Ready For Bigger Roles
During the 2014-15 season, the Moose Jaw Warriors saw their trio of 17-year-old defensemen evolve into key contributors on the backend for the team.
Tyler Brown — playing in his second season with the Warriors —Ryan Gardiner and Dustin Perillat all saw their playing time increase as the season went on.
Now heading into this season, the Tribe is looking for those three to take on bigger roles as the veterans in the defensive core and they’re ready for it.
“The coaches gave me a bigger responsibility last year and that was great, it gave me a lot of confidence and then heading into this summer, I knew I was going to get even more (responsibility), so it made me work even harder,” said Brown, who has 101 WHL games under his belt heading into his 18-year-old season.
Brown is looking to take his game to the next level this season after increasing his point total from four to 18 last year. He said he wants to stay focused on his own zone, but also bring more offensively as well.
“I’ve been working on my speed, I’m an older guy now, so I can use it in the games,” he said. “Bringing more tempo and a lot more aggression out there.”
It’s the same mindset for Gardiner heading into his second season with the Warriors.
Gardiner said he tried to play a more stay at-home style during his rookie season, but he’s looking to bring a more all-around game to the team this season.
“I’m going to be focused on taking care of my own zone and then create some more offence,” he said. “Hopefully I can create some more offence and jump up into the rush.”
In order to play a more all-around game, Gardiner said he focused a lot on his skating and strength during the offseason and he’s hoping it shows when it comes time to hit the ice.
“I’ve been building my leg strength and focusing on my core, also improving my upper body,” said Gardiner. “On the ice, just the basic skills, my skating, moving the puck on the blueline and then my shot.”
After making his debut for two games as a 16-year-old, Gardiner said he got more comfortable as the season went on last year, finishing with 12 points in 68 games.
“The more games I played, the more confident I got and the more right I felt out there,” he said. “This year, I’m definitely going to feel more comfortable and try to take on a bigger role.”
Having three young defencemen last year had some growing pains for the Warriors, but they’re hoping to see the benefits this year with all three back and having more experience under their belt.
“It was good that we had all three of us here last year,” said Brown. “Going into this year, we feel more comfortable in the league and we can gel together even more.”
“It’s our turn to step up and take on a leadership role,” added Gardiner. “We need to show the young guys how to do it and learn from them too.”
Brown and Gardiner are two of the Warriors on the ice this week at Mosaic Place helping with the Kids Camp. They will open training camp Wednesday, August 26 with registration.
