Brett Howden went first on Friday and then Noah Gregor joined him on Saturday during a big weekend for the Moose Jaw Warriors’ duo.

The two players were selected in the 2016 NHL Draft with Howden going 27th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Gregor being picked 111th by the Dallas Stars.

Great friends off the ice, Gregor said it was great to be able to share this moment with his roommate and friend.

“From about 20 to about the time he got picked, I was hoping that every pick was going to be him and I was so happy for him to be drafted,” said Gregor on Howden.  “I didn’t see him Friday night, but I saw him (Saturday) morning, he was there for when I was picked and I got to give him a big hug and congratulate him, so it was awesome to be able to share that with him.”

This was the first time since 2012 (Morgan Rielly and Travis Brown) that two Warriors have been picked in the same draft.  Howden was the highest selected Warrior since Rielly went fifth overall.

“It was pretty surreal,” Howden said on being drafted, “it kind of felt like I blacked out, I don’t really remember going on stage or anything, there was so much excitement and emotions going on, but it was definitely a night that I’ll never forget.”

While Howden’s wait wasn’t as long as Gregor, the Oakbank, Manitoba product said it was excruciating to sit through much of the first round waiting to be picked.

“Obviously my whole family has been through it once already and for them to go through it again, they were a bit more calm this time, but still had a lot of nerves for me,” said Howden.

“I was pretty nervous when it was coming down to crunch time there and I knew that I had a really good interview with Tampa Bay and felt really comfortable with them, so I knew if it got to them I’d have a chance to go there and I’m very thankful that it worked out.”

Gregor almost missed his draft moment due to an ill timed trip to the bathroom.

“I had just went to the bathroom, came back, sat down and I heard my name, I didn’t even know who drafted me,” he said.  “My dad told me it was the Sharks, so it was kind of a weird feeling, but it was awesome to be drafted by San Jose.”

After sitting through the first round on Friday and not expecting to go, Gregor said the nerves hit him while he was sitting in the stands as the morning went on Saturday, but he didn’t let them get to him.

“Today was a little nerve wracking, but I didn’t really have too many expectations, I couldn’t get too worried if I didn’t go in the second or third round,” said Gregor.  “I wasn’t let down at all and I’m really happy to have been chosen by San Jose.”

In going to Tampa Bay, Howden will get to continue playing with his captain for the past two years, Brayden Point, who was a third round pick of the Lightning in 2014.

After the Warriors lost out to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the second round of the WHL Playoffs, Howden was emotional in talking about the impact that Point had on him during their two years together.

“At the end of the season, I thought that might have been the last time that I got to play with him, but it’s worked out and we’ll get another chance at it, so it’s pretty amazing,” said Howden.

The Lightning have had plenty of recent success with WHL forwards, including Point and former Spokane Chief Tyler Johnson.

Howden thinks that he fits into the Tampa Bay style of play very well.

“I feel like I’m a good two-way player, which fits into their team, and they’ve got their smaller skilled guys, so I feel like I can bring some size to the table,” said Howden.

The Sharks are coming off a trip to the Stanley Cup Final and have been a staple in the playoffs over the past decade.  Gregor said he’s excited to be joining an organization with so much success.

“It’s awesome to be with such a competitive team every year, it seems like they’re in a position to go for a Cup run every year, so it’s awesome that I’ll be able to be a part of that organization and hopefully one day make the team,” said Gregor.

“My type of game would definitely help the Sharks, they have a lot of bigger guys, a big, Western Conference team that could use some speed, so I feel like I could bring that to a team like San Jose.”

Howden will be joining Point in Tampa Bay for the team’s development camp, starting on Monday, while Gregor will be heading to San Jose for their camp from June 7-13.

Two other Warriors have been invited to NHL summer camps with goalie Brody Willms being invited to the Los Angeles Kings’ camp and Tanner Jeannot heading to camp with the Minnesota Wild.

Sawchenko Goes Undrafted

18 goalies were taken in the 2016 NHL Draft and not one of them was Warriors netminder Zach Sawchenko.

Sawchenko was passed over during the draft after being ranked sixth by NHL Central Scouting among North American goalies during their final rankings.  He was third in the midterm rankings.

The Warriors' goalie has been invited to attend the Nashville Predators Summer Development.

Sawchenko sliding through the draft left many analysts calling it the biggest surprise of the draft.

The 18-year-old Calgary product went 28-16-6 with a 3.04 goals against average and a .916 save percentage while leading the Warriors to their first playoff berth since 2011-12.

He has also won a medal representing Canada every level, including a gold medal at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, and will be attending Canada’s World Junior Summer Development Camp next month.