Jamie Neugebauer
Draft Geek, East Division, WHL Bantam Draft

Warriors learn slots for Prospects and U.S. Drafts

Written by Jamie Neugebauer on

CALGARY – The Moose Jaw Warriors will be selecting 16th overall in the first round of the 2021 Western Hockey League prospects draft, and 22nd for the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.

The orders were determined for December’s drafts Wednesday and Thursday at virtual lotteries from the league office in Calgary.

“We believe in our program,” said Warriors’ head coach Mark O’Leary before the lottery began.

“I think wherever we pick, there will be a heck of a player that would love to play with our young talent.”

Moose Jaw’s actual slot for the Prospects Draft (formerly known as the ‘WHL Bantam Draft’) was drawn at No. 4 overall but is owned by the Brandon Wheat Kings, who procured the pick in 2018 as part of the deal that sent Kale Clague to the Warriors.

Moose Jaw’s No. 16 pick originally belonged to the Saskatoon Blades, but was acquired by the Warriors from the Victoria Royals, who sent the pick back to Saskatchewan as part of the deal that had forward Brayden Tracey make the move to Vancouver Island in early 2020.

The Warriors have had great returns from the draft over the last number of years, building its present core, one that expects to contend starting next season, almost exclusively from that avenue.

First-round choices have specifically been excellent of late, starting with current captain Daemon Hunt in 2017, Moose Jaw’s Hub leading scorer Eric Alarie in 2018, Team Canada U18 defenceman Denton Mateychuk in 2019, and projected superstar Brayden Yager in 2020.

Other critical elements of the Warriors’ current roster brought in through the draft include Cade Hayes, and Cory King from the 2017 draft, Brett Mirwald, Lucas Brenton, and Josh Hoekstra from 2018, and Jagger Firkus from 2019.

An incredible bounty, which speaks to the work former general manager Alan Millar did, in concert with current GM Jason Ripplinger, who was Millar’s assistant from 2018 and has been intimately involved with roster-building in the WHL since the beginning of the millennium.