Warriors rookie scoring leader Brayden Point will be with Team Pacfic at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

The Moose Jaw Warriors will be well represented at the upcoming World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as the local WHL team is sending four players to Quebec to take part in the tournament.

Forward Brayden Point will be suiting up with Team Pacific, while his two teammates, Miles Warkentine and Josh Uhrich, will be joining forces on Team West.  It will be the first time that all three players get the chance to pull on a Team Canada sweater to face international competition.

“It's a huge honour,” said Uhrich, who hails from Rosetown, Saskatchewan.  “It's something that you strive for when you're a kid.  It's that step that leads to the World Juniors and when you get that opportunity to play, it's a dream come true.”

All three players have left the tribe to join up with their respective teams and will all play a variety of roles during the tournament, whether it be a scorer, or a checker.

“I think I can do whatever they need me to do,” explained Warkentine, who has already played a number of roles for the Warriors this season.  “I can be a checking line guy or a scoring line guy, whatever the team needs me to do I'll be fine.”

“I'm just going to try to work hard and play the same game I play with the Warriors,” added Point, a native of Calgary, Alberta.  “I don't think my game will change any, but whether my role on the team is being a scorer or a checker.  I'll be ready to do either.”  

Point is third on the Warriors with eight goals and 26 points in 36 so far this season.  He's by far the team's highest scoring rookie, but Warkentine and Uhrich were

Uhrich after scoring the Teddy Bear Toss goalstarting to become more comfortable over the last few weeks.  Warkentine had a goal and three points on the year, while Uhrich registered his first goal, and point, of the season in the final game before the break.

Team Pacific is always considered a favourite when heading into this tournament and they've lived up those expectations with medals in two of the last five years.  “I don't know if there's any extra pressure on us, but we definitely expect to win and we're going to strive to win every game,” stated Point.

They have just three players who aren't currently on WHL rosters and are loaded with talent on the front and back ends.  One player Point will be very familiar with is Tanner MacMaster, the younger brother of former Warrior Nathan MacMaster and who Point tore up Midget AAA with last season.  “We've got some pretty good chemistry, we've played together for quite a long time growing up and it will be good to be on the same team again,” Point said.

Team West has more players that are playing Junior A (2) and Midget AAA (6) than Team Pacific, but still has plenty of talent and should be one of the more competitive teams sent to the tournament in the past few years.  Uhrich says he's hoping to make a big impact on the team, “First shift I want to go out there and bang some bodies, get a couple shots on net and create energy for the team.”

The World Under-17s are designed to pit the top players from that age group in the world against each other and allow them to showcase their talent.  “It's going to be a good test to see how I do there,” explained Point.

“You get to showcase what you can do against guys your own age and guys that you're going to be drafted with next year, so that's a big part of it,” added Warkentine.

The tournament will also give the usual Warrior teammates a chance to go head-to-head against each other during their final round robin game on January 2nd when Team West faces off with Team Pacific.  “It's going to be fun to play them, you get to know the guys pretty good playing a 72-game schedule, so it will be good to play against them,” said Point, who will be the odd man out with Uhrich and Warkentine teaming up.  “I think they know me pretty good, so it will be fun to play them.”

Uhrich adds that he's looking forward to going against Point, “It will be a fun experience.  I might have to bump him around a couple of times,” said the hard hitting 16-year-old.

The World Under-17 Hockey Challenge will be played in Drummondville and Victoriaville, Quebec this year.  The tournament starts on Saturday with Team West playing Sweden at 12:30pm and Team Pacific battling Russia at 6:30pm.  Both teams have exhibition games on Friday as well, Pacific meets up with USA and West takes on Slovakia.