PREVIEW – Warriors set to battle Hurricanes
LAST GAME… Calgary scored four goals on 25 shots in the second period on Sunday and beat the Warriors 9-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Tanner Howe led the Hitmen with three goals, Carson Wetsch had two goals and three points, Oliver Tulk had one goal and four points, and Ben Kindel picked up four assists. Moose Jaw did not have a power play in the game and they were 0-for-1 on the penalty kill.
Blockbuster Deal… The Warriors have acquired 18-year-old Landen Ward, 19-year-old goaltender Brady Smith, the rights to 15-year-old defenceman Colt Carter, and six draft picks over the next four years in exchange for 19-year-old forward Brayden Yager and 19-year-old goaltender Jackson Unger. The draft picks heading to the Warriors are a 1st round pick in 2025, 3rd round pick in 2025, 4th round pick in 2026, 5th round pick in 2026, a 1st round pick in 2028, and a 2nd round pick in 2028.
Opposition Preview… The Lethbridge Hurricanes enter the week with a record of 12-10-1-1, they are 4-5-0-1 in their last ten games, they are winless in their last six games (0-5-0-1), and they are coming off a 3-2 loss in Prince Albert last Saturday. Brayden Edwards leads the Hurricanes with 13 goals and 31 points, Miguel Marques has 20 assists and 30 points, and Logan Wormald has 13 goals and 29 points.
Familiar Faces… Tonight marks the first time that the Warriors will square off against Brayden Yager and Jackson Unger. Yager was selected third overall at the 2020 WHL Prospect Draft, in 232 regular season games he had 115 goals, 165 assists, and 280 points and left tied with Jayden Halbgewachs for 5th in franchise scoring. Jackson Unger was selected in the third round of the 2020 WHL Prospect Draft, in 126 regular season games he posted a record of 62-49-3-3. Both players were key figures in the organization’s championship season last year.
2024 – 2025 vs. Lethbridge… This is the third of five meetings this season between the Warriors and Hurricanes. Moose Jaw is 0-2 against Lethbridge, they are 0-1 at home and 0-1 on the road. The Warriors are 3-for-9 on the power play (33.3%) and have allowed three goals on nine penalty kills (66.7%).
Lynden Lakovic and Brayden Schuurman lead the Warriors with two assists each against the Hurricanes, and Owen Berge, Noah Degenstein, and Aiden Ziprick have one goal each. Departed forward Brayden Yager had three goals and four points against Lethbridge, while goalie Jackson Unger was 0-2 with a 5.54gaa and a .847sv%.
Tristen Doyle leads the Hurricanes with five assists against the Warriors, Brayden Edwards has four goals, Logan Wormald has two goals and four points, Shane Smith has two goals and three points, Noah Chadwick has one goal and three points, and Kooper Gizowski and Will Sharpe have three assists each. Departed goalie Brady Smith was 2-0 with a 3.00gaa and a .880sv%.
O’Leary moving up… Mark O’Leary is entering his fourth full season as the Warriors Head Coach. O’Leary took over the reins in January 2020, in 304 games on the bench he has a record of 157-121-15-11. He is third in games coached in franchise history; Tim Hunter is second with 356. His 157 wins rank second on the team’s all-time list.
NHL Players to Watch… Warriors Connor Schmidt and Lynden Lakovic were two of the 55 WHL players named to the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Players to Watch list for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Lakovic received an “A” rating while Schmidt received a “W”.
Streaking
- Connor Schmidt has 2-0-2pts in the last three games
- Ethan Semeniuk has 2-4-6pts in his last six games
- Lynden Lakovic is on a 6-game point streak (5-3-8pts)
- Pavel McKenzie has 2-3-5pts in the last three games
- Aiden Ziprick has 1-2-3pts in the last three games
- Ethan Hughes has 2-2-4pts in the last eight games
- Rilen Kovacevic has 7-1-8pts in the last five games
Milestone Watch
- Deegan Kinniburgh is two games back of 100 for his career
