Justin Almeida started the week sharing a locker room with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but he's excited to be back in Moose Jaw.

The 19-year-old forward was reassigned by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, just in time to be in the lineup for the Warriors when they open the regular season on Friday night in Brandon.

"Knowing that the season starts (Friday), I wanted to be back for the season opener, it's always exciting to be back and playing a role that the team needs, so it's exciting," said Almeida, who will lead the Warriors' forward group this season.

Almeida was selected by the Penguins in the fifth round of June's NHL Draft. He said getting the opportunity to hit the ice with NHL stars like Crosby, Malkin and Phil Kessel in Pittsburgh was a great experience.

"It was surreal, the guys there are the best of the best, so just learning from those guys and just the pace, the complete, how hard those guys work and their composure with the puck was a big learning experience," said Almeida.

Every junior player returns from their first NHL camp with a new appreciation for what it takes to play at the pro level and Almeida is no different. He said the way that the players work every time on the ice is something that he'll try to bring back with him to Moose Jaw.

"There's time that they're joking around, but most of the time they're going full out, so to keep up with those guys definitely benefits my game," said Almeida.

"The biggest message was just to play confident, play to your strengths and show what you have, play with the puck and play with possession. It was definitely hard acclimatizing to that pace of speed and thinking, but throughout the days I felt I got better and better."

Almeida comes into this season expected to lead the Warriors' forward group as the lone returning player from the team's top-six last season.

The Kitimat, B.C. product broke out last season with 43 goals and 98 points in 72 games for the Warriors and he's excited about his role on the team this season.

"You always want to improve, but it starts with the team first, we have a new look, a lot of younger guys, a lot of guys playing bigger roles, so I'm taking on a leadership role and trying to get those guys up to speed and get everyone going so our team has success," said Almeida.

"Everyone wants personal success, but that comes with team success and when the team is doing good, every individual is doing good, so we start off with team success first, winning games and playing the right way and the rest will come after."

Almeida and the Warriors will travel to Brandon on Friday night to open their season against the Wheat Kings at Westoba Place. The Pre-Game Show will be on the air starting at 6:10 p.m. on Country 100.

The Warriors' season opener goes on Saturday night at Mosaic Place.