The Moose Jaw Warriors are on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot and a big part of it is due to the play of 20-year-old forward Tristan Langan.
Langan is leading the Warriors in points and he’s just three points shy of reaching 100.
“Tristan’s come and he’s grown up here, he’s become a man here and he’s matured here,” Warriors head coach Tim Hunter said.
Langan wasn’t always a standout on the Warriors’ roster. Hunter said he was a third-line player last season. In his previous three seasons, Langan had only 71 points.
“He was important, he played a lot of key minutes and a big role, but I didn’t know he had as much offence as he does. And shame on me for not having him in more of an offensive position,” Hunter said.
The Warriors are the defending Scotty Monroe Trophy winners for the best record in the Western Hockey League. However, the team lost five of its six leading scorers from last year’s squad.
“I wanted to have a leading role on this team,” Langan said. “Coming in this summer, I know I was going to have a big role on the team, so I came back with the right mindset and it’s been working out so far.”
The Swan River, Man. product was drafted by Moose Jaw in the ninth round in 2013. Langan takes pride in the fact he even made the team.
“You always got that chip on your shoulder, you want to come in here, you’re from a small town, and you want to make it big,” he said.
Langan’s hard work is also rubbing off on his teammates. Rookie Brayden Tracey was named the WHL Player of the Month after seconds 11 points in the last 13 games.
“Honestly, when he tells me something I listen,” Tracey said. “He knows what to do. He’s been here for a couple of years now. It’s all about compete with him I think when he’s telling me to compete and work harder, I have to listen to him and go and do it.”
With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the Warriors sit in third place in the East Division.
