Noah Gregor breaks up ice for the Warriors during a rookie camp scrimmage at Mosaic Place.

An important piece of the Moose Jaw Warriors’ future committed to the team on Friday afternoon.

16-year-old centre Noah Gregor, who led the Alberta Midget AAA League in scoring last year, signed his WHL Standard Player Agreement with the Warriors.

“From a hockey perspective, he’s a good player,” said General Manager Alan Millar.  “He’s a dynamic player, skates real well, his hockey IQ is very good, he has the potential to be a very good player in this league.”

Gregor was acquired from the Victoria Royals just before the WHL Trade Deadline last season when the Warriors dealt 19-year-old defenceman Travis Brown.  Gregor was the centrepiece of that deal on the Warriors side and they’re happy to finally have him committed to the team.

After the trade from Victoria, the Gregor family wanted to do their due diligences before signing with the Warriors, but the team never felt like it was in doubt.

“They wanted to get to know the organization, the people at Vanier and whatever great families do in terms of looking out for the best interests of their sons as they make the decision to come to Moose Jaw,” said Millar.

“We never felt that it was an issue about not playing in Moose Jaw or the Western Hockey League versus the NCAA,” he added.  “It was just about getting to know the organization and making sure it was the right fit, whether that was going to be at 16 or 17 years of age.”

Originally a third round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, Gregor has turned some heads over the past season.  He led the Alberta Midget AAA League in scoring as a 15-year-old, putting up 21 goals and 51 points in 35 games.

He had a strong showing over the summer at the Hockey Canada Under-17 Selection Camp as well before putting together a strong first two days at Warriors’ training camp.

Getting the agreement signed will now allow Gregor to focus on making the Warriors, which he has a good shot of doing.

“You have to be signed to play in the rookie game on Tuesday night and we’re going into Regina for another game on Thursday, and we’re glad that he’s going to be a part of that lineup and the program moving forward,” said Millar.

Gregor will be out of the lineup for the start of main camp on Saturday as he continues to deal with a back/hip flexor injury.  He could be back on the ice for Sunday’s Black & White Intrasquad game at Mosaic Place.

Main camp is underway for the Warriors on Saturday with scrimmages at 10:00am and 4:00pm.  Both are free to the public.