The Moose Jaw Warriors have some good depth at defence as they enter the season. It’s young, but there’s a lot of players to chose from, including six with WHL experience.
Two that will be trying to break into that group during this weekend’s main camp are 17-year-old Christos Zinis and 16-year-old Colin Paradis. Two Warrior draft picks that battled injuries last year, but have made good recoveries.
“I feel 100 per cent, it feels great,” said Zinis on his shoulder injury that kept him out for all of last season. “It was a little bit tough to come back and get into the swing of things, but feel good and feel ready.”
Zinis had a good shot at making the team last year as a 16-year-old after being drafted in the eighth round of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. Despite missing action last year, the big, physical defenceman will compete for a spot on this year’s team.
The six-foot-two defenceman was solid throughout rookie camp and played with minimal mistakes. He’ll now be pushed entering main camp, but it’s something that he feels up to.
“There’s pressure, but I’m dealing with it well and if I play my game, hopefully it will turn out alright,” said Zinis, who hails from Broomfield, Colorado.
Paradis was a fourth round pick in 2013 and has a bit longer shot of making the team than Zinis, but also had a solid rookie camp without many mistakes.
“The first little bit was feeling it out and getting to know everybody, but after that the pace picked up and things started to go pretty well,” said Paradis, who played just three games last year with the Sherwood Park Kings in the Alberta Midget AAA League.
Entering his second Warriors training camp, Paradis made it through to main camp this time around without playing a flashy game. He rushed the puck up ice, but didn’t get caught and looked controlled on the ice.
“We’ve just got to play our game, stick to what we do well and show them what makes us good,” said Paradis. “I’ve done a pretty good job of that, my teammates helped me out by talking out there and I thought I showed them what I could.”
Paradis admitted that he was nervous coming into the camp knowing that he could make the team this year, but those went away as soon as he got on the ice.
“Everyone has a shot and if you don’t make it, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “The pace is now going to pick up skating with the vet guys, more physical and just quicker, but it should be good.”
Paradis and Zinis were joined by Brandon Armstrong (99), Josh Brook (99), Ryan Gardiner (97), Marcus Kichton (99), Nick Leitner (98), Dustin Perillat (97) and Ben Shushkovsky (97) as the defencemen that moved on from rookie camp to main camp.
As for the forwards: Blake Bargar (98), Ryan Bowen (98) Gianluca Esteves (97), Jaxen Gemmell (98), Noah Gregor (98), Jayden Halbgewachs (97), Brett Howden (98), Tanner Jeannot (97), Tristin Langan (98), Ethan Lazaro (97), Jake Leitner (97), Parker McCormick (98) and Brayden Watts (99).
In goal, Mitchell Adamyk (98) and Brody Willms (98) both made it through to main camp.
The Warriors’ main camp is underway at Mosaic Place on Saturday. They will scrimmage at 4:00pm on Saturday night and then again at 10:00am on Sunday morning. The annual Black & White intersquad game goes at 4:00pm on Sunday, admission is a donation which will go to the Journey To Hope in memory of Ethan Williams, a Warriors prospect that died earlier this month.
Fri, Apr 19, 8:00 AM
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