For the first time in franchise history, the Moose Jaw Warriors will have three players suiting up in the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Thursday night.
The annual showcase of the top draft eligible players in the Canadian Hockey League sets down at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver and Warriors' forwards Noah Gregor and Brett Howden, along with goalie Zach Sawchenko will be taking part.
“I'm really looking forward to it, obviously it's going to be pretty special to spend it with Brett and Noah as well,” said Sawchenko, who's the first goalie in Warriors' history to take part in the game.
Sawchenko and Gregor will be representing Team Cherry in the game, while Howden slots into the Team Orr lineup. All three players are looking forward to sharing in the experience with each other.
“All three of us are really good friends, so it's going to be something special that we're going to go through together, it's going to be fun,” said Howden, who enters the game ranked 27th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings.
Gregor was ranked 75th in the rankings that were released last Tuesday, while Sawchenko came in third among North American goalies.
While their entire seasons are taken into account come draft time, the ability to impress in this game and improve on their draft rankings isn't lost on the three Warriors as they prepare to take part in the game.
“It's a bit of a measuring stick to see what you're up against across the country,” said Gregor. “I just need to play simple, focus on my own game, focus on my strengths and not try to do too much.”
Gregor enters the game third in rookie scoring with 20 goals and 43 points in 48 games this season after missing all but ten games last year as a 16-year-old.
"I'm excited to showcase what I'm capable of and it will be a really exciting event," said Gregor. "I'm looking forward to getting things going."
For all intents and purpose, the game is an all-star game, however there is much more intensity in the game than your typical all-star game with the players knowing how many NHL scouts and general managers are watching the game.
“Obviously it's an important game, but it's suppose to be a lot of fun as well,” said Howden, who has 17 goals and 41 points in 44 games this season. “It's a good challenge and there's a lot of eyes watching, but you can't worry about it, there's still half a season left. It's going to be a fun game.”
Howden added that he's spoken with his brother, Quinton, about when he played in the game back in 2010 and he's given him a good idea about what to expect.
“I've been talking to him a lot this year and this game was one of the conversations,” said Howden. “He's stoked for me to go there and it's pretty cool because I watched him play in the game and now he's going to be watching me. It's been really helpful having someone that's been there.”
Brayden Point was the last Warrior to take part in the game, picking up an assist in a 4-3 win for Team Orr over Team Cherry in 2014.
For Howden and Gregor, they have to get use to playing with new linemates and adjust to that, but for Sawchenko, he just has to worry about stopping pucks. “It's just hockey,” he said. “It doesn't matter who you're playing with or against, it's just another game.”
Sawchenko, who has a 18-9-3-1 record with a 2.78 goals against average and a .921 save percentage, will split time with Evan Fitzpatrick, ranked second, from the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix. No word on who will be starting in goal between the two.
The players left for Vancouver on Tuesday and have been taking part in on-ice and off-ice testing over the past two days.
Puck drops on the game at 8 p.m. Sask time.
The last time that the Top Prospects Game was hosted at the Pacific Coliseum was in 2005 during that game, Warriors alum Kendall McArdle was named Player of the Game for Team Davidson after scoring two goals in an 8-4 loss to Team Cherry.
Fri, Apr 26, 8:00 AM
Agriculture, Entry-Level, Full-time
Featured
