MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- For 40 years, the Moose Jaw Warriors went into every Western Hockey League campaign with the question ‘what if?’
What if this is finally the year? What if this is the season where it all comes together and they take a run at the first-ever WHL championship in team history? And what if they actually find a way to win it all?
During the 2023-24 season, the Warriors and their fans finally got answers to all those questions, with the team sweeping the Portland Winterhawks in the championship series and touching off a couple of weeks of celebrations that carried all the way over into their return from the Memorial Cup.
As one might expect, it’s hard to turn the page on those memories, but this weekend marks that time.
A total of 91 players went through the rigours of fitness testing on Wednesday afternoon, with training camp proper beginning a day later with the first rookie camp ice sessions and the first time players from the 2023-24 team are back on the ice at the Moose Jaw Events Centre in a competitive capacity.
And as tough as it is to leave last season behind, it’s all systems go for general manager Jason Ripplinger and crew as eyes turn toward 2024-25.
“Obviously I’ll never completely turn back on that one,” Ripplinger said with grin during a chat in his office shortly after fitness testing wrapped up. “To win a championship, especially in Moose Jaw as a small community with all the fans and everybody being behind us, was great. That means the summer was short, but we aren’t going to complain about it.
“The biggest thing for us is that it took 40 years for the franchise to get there and now we’re in a new season,” he continued. “There are roughly 16 players coming back and it’s their time to be leaders, try and move this organization forward and win here again.”
Needless to say, the Warriors have lost some incredibly valuable pieces from last season. Gone are powerhouse graduates Atley Calvert, Martin Rysavy and Lucas Brenton, with 20-year-old captain Denton Mateychuk and fellow overage forwards Jagger Firkus and Matthew Savoie already pencilled out of the line-up as they look toward their pro careers.
All their moving on does is open spots for players to step into their roles, Ripplinger says, with the quest in that direction beginning with camp.
“There’s only one Jagger Firkus, one Denton Mateychuk, and all these other players, if they can become better than those guys, who knows?” he said. “They have to put the work into it and moving forward with these players, I believe in them and I believe that we can be a real competitive team.’
Another early question is what will happen with 19-year-old standout Brayden Yager, who spent Warriors training camp in Winnipeg after being traded to the Jets by Pittsburgh a week earlier. If he doesn’t crack the Jets line-up outright, he’ll be back in Moose Jaw, and almost certainly will become the team’s captain.
The Warriors' import situation is up in the air. Defenceman Voytech Port is in camp and will be off to Anaheim to try and crack the Ducks roster as a 19-year-old, but will very likely return to Moose Jaw. The team’s selection this past summer, Dominik Pavlik, is trying his hand at cracking a pro roster as a 17-year-old in Finland but will join the Warriors if that venture falls short.
One thing that’s for certain is the Warriors will definitely be a different-looking team compared to the offensive powerhouse they fielded in 2023-24.
“Every year and every time you win your teams are going to be different, that’s how it is in junior hockey,” Ripplinger said. “For our team this year, I think it’s going to be from the backend out. I believe we might have the best goalie in the league (Jackson Unger), a guy who won a championship at 18. Then we lose some defence, but we gain some quality defencemen coming back.… we might be nothing like last year, but the coaching staff will work with the players, develop them, and we’ll go day by day.”
One concern that every team goes through following a title win is complacency -- will the organization, especially one as long-suffering as the Warriors were prior to last season, be happy to sit on their laurels?
“I do worry about it, but it’s up to myself and Mark O’Leary to make sure there isn’t any complacency in the dressing room, the front office, anywhere in the organization,” Ripplinger said matter-of-factly. “Last year was a great year, it’s over, we move on and it’s time to start a new legacy.”
Here’s a look at the Moose Jaw Warriors’ training camp schedule for the rest of the week.
Thursday, Aug. 29
9 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 1 Practice
9:45 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 2 Practice
10:30 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 3 Pracice
11:30 a.m. -- Rooke Camp scrimmage 1 vs. 2
1:15 p.m. -- Main Camp practice
3 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 1 vs. 3
4:45 p.m. -- Goalie session
6 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 3 vs. 2
Friday, Aug. 30
9 a.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 2 vs. 1
10:45 a.m. -- Goalie session
12 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 2 vs. 3
2:30 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 3 vs. 1
6:30 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
Saturday, Aug. 31
9 a.m. -- Main camp scrimmage
12:30 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
4 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
Sunday, Sept 1
12 p.m. -- Black / White Intrasquad Game
