The Moose Jaw Warriors decided to continue bolstering their blueline with their first pick in the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft on Thursday morning.
The Warriors used the 16th overall selection to land defenceman Aaron Sawatzky from the Airdrie Xtreme of the Alberta Elite Hockey League, marking the third straight draft they’ve selected a defenceman with their top choice.
Sawatzky, 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds, saw action in 33 games with the Xtreme last season, putting up 10 goals and 38 points in that span. The Didsbury, Alta. product then added another goal and eight points in nine playoff games.
The season prior, Sawatzky had six goals and 19 points in 33 games.
Sawatzky is described as one of the top two-way defencemen in the draft, a smooth skater who plays an excellent transition game and who played in all situations for a talented Airdrie team.
“We’re very excited to get a quality player like Aaron, we’re always looking for defencemen who can make a good first pass and he’s a bit dynamic, too,” Warriors general manager said on the WHL Draft Show. “He fits in the mold well with Marek Howell and Schmidt and the young D coming up, so we should be pretty good on the back end for years.”
The Warriors selected defenceman Connor Schmidt with their first pick in 2022 and rearguard Marek Howell with their top pick in 2021.
Be sure to check back for more from the Draft after its completion later this afternoon.
