There’s a youth movement underway at Mosaic Place with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but don’t count out the young squad heading into the 2019-20 season.
“You watch in practice, there’s so much skill with this group, they’re raw, a lot of learning, a lot of teaching to do, but that’s the fun part of what we do as coaches,” Warriors head coach Tim Hunter said.
After being a contending team over the past three seasons, the Warriors will dress a lineup that features 11 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old this season.
The youth won’t be holding the team back, however, as their goal is to still play fast and hard.
“We’ve got a bunch of skilled guys, everybody’s got skill, we’re fast, so that’s great and we’ll be good,” Warriors forward Tate Popple said.
“We have a lot of young guys, but once they get comfortable, we’ll be going good there.”
18-year-old forward Brayden Tracey, who remains in camp with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, will be the key to the Warriors attack this season, but the players leading the youth movement in Moose Jaw are 17-year-old defenceman Daemon Hunt and forward Ryder Korczak, who was a key piece of the trade that sent Jett Woo to Calgary during the offseason.
2018 first round pick Eric Alarie will also receive a big role with the team after posting five goals and 10 points in seven preseason games.
Korczak said he’s looking forward to a larger role with the Warriors, “I’m getting an opportunity here, so I like it and I’m going to take my opportunity and run with it,” he said.
“We have a young team, but that’s not going to stop us, we’re going to compete day-in and day-out.”
Hunt feels the Warriors’ youth will be a benefit as they can grow together.
“We’re really young this year, but that doesn’t mean anything, Tim and Alan [Millar, the Warriors GM], they really want us to play hard every night, be the hardest working team to play against and for myself, I love that,” said Hunt, who represented Canada at the World Under-18 Hockey Championship and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup.
“Coming overseas twice in the spring and summer has really helped my game, I was playing with the top players in the country and the world, so I’ve come far since I was 15 and 16.”
The biggest change for the Warriors will be net as they will start without 19-year-old goalie Adam Evanoff, who is recovering after undergoing offseason hip surgery.
Hunter is confident in the tandem that they have heading into the season with 20-year-old Baily Brkin and 17-year-old Jackson Berry.
“Jackson Berry’s a developing goalie still, he’s still a prospect, a young guy, he’s still got a lot of learning to do, but he’s got a great mirror at the other end to watch in Bailey Brkin, a real pro,” said Hunter.
As they prepare for the season opener this weekend, the Warriors still have their sights set on returning to the post-season.
“Playoffs are always the goal, regardless of what you do, this team is going to improve exponentially between now and Jan. 1, they’re going to really come along as group as a team,” said Hunter. “There will be peaks and valleys along the way and hopefully the valleys aren’t too deep and the highs aren’t too high either, slow and steady here.”
The Warriors open the season with a home-and-home against the Regina Pats this weekend, starting on Friday night at the Brandt Centre.
