If there was any question as to whether or not the Moose Jaw Warriors were serious about taking a run at the Western Hockey League championship this season, it has now been answered.
With the Warriors sending seven draft picks to the Wenatchee Wild in exchange for ultra-elite forward Matthew Savoie on Thursday morning, the local squad now finds itself loaded with talent and depth to the point that a title run could definitely be in the cards.
That was always a thought from the start of the season, and now that the Warriors have four members of Team Canada in their line-up, it’s all systems go.
General manager Jason Ripplinger had been in discussions with Wenatchee for quite some time,with the deal coming together once and for all a couple days ago.
“I wasn’t giving up any players or prospects and for us to get the deal done, it had to be draft picks,” Ripplinger said. “It worked out, and while we gave up a lot of picks, we have a plan in place here on how to get draft picks back and I believe our scouting staff and myself can still go out and find quality players. We still have lots of picks left and years to recover here as well.”
The Warriors sent first, third and sixth round picks in 2024, an eighth round pick in 2025, a second round pick in 2026, and first and fourth picks in 2027 to Wenatchee -- exactly the kind of deal Ripplinger was hoping for.
“You think about these trades but you just don’t know if you’re ever going to pull them off because there’s so much parity in the league and we’re all competing with each other,” he said. “Fortunately we were able to get this one done with Wenatchee.”
The Wild sit in second place in the Western Conference and are a couple of wins away from taking over first, but given their depleted state thanks to their run at the WHL title the last two seasons, needed to move assets for the future.
“It’s an unfortunate thing for Wenatchee but fortunate for the Moose Jaw Warriors,” Ripplinger said. “As Winnipeg last year, they sold all their picks and as much as they wanted to go for it as well this year, they don’t have enough draft capital to help themselves. So I think they did the right thing and they got a lot of assets today.”
The Wild also traded Connor Geekie to Swift Current for three players and picks.
So what are the Warriors getting in Savoie?
The 19-year-old Buffalo Sabres first-round pick has posted 84 goals and 216 points over 160 WHL games, including back-to-back 90+ point seasons. Thanks to nearly cracking the Sabres roster this season, Savoie has played only 11 games, but has 11 goals and 24 points in that span.
Savoie most recently represented Canada at the World Junior Championship along with Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk, Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus. He served as an alternate captain and finished with one assist in four games.
“We’re getting one of the best junior players in Canada, he’s a high pick of the Buffalo Sabres and obviously we’re expecting big things from him,” Ripplinger said. “I talked to him today and this is his first place he wanted to go. He wants to come to Moose Jaw and help the Warriors win a championship.”
Where Savoie will slot into the line-up is a decision to be made by head coach Mark O’Leary, but there’s little question a top line with Savoie, Firkus and Yager would be something to behold.
The Warriors also received good news about recently acquired NHL-drafted defenceman Vojtek Port, with his surgery having gone well and a potential mid-January return in the cards.
However things shake out line-up wise, one thing is for certain: the time is now.
We’re really deep up front and the expectations are a lot higher now,” Ripplinger said. “It’s win now and the coaches know that… There’s never been a championship team here in Moose Jaw in 40 years, and we’re going to do our best to bring one home this year.”
Savoie is taking a bit of time with the deal and will arrive in Moose Jaw next week.
The Warriors are back in action on Friday when the Prince Albert Raiders are in town. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
