast also won the Canadian Hockey League Most Sportsmanlike award. Also nominated were Kamloops’ Caedan Bankier for the B.C. Division, Medicine Hat’s Andrew Basha for the Central Division and Portland’s Gabe Klassen for the U.S. Division.

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager is proudly aware of the fact that if you want to put up points in the Western Hockey League, it’s not a bad idea to stay out of the penalty box.

Do that, and play the game the right way each and every night, and the league itself will take notice.

That the WHL did throughout the 2022-23 campaign, and this past spring, Yager picked up the second league award of his career.

The 18-year-old forward was named the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy winner as the WHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player, with the honour voted on by general managers and members of the media.

“Brad Hornung will always be remembered as an ambassador for the WHL, for sportsmanship, for positivity regardless of the circumstances,” Yager told whl.ca. “I thank my family for raising me to play the right way, to compete my hardest between the whistles, but to make sure I treat my opponents with respect.”

Yager put up 28 goals and a career-high 78 points with only 14 penalty minutes in 67 games in his second full season in the WHL.

“I want to express my appreciation for my entire team’s support in my attempts to have a positive impact in the outcome of our games,” Yager said. “I am honoured to be acknowledged for my efforts to contribute to my team’s success while playing with discipline and self-control.”

The honour is the second league award for Yager, after he won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL Rookie of the Year in the 2021-22 campaign. The Warriors have history with players winning most sportsmanlike honours, having now picked up the award five times in the team’s history — Justin Almeida (201919), Jason Bast (2009-10), Blair Atcheynum (1988-89)

A former Regina Pats standout, Hornung was renowned for hs talent, desitre and sportsmanlike attitude. He was paralyzed in an on-ice accident in 1987 but maintained a positive outlook and commitment to the game, eventually serving as an NHL scout. The trophy was dedicated to him in 2002 following his passing at age 52. The off-season is only going to get more interesting for Yager in the coming weeks, as he’s expected to be a firstround selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. Yager was ranked 11th among North American skaters in the Central Scouting Bureau final rankings and as a result is expected to be a late-first-round pick.

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager in action this past season.

Warriors Yager looks back on introduction to Pittsburgh Penguins after NHL Draft

From touring facilities, meeting staff and crossing paths with a certain NHL superstar, a whirlwind experience for Warriors standout

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager was touring the Pittsburgh Penguins workout facilities shortly after being selected by the team in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft when he came across a gym with a single occupant and a trainer. The 18-year-old first-round pick didn’t think much of it at first and went about the tour. But a second look, and his jaw dropped. Because the other person in the gym was none other than multiple-time Stanley Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist and NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.

Crosby’s trainer happened to recognize Yager, who had been picked 14th overall by the Penguins a few days earlier, and with that, the Prince Albert native had a chance to meet one of his childhood heroes.

“It was crazy,” Yager said with a look of amazement prior to teeing off at the Warriors Alumni Golf Tournament earlier this summer. “I kind of just walked into the gym and saw the trainer working with somebody, and I looked again and it was Sid. Then the trainer called me over to say hi and introduce me and it was amazing. He’s such a nice person and such a generous guy and definitely a guy I’ve modelled my game after and looked up to all my life… it was super crazy to see someone like him in person.”

A Welcome to the NHL moment, indeed.

“It’s been a whirlwind for sure,” Yager said. “There were lots of nerves going into the Draft and development camp as well, but I couldn’t be happier going to Pittsburgh. Now that I’ve had a chance to go there and meet everybody, they’re a super welcom-

ing organization and it’s where I feel I belong.

“It was a ton of fun there and they’re going to be a great team to be a part of.”

Yager didn’t have a lot of time to gather his thoughts after the NHL Draft. The Penguins development camp was the following weekend, and he was on the plane to Pittsburgh from Nashville immediately after. And it wasn’t that long after landing that it all became extremely real. “It was super weird getting there and all of a sudden I’m on the ice in a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey,” Yager said. “It definitely took a couple of days for it to feel like it was kind of real, but the staff was so welcoming and I met a ton of new people, they made me feel super comfortable so that was awesome.”

Yager ended up rooming with Owen Pickering of the Swift Current Broncos — Pittsburgh’s first round pick in 2022 — and as a veteran of the proceedings, Pickering was able to show Yager a bit about how things work.

Yager also had someone he knew very well to hang around with, none other than teammate and Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Atley Calvert, who as an overage forward had received a free-agent invite to Penguins development camp.

“As soon as I got drafted, he texted me and said he got an invite to camp there,” Yager said. “I was super happy for him and it was awesome to have a teammate to go through that experience with. It was pretty cool.

“We played against him, and I saw him score a goal during the threeon-three tournament, but other than that we just hung out a bit during the tour of the room and things like that.

It was definitely nice having someone around I knew and had played a couple of years with.”

From there, it was a matter of getting on the ice and taking those first strides in the NHL. While it’s all new and exciting at the moment, Yager is plenty aware that will have to change in the near future as he embarks on his professional career.

“At some point you have to get over that and believe that you’re a part of that group and want to make the team,” he said. “I’ll get comfortable eventually and hopefully be (Crosby’s) teammate someday. It’s a cliche, but the work starts now and I have to gain some strength and do what I can to become an NHL player.” That work has continued throughout the summer, and Yager was one of 70 players taking the ice when Warriors training camp took place at the end of August at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“Obviously I enjoyed the whole process and it was a ton of fun, and I can’t thank enough people who helped me get to where I am today,” he said. “Family and friends and coaches and teachers and obviously teammates, too. I’m so excited to be a Pittsburgh Penguin, and from what I’ve experienced they’re a great organization and I couldn’t be happier.”

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager had an unbelievable couple of weeks earlier this summer when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Warriors’ prospect Deichert enjoying first experience with hometown team

Moose Jaw’s third-round pick in 2023 Prospects Draft happy with performance through training camp

Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Carson Deichert had been looking forward to training camp for a very long time.

Ever since the 15-year-old Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors prospect was selected in the third round, 60th overall by his hometown team in the 2023 Western Hockey League Entry Draft, it was all about preparing for training camp and making the best first impression he could. And there Deichert was in a WHL Warriors uniform on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 31 during the first rookie camp practices and during the first scrimmage of training camp at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. While things didn’t end up in the win column for he and his Team Grey

teammates in that first game, it was still as positive an outing as could be.

“I definitely had a lot of fun there,” Deichert said. “It was a new experience, there are a lot of good players and it was really fast-paced, it’s definitely a big challenge for me and I just have to keep pushing forward and seeing what I can do out there.”

Deichert initially drew the Warriors attention thanks to a stellar 2022-23 campaign with the U15 AA Warriors, where he put up 21 goals and 58 points in only 28 games. He also showed he could take the ice and succeed against older opponents, scoring a goal and picking up four points in four U18 AA games. That all led to general manager Jason Ripplinger selecting Deichert during

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Action from the first scrimmage of Warriors rookie camp at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

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the Entry Draft this summer, making him the highest player from the Friendly City to be selected, to boot. “It was definitely one of the biggest days of my life,” Deichert said. “I knew it would be a cool experience being a part of the team and I’m super happy they drafted me.”

Then came the first practice and the first time Deichert pulled on a jersey with a WHL logo in an official capacity.

“I think I fit in pretty well,” Deichert said of that first skate. “I’m pretty fast so I can keep up with everyone here, and overall it was a fun practice and

challenging.”

Thursday night’s game saw a host of top rookies in action, including 2022 first-round pick Connor Schmidt and 2023 first-rounder Aaron Sawatzky. Three of Deichert’s U15 Warriors teammates were also on the ice, as he was joined by defenceman Colton Flanagan and goaltender Jayce Finiak on Team Grey, while defenceman Tyson Ross suited up for Team Red.

Team Red would end up with a 4-2 victory on goals from William Nicholson, Jonah Vanderhorst, Noah Degenstein and Benson Hirst, while Landen McFadden and Cole Dupuis scored for Team Grey.

“It was really fast-paced, everyone out there can skate and pass and has a good shot,” Deichert said. “It was a little tough getting past the defence-

Congratulations Moose Jaw Warriors as you celebrate your 40th anniversary!

We are very proud of our Warriors and look forward to an exciting and entertaining 2023-24 hockey season.

GO WARRIORS GO!

Mayor Clive Tolley and Members of Moose Jaw City Council

men and setting up plays, but it was a pretty fun game all and all.”

As a 15-year-old, Deichert can’t crack Moose Jaw’s line-up fulltime this season and as a result, is looking to leave as good of an impression possible. Then he’ll turn his focus to the Winmar Warriors and the start of the Sask Male 18U AAA campaign. “That’s going to be an awesome experience,” he said. “I haven’t played that level before, only AA, so playing my first year on a team like that is going to be really fun.”

Warriors Booster Club continues hard work to support team year

in and year out

Group on the lookout for new volunteers to help out at games for upcoming season

There are few certainties in the world of the Western Hockey League, but one thing has rang true for the Moose Jaw Warriors since the very first day they took the ice.

If it wasn’t for the Warriors Booster Club, things would be far different for the franchise than they are today. The countless hours of volunteer work the local organization has put in during games ever since the inaugural season in 1984-85 has helped make the Warriors the successful high mid-market franchise it is today. And it all started with a handful of people who just wanted to see the team be as successful as it could be.

“It’s a totally separate entity created back in 1984 by a group of volunteers who wanted to ensure that Warriors would be around in Moose Jaw for years to come,” Booster Club president Randy Nesvold said. “They weren’t a part of the Warriors, either, just people who wanted to help the team and raised funds, held raffles, worked bingos, you name it. Primarily in the beginning, it was to keep the season tickets low and the team viable, but it’s become so much more since.”

The vast majority of the Booster Club’s activities come on gameday. While bingos were a primary fundraiser in the past, the largest source of funds now comes from the always successful 50/50 draws, which can top $10,000 or more with an even half-decent crowd in the building. The club also sells Nevada tickets and brings in a fair amount from the seat draw raffle that takes place every night. That all translated into more than $240,000 last season, funds that make all the difference for a handful of pro grams. Traditionally the education fund was the primary recipient, but medical needs, equipment and bus trans portation has also become part of their purvey, with the Warriors submitting bills to the Booster Club to be paid on their behalf.

“When we first started, the Booster Club raised a lot of money and just wrote a check at the end of the year and said ‘here you go Warriors, use it for whatever you need’,” Nesvold said. “It’s a lot different now, a lot more regula tions.”

The reason for the success is the people involved. The army of volunteers that come to games every night are a huge part, but nothing would get done without the fans. “It’s important to have volunteers and the people who put in that time, and without the fans buying tickets, do ing raffles and that stuff, the Booster Club is nothing,” Nesvold said. “I’ve always said Moose Jaw has the best the supporters and fans and this helps show it.”

The Warriors Booster Club is always on the lookout for volunteers and anyone looking to help can send an e-mail to mjwarriors.boosterclub@gmail. com or call the Warriors office at (306) 694-5711 or message their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/MJWarriorsBoosterClub.

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Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger presents a cheque for $11,000 to Hockey Sask general manager Kelly McClintock in September. The donation comes from members of the Moose Jaw Warriors Booster Club who were doing their part to support the international World Para Hockey event held in Moose Jaw at the end of May.

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