Zalitach Thrilled To Be In Moose Jaw
A better chance for a young defenceman. That’s how Reid Zalitach is looking at his trade to the Moose Jaw Warriors this week.
The 17-year-old defenceman played 54 games in a Vancouver Giants uniform, but just seven of them were this season thanks to a back log of healthy defencemen. In fact, only two of those games were on the back end and five were at forward after a rash of injuries.
“I hoped up to right wing and wasn’t playing a whole ton there on right wing. We had eight healthy bodies, including myself, on D,” explained Zalitach on the situation he was in Vancouver. “They gave me the opportunity to come out here, show what I’ve got, use my mobility and hopefully create some offence.”
Zalitach was originally selected in the second round by Vancouver in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft. He made his debut in the Western Hockey League as a 15-year-old and even played in a playoff game that year. Last season, he recorded seven assists in 42 games during his rookie season.
Coming from Narol, Manitoba – just north of Winnipeg – Zalitach is happy to be closer to home and have an opportunity for a bigger role on a team.
“I have family close from Brandon and I’ve heard a lot of good things about the team and the city, my dad’s out here a lot for business, so I was pretty happy to come out here,” said Zalitach after his first practice with the Warriors.
He sees himself as an offensive defenceman and is hoping to get the chance to prove it here with the tribe.
“I’m a good skater, that’s probably my best attribute. I have a good shot and good vision. I can create offence as well, I’m really good at getting the puck out of high pressure areas,” he stated. “I’m here to create some offence, but also play some good defence.”
Zalitach will be going from one crowded defensive core to another with the Warriors now as the team now has nine defencemen on the roster after the trade. It’s a situation that the team is hoping to let play out with a number of young players in the mix.
Zalitach is hoping to fit into the mix with the squad and make an impact.
“It’s a young team, there’s quite a few 96s on this team, but also there a few older guys, so it’s a good mix,” he said. “There’s a lot of 17-year-olds that can really step up and improve their game, they get a lot of ice time here I’ve heard, so I’m just excited to get the opportunity to play.”
If he makes his debut on Wednesday, Zalitach will get his first taste of the Trans-Canada Clash right off the bat. He said he doesn’t know too much about the rivalry, but knows Regina is a tough team to play against.
“Obviously a half an hour away you’d assume (that there’s a rivalry), but I know it’s going to be a good challenge for us,” he said. “We played them earlier on the year with Vancouver and it was a good challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do with this team.”
The Warriors and the Pats hook up for the third time this season on Wednesday. It will be the first meeting at the Brandt Centre with Regina winning the previous two meetings at Mosaic Place, 3-2 in a shootout on October 12th and 4-2 on October 19th.
Moose Jaw has recalled 16-year-old forward Jayden Halbgewachs for the game. Halbgewachs is fourth in the Sask Midget AAA Hockey League in scoring with six goals and 15 points in nine games. The tribe is down two forwards after Brandon Potomak suffered a shoulder injury during their two-game Central Division road trip and will miss an undetermined amount of time, and Todd Fiddler left the team on Monday.
You can catch all the action between the Warriors and Pats on Country 100. The Pre-Game Show is on the air at 6:40pm from the Brandt Centre.
