General Manager Jason Ripplinger and the Warriors Prepare for Upcoming Drafts

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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

General Manager Jason Ripplinger and the Warriors Prepare for Upcoming Drafts

April 11, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Moose Jaw, SK - With the conclusion of the Moose Jaw Warriors' season, General Manager Jason Ripplinger and the Moose Jaw Warriors scouting staff are preparing for one of the organization's biggest days of the year - the WHL Prospect Draft.

The 2025 drafts begin on May 7 with the WHL Expansion Draft and the first round of the WHL Prospect draft. The US Priority Draft and the remaining rounds of the Prospect Draft will follow on May 8. The CHL Import draft will follow later in the summer.

The Warriors have the second overall pick in the US Priority Draft, and in the Prospects Draft, the Warriors will select 18th.

For the Warriors, the upcoming drafts are chances to "Inject high-end talent into the prospect pool." The Warriors have eight picks in the first four rounds of the 2025 Prospect Draft. "We're going to go into the draft with a list... of guys that we've bought into and we want as Warriors and we'll get eight of them [in the first four rounds]," says Ripplinger.

When drafting players in later rounds, Ripplinger says, "You look for somebody that can skate, compete, and has some skill." This philosophy landed 2023 eleventh-round pick, Riley Thorpe, who was named the 2024-2025 Rookie of the Year. "[Thorpe] was a small player, but he worked, he could skate, and he competed."

In addition to returning veteran players, Ripplinger says many prospects could make the roster next season. Two of those players are Carson Deichert from the Winmar Warriors and William Degagne of the Saskatoon Blazers. Across the SMU18AAAHL this season, Deichert ranked 24th overall in league scoring, and Degagne was the fifth-highest scoring defenceman. Deichert also scored his first WHL goal against Brandon on January 31st.

"It's going to be a really competitive [training] camp," says Ripplinger. "If we could start next week, I'd be ready to go."

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