The Warriors recently announced that four veterans would be returning to the squad in addition to also signing five newcomers for next season’s campaign.
Leading the way is second-team all-star defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who returns for his second season after putting up six goals and 38 points in 55 regular season and playoff games last season. Just as important was his physical presence, though, as the 6-foot-3, 198-pound rearguard made entering the Warriors’ zone a dangerous proposition throughout the campaign.
The Warriors are also welcoming back a trio of hometown players – and two of their top-four scorers – in Caelan Fitzpatrick, Kirk Mullen and Ethan Peters.
A 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward, Fitzpatrick finished third in team scoring with 16 goals and 45 points in 44 regular-season games before adding another goal and 10 points in 10 post-season contests.
Mullen put up 15 goals and 41 points in his rookie season to finish fourth in team scoring, with the 6-foot-2, 165-pound forward adding another goal and three points in six playoff games.
Peters was the Warriors top academic player on the team in 2019-20 and also used those smarts on the ice, scoring nine times and finishing with 35 points in 51 games. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound defenceman added another five points in six playoff games.
Among the team’s newcomers is a familiar face to Moose Jaw AAA followers, as Jaxon Taupert returns to the team after suiting up with the Moose Jaw Generals in the 2018-19 season. A Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product, Taupert put together a 3.53 goals against average and .913 save percentage in 17 games with the Moose Jaw AA Warriors last season.
The Warriors looked to further shore up their goaltending with the addition of Kael Depape from the Yorkton Midget AAA Maulers. Depape had a 4.48 goals against average and .890 save percentage while facing 1,235 shots, the second-highest total for any goaltender in the league.
The Warriors also kept their Prairie Hockey Academy pipeline going with a pair of signees from the Canadian Sport School Hockey League squad in forward Jackson Allan and defenceman McKale Paul.
Allan, 5-foot-7, 131-pounds, finished fourth in team scoring with 12 goals and 27 points in 36 games, while the 6-foot-1, 179-pound Paul had six goals and 17 points in 34 games for the Cougars.
Described by his coach as ‘a man-child who plays an aggressive, physical game,' forward Blake Ekren-Bratton joins the Warriors from the North East Wolfpack. The 6-foot-0, 178-pound defenceman was selected in the third round, 17th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft after a second that saw him score 19 goals and 37 points in 27 games to go along with 107 penalty minutes.
The Warriors also kept it all in the family with the signing of Swift Current’s Anthony Wilson, the younger brother of Wyatt Wilson. The 5-foot-8, 166-pound younger Wilson scored nine goals and 27 points in 29 games with Northern Alberta Xtreme Bantam Prep and was selected with the 15th pick of the third round by the Victoria Royals in the 2020 WHL Draft.
