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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

'It's Getting There': Firkus Attempting to Take his Game to Another Level

August 1, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


Last summer was filled with a lot of firsts for Jagger Firkus.

After being selected in the second round by the Seattle Kraken, the Moose Jaw Warriors forward attended his first NHL camp and also took part in his first Hockey Canada camp.

This summer had a similar schedule for Firkus, but an added level of familiarity for the Irma, AB product.

"The summer has been pretty fun, there's been lots of excitement around this whole summer," Firkus said.

Firkus signed with the Kraken after wrapping up a stellar 2022-23 season with the Warriors in which he led the team in scoring for the second straight year, finishing with 40 goals and 88 points.

After the signing, Firkus joined the Kraken's AHL-affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds for their run to the Calder Cup final.

He said that was a valuable experience to give him a taste of pro hockey.

"It was super cool to get to experience the playoff run and how hard everyone works, it was the third round and after games, guys are still in the gym working out and just trying to get better," Firkus said.

"It really shows how determined everyone is at the pro level and it was a big eye opener for me to get to see all the top players were the hardest working guys in the gym."

That experience gave Firkus a good base to work on this summer heading into the Kraken's development camp.

"There's room for me to improve, there's a lot of things I need to grow, but I think [the Kraken staff] were happy with me coming back with how I played and how I've been getting stronger," Firkus said. "Obviously lots of room to improve still, but it's getting there."

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus on the ice at Seattle Kraken development camp. (Photo: Seattle Kraken)

It's a dream for every junior player to represent Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship. Firkus took a step towards that dream this summer as he took part in Hockey Canada's virtual summer meetings last month.

He said it was a different experience from last year without a camp, but he tried to take as much as possible from the meetings.

"It was a couple hours of Zoom calls each day, so it's just making sure you're a sponge in those meetings," Firkus said. "I was happy to be a part of it."

The busy summer for Firkus has only made the 19-year-old forward more excited to get back to Moose Jaw and on the ice with the Warriors at the Hangar.

"We have a strong group coming back here, our leadership group is all excited to be a part of it this coming year and it's exciting times," Firkus said.

"The last couple of years, we've had really good teams, it's just the second round that kind of killed us and hopefully this year, we can get over that little hump and I think we are, we have the players to do that."

Firkus and the Warriors return to the ice at the end of the month as the team opens training camp at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Aug. 31.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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