PREVIEW – Warriors prepare for midweek battle against Calgary
LAST GAME… Edmonton scored three goals in the first period last Saturday and beat the Warriors 7-0 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. Adam Jecho and Miroslav Holinka led the Oil Kings with two goals and four points each. Moose Jaw was 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Career year for Ziprick… 19-year-old defenceman Aiden Ziprick has 10 goals, 23 assists, and 33 points in 43 games, setting new single-season career highs in all three categories. Last year with Lethbridge and Moose Jaw, Ziprick had one goal, eight assists, and nine points in 54 games.
Semeniuk setting a new standard… 19-year-old Ethan Semeniuk has 12 goals, five assists, and 17 points in 28 games this season. His 12 goals tie his single-season high set in 2022 – 2023. He is seven points back of his single-season high of 24 from last season.
Special Teams… In January, the Warriors’ power play has goals in five of nine games and is 8-for-28 (28.6%). In their last five games at home, the power play is 4-for-17 (23.5%). This month, the penalty kill has allowed eight goals on 31 opportunities (74.2%), and in the last five games at home, they have allowed four goals on 20 opportunities (80.0%).
Shots… In 43 games this season, the Warriors have been outshot by the opponent 34 times, the most in the WHL. In these games, their record is 5-25-2-2. Moose Jaw has outshot its opponents in seven games; their record is 3-2-2.
Opposition Preview… Calgary starts the week with a record of 25-12-3-2, they are 7-2-0-1 in their last ten games and are coming off a 4-1 win over Regina on Sunday. Oliver Tulk leads the Hitmen with 25 goals and 69 points, Ben Kindel has 24 goals and 68 points, and Connor Hvidston has 38 points.
2024 – 2025 vs. Calgary… This is the third of four meetings this season between the Warriors and Hitmen and the first in the Friendly City. Moose Jaw is 0-2 against Calgary, they lost 9-0 on December 1 and 5-1 on January 8. Moose Jaw is 1-for-3 on the power play (33.3%) and has allowed one goal on three penalty kills (66.7%).
Aiden Ziprick has the lone goal for the Warriors against Calgary, and Luke Moroz has one assist. Mattew Hutchison is 0-1 with a 5.00gaa and a .906sv%.
Oliver Tulk leads the Hitmen with four goals and seven points against the Warriors, Ben Kindel has seven assists, Tanner Howe has three goals, Carson Wetsch has two goals and three points, Axel Hurtig has two goals, David Adaszynski and Ethan Moore have a goal and two points each, and Connor Hvidston and Kalem Parker have two assists each. Anders Miller is 2-0 with a 0.50gaa and a .977sv%.
Central Scouting… Five Moose Jaw Warriors appear on NHL Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings. Lynden Lakovic is 12th among North American skaters, Noah Degenstein is 143rd, Connor Schmidt sits 206th, and Aiden Ziprick is 221st. Import forward Dominik Pavlik is ranked 60th among international skaters.
O’Leary moving up… Mark O’Leary is entering his fourth full season as the Warriors Head Coach. He took over the reins in January 2020, and in 320 games on the bench, he has a record of 160-132-16-12. He is third in games coached in franchise history; Tim Hunter is second with 356. His 160 wins rank second on the team’s all-time list.
Streaking
- Landen McFadden has 2-3-5pts in the last eight games
- Connor Schmidt has 0-3-3pts in the last four games
- Ethan Semeniuk has 6-0-6pts in the last seven games
- Luke Moroz has 0-4-4pts in the last five games
- Pavel McKenzie has 4-4-8pts in the last 11 games
- Aiden Ziprick has 3-2-5pts in the last five games
Milestone Watch
- Ethan Hughes is three games away from 100 for his career
- Connor Schmidt is ten games away from 100 for his career
- Krzysztof Macis is seven games away from 100 for his career