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WHL Moose Jaw Warriors

Warriors Select 10 Players in 2021 WHL Prospects Draft

December 9, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Moose Jaw Warriors News Release


The Moose Jaw Warriors selected 10 players during the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.

Breaking down the draft, the Warriors selected five forwards, three defencemen, and two goalies. Of the 10 players, seven of them are from Alberta, one is from Saskatchewan, one is from Manitoba, and one is from British Columbia. Six of the players are listed over 6-feet tall.

The day began in the 1st round when the Warriors selected defenceman Marek Howell 16th overall. From Calgary, Howell, 6'2", 188lbs, is playing this season with the Royals in the AEHL U18 AAA, through 18 games he has four goals, two assists, and six points.

"He's a throwback player, plays really physical, has a good first pass, and he is a character player who can add a little bit of offence to his game too," commented General Manager Jason Ripplinger when asked about Howell. "When you get into those seven-game series in the playoffs, those big guys are hard to play against and that's what we expect from Marek."

Moose Jaw had two picks in the second round, with the first selection, 27th overall, they drafted forward Lynden Lakovic from West Kelowna, BC. Lakovic, 6'5", 170lbs, is playing this season with West Vancouver U18 in the CSSHL. In 10 games, he has three goals and six points.

With their next pick in the second round, 35th overall, the Warriors drafted defenceman Brady Ness from Edmonton CAC (AEHL U18AAA). The 6'3" and 177-pound blueliner has six points through 21 games.

In the third round, the Warriors completed a trade with Vancouver that saw them acquire the 57th overall pick and the 104th overall pick. With their third-round pick, the Warriors drafted forward Owen Berge from the Northern Alberta Xtreme (CSSHL U16AAA). Berge, 5'11", 180lbs, is from Edmonton and has 12 goals, 13 assists, and 25 points in 18 games this season.

Moving to the fourth round, with the 72nd overall pick, Moose Jaw selected forward Ethan Hughes from Edmonton CAC U16AAA. Hughes, 5'7", 140lbs, has played 13 games so far this season and has 11 goals, 13 assists, and 24 points.

Moose Jaw was able to make a selection in the 5th round due to the trade with Vancouver earlier in the day, which allowed them to select defenceman Ryan Seeley from Olds, Alberta. Seeley, 5'11", 165lbs, is playing this season with the Northern Alberta Xtreme (CSSHL U16AAA) and has three goals, seven assists, and ten points in 18 games.

The Warriors were off until the 8th round when they had back-to-back picks.

With their first pick in the round, 160th overall, they called goaltender Joshua Banini from Edmonton. Banini, 6'2", 195lbs, is playing with CAC U16AAA and has played in ten games posting an 8-2 record with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.

Then with the next selection, 161st overall, they drafted Regina forward Jake Briltz who is playing this season with the Moose Jaw AAA U18 Warriors. Through 24 games, Briltz, 5'9", 165lbs, has four goals, ten assists, and 14 points.

Going to the 9th round, with the 182nd overall pick, forward Spencer Masters was the next player drafted. Masters, 6'0", 161lbs, is playing with Edmonton SSAC (AEHL U18 AAA) and has four goals and ten points through 19 games.

With their final selection in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, the Warriors picked up goalie Dmitri Fortin in the 10th round, 204th overall. From Winnipeg, Fortin, 6'1", 182lbs, is playing U18 AAA with the Bruins and has a 6-7 record with a 3.42 goals-against average and a .872sv% in 21 games.

The organization will welcome more prospects next year when they take part in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

ROUND OVERALL NAME HOMETOWN P H W 2021 - 2022 LEAGUE GP G A PTS

1 16 Marek Howell Calgary, AB LD 6'2 188 Calgary Royals AEHL U18 AAA 18 4 2 6

2 27 Lynden Lakovic West Kelowna, BC LW 6'3 175 West Van U18 CSSHL 10 3 3 6

2 35 Brady Ness Edmonton, AB LD 6'3 185 Edmonton CAC U18AAA AEHL U18 AAA 21 1 5 6

3 57 Owen Berge Edmonton, AB RC 5'11 180 NAX U16 Prep CSSHL 18 12 13 25

4 72 Ethan Hughes Edmonton, AB LC 5'7 140 Edmonton CAC U16AAA AEHL U16 AAA 13 11 13 24

5 104 Ryan Seeley Olds, AB RD 5'11 165 NAX U16 Prep CSSHL 18 3 7 10

8 160 Joshua Banini Edmonton, AB G 6'2 195 Edmonton CAC U16AAA AEHL U16 AAA 10 8-2-0, 2.29gaa, .921sv%

8 161 Jake Briltz Regina, SK LC 5'9 165 Moose Jaw U18 SMAAAU18 24 4 10 14

9 182 Spencer Masters Edmonton, AB LC 6'0 161 Edmonton SSAC AEHL U18 AAA 19 4 6 10

10 204 Dmitri Fortin Winnipeg, MB G 6'1 182 Winnipeg Bruins MMAAAU18 21 6-7-0, 3.42gaa, .872sv%

Check out the Moose Jaw Warriors Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2021


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