The Moose Jaw Warriors welcomed back two key pieces to this year’s roster on Tuesday.

Noah Gregor and Jayden Halbgewachs returned from their respective NHL training camps and were back on the ice with the Warriors for practice.

“It was a great experience going (to Vegas), but to be back in time for opening night is key, I’m looking forward to this year, it’s going to be a great year for our team and hopefully exciting things to come,” said Halbgewachs, who’s entering his fourth season with the Warriors.

The five-foot-eight forward led the Warriors with 50 goals and 101 points in 2016-17. That career-year earned him an invite to development camp and then training camp with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Halbgewachs said heading to his first NHL training camp was an eye-opening experience to see what the next level looks like.

“It was a step up from development camp, there’s bigger and stronger guys and it was great to get out there and get that first one under my belt and see what its all about,” he said.

“This year, for me, it was all about getting myself out there and going into next year it will be different... It’s a big step up and going to take some time, but it’s going to be doable.”

Warriors forward Jayden Halbgewachs carries the puck out of the zone against the Prince Albert Raiders last season. (Photo: Marc Smith)

Gregor was a third round pick of the Sharks in the 2016 NHL Draft. He said he went into his second camp with San Jose looking to make it through to main camp and was able to accomplish that.

“I felt pretty comfortable out there this time around, the nerves weren’t as heavy as last time, but overall, I felt I played pretty well and left an overall good impression,” said Gregor.

Going into the camp, Gregor was hoping to earn an entry level contract, but he said that just gives him something to work towards over the course of this season with the Warriors.

“The feedback I got back was all positive, so I’m happy with how the camp went,” he said. “There’s a whole year to play to earn a contract and show them the type of player that I am.”

The Beaumont, AB product is heading into his third full season with the Warriors and coming off a 27-goal and 61-point season in 2016-17. Gregor was close to topping his career highs across the board, while playing in 20 less games due to injury.

Heading into this season, Gregor said there’s another gear that he can add to his game.

“Injuries last year had a bit of an impact on the outcome of my season a bit, but I’m healthy this year and my main goal is to play in all the games this year and be a big part of this team,” said Gregor.

There’s some high expectations on the Warriors entering the season and Gregor said that he can feel something special brewing with this year’s squad.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that have had an impact in the WHL and some that are ready to have a big year for us, so it’s a really exciting time,” he said.

Halbgewachs agreed.

“This is probably one of the best teams that we’ve had, so we’ve got to go out there and do what we have to do,” he said. “We’ve learned from past playoff experiences that we have to be better and this will be the year that we step it up to another level.”

Halbgewachs and Gregor were the first of the Warriors to arrive back from NHL training camps.

The team announced on Wednesday that 19-year-old Russian defenceman Oleg Sosunov had been re-assigned to the Warriors by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sosunov made his NHL Preseason debut on Tuesday.

Brett Howden remains with the Lightning and picked up an assist in their 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Dmitri Zaitsev and Tanner Jeannot are also expected to be back from Washington Capitals’ camp in time for the season opener on Friday in Prince Albert.

The Warriors will host the Raiders for their home opener on Saturday.