MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Fans of the Moose Jaw Warriors have yet to see forward Brayden Yager back at the Moose Jaw Events Centre this pre-season, and they’ll be waiting a little longer.
The 19-year-old forward was part of a trade that sent him from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Winnipeg Jets a week prior to the Western Hockey League club opening training camp, and as a result, the Jets opted to have Yager settle into his new organization prior to things getting started at the National Hockey League level.
Yager was originally selected by the Penguins 14th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, with the first trade of his pro career seeing Winnipeg send 2022 first-rounder Rutger McGroarty to Pittsburgh in exchange on Aug. 22.
Yager will join the Jets in the 2024 Young Stars Classic, which is set to begin Friday in Penticton, B.C.. Winnipeg will face the Calgary Flames on Friday, Vancouver Canucks on Sunday and former Warrior Matthew Savoie and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Seeing as Yager is under 20 years old, should he not make the Jets roster outright he’ll be returned to the Warriors. Yager is coming off a brilliant 2023-24 WHL campaign where he had 35 goals and 95 points over 57 regular season games to go along with another 11 goals and 27 points in 20 playoff games.
Joining Yager at NHL camps are defenceman Voytech Port (Anaheim) and Kalem Parker (Minnesota) along with forward Rilen Kovacevic (Colorado).
Kovacevic, an undrafted free agent, will be joining the Avalanche as. Kovacevic attended the Avalanche’s Development Camp over the summer after a season where he put up 15 goals and 32 points in 52 games while also showing an edge to his game with 95 penalty minutes.
The Avalanche will be on the ice on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks, Saturday against the Seattle Kraken and Monday against the San Jose Sharks.
Port, the Ducks’ sixth-round pick in 2023, will also be, starting on Friday when the Ducks take on Kovacevic and the Avalanche.
The Ducks battle San Jose on Sunday and then finish up the tournament against the host Kings on Monday.
Port was acquired by the Warriors from Edmonton just prior to the WHL trade deadline last season, and after recovering from a finger injury went on to put up a goal and three points in 16 games.
Parker and the Minnesota Wild will be travelling to St. Louis for. Parker, a sixth-round pick of the Wild in 2023, is taking part in his second training camp. Acquired in an early-season trade with Victoria, Parker went on to become a defensive stalwart for the Warriors, picking up six goals and 42 points in 63 games while playing top defensive pair minutes.
The Wild battle the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday and then face the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
The Warriors will also have five members of last year’s championship team attending NHL camps with Lucas Brenton (Chicago), Atley Calvert (Pittsburgh), Jagger Firkus (Seattle), Denton Mateychuk (Columbus) and Matthew Savoie (Edmonton) all making the jump to pro hockey this season.
Interestingly enough, Firkus, Mateychuk and Savoie could all return as overagers, but all will most certainly end up in the AHL or ECHL if they don’t crack their NHL rosters outright.
The Warriors continue the preseason against the Swift Current Broncos this weekend, with the Moose Jaw in Swift Current on Friday night before hosting the Broncos on Saturday. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
-- with files from Marc Smith / Moose Jaw Warriors
