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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Warriors Ready for Second Half Push After Trade Deadline

January 19, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


With the trade deadline in the rear-view mirror and the roster set, the Moose Jaw Warriors are looking forward to what's in store for the team over the rest of the season.

"This group of guys is awesome and that's where it starts, just the core group of guys that we have here, these groups don't come along very often," Warriors captain Daemon Hunt said.

The Warriors are currently sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, just two points behind Brandon and Saskatoon in a fourth-place tie.

The team is confident that it has the players to compete for a playoff spot and push for home-ice advantage.

"It's exciting, we're well into the second half now, we're looking to be a better team and if you talk to anyone of those guys, they're confident in our group," Warriors head coach Mark O'Leary said. "They like our group on and off the ice and now it's just about performing."

The Warriors made one trade at the deadline, adding 20-year-old forward Cordel Larson from Spokane in exchange for 19-year-old forward Cade Hayes and a third round pick.

General Manager Jason Ripplinger feels that Larson will add to an already strong locker room for the Warriors.

"He's played over 170 games in the Western Hockey League and I believe him coming into the dressing room, he'll lead the way," Ripplinger said.

O'Leary is looking forward to how versatile Larson will make his lineup moving forward.

"He's a guy that's going to be great for coaches, you can slide him up and down the lineup, whether he's going to play with [Ryder] Korczak and [Eric] Alarie on the top line or slide down a little, more defensive responsibility with [Atley] Calvert, he doesn't mind doing both," O'Leary said.

"He's fast, he's tenacious, he's hard to play against and he's a guy that is going to be real popular to his teammates and the fans."

The move became necessary after the Warriors learned that fellow overage forward Logan Doust would be out for the remainder of the season with an upper body injury suffered in December.

Ripplinger said breaking the news to Doust was one of the hardest things he's had to do in his first year as general manager.

"He's an unbelievable kid, great in the dressing room, he's a player who never complained, wherever Mark put him, he just played, and he's a Warrior," he said.

While the Warriors are losing Doust for the rest of the season, the team has received some good news on another veteran forward as Calder Anderson is close to returning to the ice.

"Calder went to Winnipeg and talked to the doctors and they cleared him, he'll be ready to start skating at the beginning of February, so hopefully we'll get him in the lineup towards the end of the month," Ripplinger said.

"He's a character player, who can come into the dressing room, he has a voice and he can lead by example."

The Warriors have 31 games left in the regular season and are confident about the outlook moving forward.

"With that belief, we are proud to play in Moose Jaw, I know every guy here is and the standings are tight, so if we have that belief, it helps us," Hunt said.

Check out the Moose Jaw Warriors Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2022


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