With the way things have gone for Brayden Tracey since he returned to the Moose Jaw Warriors from Anaheim Ducks training camp, signing an National Hockey League contract seemed almost like a foregone conclusion.
But the Ducks still had to make it official, and that they did on Wednesday.
Anaheim announced they had signed the 18-year-old forward to a three-year, entry-level contract, capping what has been an incredible run of success for the Calgary product.
“It’s crazy, I kind of still don’t believe it,” Tracey said on Moose Jaw Warriors TV. “I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a little kid and now that it’s happened it’s hard to describe."
Tracey was chosen 29th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft after an incredible rookie season that saw him put up 36 goals and 81 points in 66 games while playing on the highest-scoring line in the Canadian Hockey League alongside Justin Almeida and Tristin Langan.
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was six, and going into last year it’s obviously on your mind and becomes more of a dream. With all the work the coaches put into me becoming better and putting that into work on the ice, then the Draft comes along and I get picked… the work was crazy this summer but obviously it’s paid off.”
That performance saw Tracey win the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Rookie of the Year, and it wasn’t long after that he heard his named called while sitting in the stands at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on the first day of the NHL Draft.
The question from that point on would be just how things would go when he didn’t have his high-scoring, pro-hockey-bound teammates on his line.
It took all of two games back in Moose Jaw to settle that issue.
Brayden Tracey celebrates first NHL goal during the Anaheim Ducks pre-season. AnaheimDucks.com photoAfter recording an assist against the Vancouver Giants in his first game back, Tracey went off against the Raiders in Prince Albert, scoring once and adding three assists. That set off a string of solid outings that included back-to-back four-point games at the end of October, including a four-goal effort against the Red Deer Rebels at Mosaic Place on Nov. 1.
All in all, Tracey had 10 goals and 22 points in only 13 games heading into play this week, and that was more than enough to have Anaheim pull the trigger.
“When I was around there a little bit later [during training camp], the word was kind of going around with my agent , myself and the team, but once I got back here the pressure kind of came on that I needed to get this done,” Tracey said. “I pushed myself as hard as I could and then I got a call from my agent two nights ago saying we’re going to do it. So obviously it’s a big relief for me and my family.”
Tracey and the Warriors are back in action Friday when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers at Mosaic Place. Game time is 7 p.m.
