First off, let’s get the important part out of the way.
If push came to shove and the Warriors were in a playoff situation where they needed them in the line-up, Moose Jaw Warriors forwards Matthew Savoie and Ethan Semeniuk would likely be playing this weekend.
As it stands, the Warriors still have 17 games remaining in the regular season. And while the most recent Western Hockey League weekly report had Savoie listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury and Semeniuk to-be-determined with a lower-body injury, both are currently out of the line-up more for the chance to heal before the games really start to matter.
As a result, head coach Mark O’Leary was in a positive frame of mind when it came to discussing what’s ahead for the team -- especially when it comes to opportunities for players to step up into the line-up.
“That’s why you carry extra bodies,” O’Leary said after practice on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a long season, we’re three-quarters of the way through and there’s still a lot of hockey to go. The guys who are injured, there’s nothing serious. We want to be patient this time of year and make sure when they are back they’re 100 percent back so there aren’t any setbacks.”
Savoie was to play in Calgary this past weekend, but during warm-ups felt something was off and was taken from the line-up. Semeniuk has been battling a lingering issue and has needed rest to repair, with no better time than the present.
“The longer you go, the more injuries creep up and anything we can do to help that or try and avoid that, we’re going to do, and the players are all on board with that plan,” O’Leary said.
Savoie -- the Buffalo Sabres first-rounder -- had most recently played on the second line with Lynden Lakovic and Atley Calvert, while Semeniuk had been on the top line with CHL scoring leader Jagger Firkus and Pittsburgh first-rounder Brayden Yager.
Martin Rysavy will now slot into the top line, while Brayden Schurrman will move up to the second line between Lakovic and Calvert. That breaks up what has been a dynamic third line for the Warriors as of late, but O’Leary is hoping to see the same kind of work from Pavel McKenzie and Owen Berge now that they’re playing with Rilen Kovacevic.
The fourth line will be a game-time decision, but one thing is for certain -- a handful of players who haven’t seen a ton of action this season will be doing so in the coming games.
“Sometimes when everyone is healthy and things are rolling it’s hard for those guys when they aren’t playing as much,” O’Leary said. “But there are times in the year where we do have injuries or guys who get opportunities like the World Juniors, and it’s your responsibility to be ready. That time is now.”
The good thing is that during the aforementioned World Juniors, when two and eventually three of their top players were missing from the line-up, the Warriors didn’t miss a beat. They’ll be looking for much the same this time around.
“We’ve had a good week of practice here and we’ve been working on some things, and there’s been a pretty good jump in their step,” O’Leary said. “You look around, it’s not hard to figure out that if there are fewer bodies that’s going to mean more ice. So I know they’re looking forward to the opportunity.”
The news isn’t all bad on the injury front, as defenceman Voytech Port will make his Warriors debut this weekend after recovering from surgery prior to World Juniors. The Anaheim Ducks prospect was slated to play either Thursday against Brandon or Saturday when Calgary is in town.
The Warriors will also be taking the ice with a feather in their cap for the second straight week. Thanks to wins in 16 of their last 18 games, the Warriors are now ranked ninth in the Canadian Hockey League Top 10, having climbed back in after simply coasting on reputation when they were first listed earlier this season.
“I think it’s taken hard work by the players and they’ve put in that and they certainly deserve that,” O’Leary said. “As individuals they’ve got that around here, but it’s nice as a team. We have a team that takes pride in our depth and we’ve had contributions from a lot of different guys and when you do it that way and people start to notice, sure, that’s great.”
Game time Thursday is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
