Throughout his hockey career, Moose Jaw Warriors forward Atley Calvert has been the model of a hard-nosed, grinding forward who wasn’t afraid to go into the difficult areas.
From his time with Moose Jaw Minor Hockey to his run at the Prairie Hockey Academy and stellar season with the AAA Warriors, it’s been the same: use maximum effort to generate scoring opportunities, often out of sheer will.
It translated into a solid season in 2021-22 with the Warriors, as Calvert put up 15 goals and 40 points in 65 games while also generating tons of chances he couldn’t quite finish.
All that hard work is the kind of thing that attracts attention from National Hockey League teams. And now Calvert will get his shot.
The 19-year-old third-year Western Hockey League veteran has been invited to play in the Buffalo Sabres Prospect Showcase, which begins on Sept. 15 in Buffalo.
“I was really excited when I heard,” said Calvert, who received the news back in July. “I was a little disappointed I didn’t get an invite to a development camp over the summer, but then I got the call that I was going to play in their rookie tournament and I’m pretty happy about it. I’m excited for the opportunity, I’m really prepared for this and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The event will offer Calvert and a host of up-and-coming prospects from six NHL teams to show their stuff in front of NHL scouts, general managers and coaches, all with the goal of attracting attention for coming campaigns.
“I’m just going to try and soak up as much as I can,” Calvert said. “Being there for a week for sure, we’ll see, but I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to showcase myself.”
The news was a highlight of what Calvert felt was a very successful off-season, which included plenty of time out in Caronport at PHA’s outstanding training facilities working to hone his game.
That included many an hour on and off the ice with trainer Dustin Friesen and Warriors assistant coach Scott King, with a major focus on improving his overall strength.
“I was trying to get more powerful. I think I had the body last year, I just needed a little more power so I worked with my trainer on that,” Calvert said. “I was looking forward to bringing that into camp and now into the season and obviously I’m excited to get back at it, especially when the boys came back to town last week.”
It’s a different look compared to what Calvert is used to with the team over the past three seasons with the Warriors. He’s a WHL up-and-comer no longer and will serve as an assistant captain with the team in the 2022-23 season.
That’s not a surprise, especially given his leadership bona fides with his teams in the past.
“I think I’ve always thought of myself as a leader, I’ve worn a letter before, but at the end of the day it doesn’t change anything,” Calvert said. “If you’re a leader, they give you a letter for a reason and the boys look at you for what you do and how you go about your day, nothing like that changes.
“I just want to lead by example, especially for these kids out here where it’s their first camp and they’re here for the pre-season. I just want to take it day-by-day and not look too far ahead.”
And make no mistake, there’s a concrete goal at the end of the line for this year’s team.
“We want to win this year,” Calvert said matter-of-factly. “We have a lot of older guys this year, and we’re a pretty tight group. Our team has been together for a couple years now, since the bubble there are still a lot of guys around. We’re an older group now and we’re looking to be one of the top teams in our division again.”
As for himself, using the Buffalo camp to launch into his most productive WHL campaign yet will be the ultimate goal.
“I just want to have a good year, work on my game every night and playing consistent,” Calvert said. “Last year I struggled right out of the gate so this year I’ll be looking to get off to a much better start, so hopefully that happens and it continues right through the season.”
The Warriors open their 2022-23 exhibition season on Friday night against the Swift Current Broncos. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
