From the Point: Warriors centre Jagger Firkus
2022 NHL Draft eligible centre Jagger Firkus of the Moose Jaw Warriors joined Junior Hockey Magazine to discuss the recent Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, his progression this season in the Western Hockey League, and the opportunity to share his draft year experience with teammate Denton Mateychuk:
Junior Hockey Magazine: What was the experience like to win Player of the Game for Team White at the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game?
Jagger Firkus: It was an unbelievable experience. The whole time it was first class. The whole three days I didn’t want to leave. It was super fun to get to know some new people and to go out there against the high competition of the prospects for this draft.
JHM: How hard was it to play your game at the event?
JF: Everyone wants to go out there and show what you can do but you don’t want to overthink and complicate things. You have to go out there and show your game, play with confidence, and know you are able to make the play, keep up with the pace, and push the pace as well.
JHM: What was the reaction like from family and friends after the game?
JF: My phone was blowing up with supportive messages. It’s always nice to see those messages. It was even more special because there were a lot of people watching back home. Coming from a small town, it’s even better. I get a lot of text messages and they all meant a lot to me.
JHM: How much did it mean to you to play before a national audience on TSN?
JF: There were lots of people watching it nationally so it was very special knowing that everyone back home could watch it. The whole experience was really cool.
JHM: What was it like to interact with the OverDrive guys behind the bench?
JF: It was awesome. Jeff (O’Neill) is an unreal guy. He is pretty goofy so it was good to get to know him like that. He was giving me thumbs up most of the time I came back to the bench, so he was a supportive guy and it was nice to get to know him.
JHM: What was the pregame pump up like from coach Michael DiStefano?
JF: It was a good thing. It got me loose and ready for the game. It got me to not focus on how big of a stage it was. It was good to put your mind away from it and realize it is just a hockey game. We do that in Moose Jaw as well.
JHM: Take us through your goal in the game.
JF: I was going through the neutral zone and got a good chip toward me. I saw a defenceman catching up to me so I had to cut back to the middle and put it up in the corner on the goalie and it went in.
JHM: What has it been like to go through the draft year experience with a teammate like Denton Mateychuk?
JF: It’s really cool having somebody by yourself the whole time who you can open up to and talk to about the draft. It’s the same for him where he can talk to me about anything. He is a good friend who is going through the same thing of talking to teams. It’s really cool watching ‘Dents’. He is an unbelievable player. It’s going to be cool to watch him in the future.
JHM: What was the event’s off-ice testing like for you?
JF: It was pretty cool. There were jumps and pull-ups for off-ice testing and then on-ice testing was pretty difficult. Some of the stuff we were doing got to me pretty good but it went smoothly. It was good to do that and it got us warmed up a bit for the NHL Combine coming in May. It lets you get used to that. It was a cool experience all around.
JHM: How would you assess your year with Moose Jaw?
JF: So far, I think it has been pretty good. Individually, I have been doing my job and the offensive things I need to do. As a team, we have been playing really good. No one really thought we were going to be this good this year. It is awesome to put that in everyone’s head that we are this good and it wasn’t just a lucky run. We are still keeping it going and are going to push it into the playoffs. I am super excited to see what this team can do in the playoffs. We have a lot of depth and are a good matchup. It will be fun going into the playoffs with this team.
JHM: How do you like how your team is shaping up ahead of the playoffs?
JF: We just had a big game against Saskatoon and had a good game there. That is some good momentum. The points and the games are tight right now. That is one thing we all know and understand.
JHM: Who are some of the smaller players you look up to in the NHL?
JF: Mitch Marner. He is an unbelievable player and he is not a big guy either. He just goes in there and does his job. He is sneaky. I think that is where my game compares to his.