Howell scores his first WHL goal over the weekend
Marek Howell might only be 15 years old, but the Moose Jaw Warriors’ 2021 first round pick has made an impact so far early in his Western Hockey League career.
Howell scored his first WHL goal for the Warriors on Saturday in Moose Jaw’s 5-2 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers.
“Honestly, it was remarkable, scoring that goal was a good feeling,” Howell said after the game.
Howell’s goal was the fourth of the first period for the Warriors and put Moose Jaw in front of the Tigers 4-0 at that point.
“I saw the play down low, I had a feeling it was going to slip out to the slow, sort of creeped in and eventually [the puck] came out, grabbed it and shot it,” he said.
Howell has two points in three games this season with the Warriors since being selected with the 16th overall selection in December’s WHL Draft.
The Calgary product suited up in both games this weekend with Moose Jaw on their road trip to Swift Current and Medicine Hat, extending their winning streak to eight games.
Howell said he feels like this opportunity to get into game action with the Warriors is helping his game improve.
“It’s been great seeing the way everyone prepares before games and just taking that back into my league, using that,” he said. “Also on the ice, just seeing how hard everyone is, how fast the game is.”
The six-foot-three defenceman has eight goals and 13 points in 29 games with the Calgary Royals under-18 AAA team this season.
He said he’s getting more comfortable each time out with the Warriors and the goal will help with that even more.
“It was just a rewarding feeling, I wanted to score, but at the same time, you’ve got to work on it, you’ve got to help your team win,” Howell said.
Howell can play in two more games as an affiliated player until the end of the Royals season.
The Warriors will carry their eight-game winning streak into this week when they have three home games on tap. Moose Jaw will host Lethbridge on Wednesday, Prince Albert on Friday and Calgary on Saturday.