Howden Settling In
Sporting his brother’s number “21”, Brett Howden has been hard at work at Mosaic Place over the past two weeks as he prepares for his rookie season in the Western Hockey League.
The 2013 fifth overall pick played in five regular season games last season and has two preseason games under his belt this year. With that, he’s starting to transition into life with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“I’ve really noticed over these past couple of games, that I feel up to speed and I feel good out there,” said the 16-year-old forward.
Howden has posted two assists so far during the Warriors’ pair of preseason contests, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Swift Current Broncos last Tuesday and a 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Regina Pats on Thursday.
Howden was among a lineup of young players for the Warriors in both those games and he said that they were able to grow together thru both those losses.
“We were a young group there and we stuck together,” he said. “Even though (Thursday) was a blow out, we stuck together and fought through it.
“It’s never fun to move, but we’ve put that one behind us and we’re starting to get ready for the games ahead.”
Being a top draft, Howden hasn’t really had to worry about his spot on the team. Now with training camp in the rear-view mirror, Howden said he’s starting to get more comfortable out on the ice as they start to gear up for the final two weeks of the preseason.
“I’ve still got to keep getting better with my speed, these guys are fast,” Howden said. “I just want to work on my whole game and improving everything.”
Part of that will come from working in practice against the veterans now, which will allow Howden to see that top speed throughout the week and not just in games.
While a lot is new to the Warriors’ top prospect, there’s one area that he’s in a familiar boat with the rest of the team and that’s learning new head coach Tim Hunter’s systems and the style of play that he’s looking for out of the team.
“He’s a really good coach and we all really like him and he knows what he’s doing, he’s been around the game a long time,” said Howden. “He’s been a really good job of telling us what to do and how to do it.”
When Warrior fans see Howden on the ice, they may get a little bit of deja vu as he has decided to wear the same jersey as his older brother. “It’s pretty surreal,” he said. “I remember watching Quinton and wearing number 21 in the stands, but now to be wearing it on the ice, it’s a pretty unbelievable feeling.”
The Warriors have this week to work at practice before they head to Swift Current on Friday night to battle the Broncos for the second time this preseason. They will host the Broncos on Saturday night at Mosaic Place.
