The Moose Jaw Warriors have been attracting a lot of attention in hockey circles as of late, and the first part of this past week offered the latest example.
Leading the way was forward Dakota MacIntosh, who was named the WHL’s Rookie of the Week after putting up five points in three games during the past week.
MacIntosh picked up the first points of his WHL career on Nov. 14 in the Warriors 9-6 win over the Saskatoon Blades. He scored his first goal to break a 3-3 tie in the second period, added his second goal before the frame was out and finished with three points.
The 19-year-old Winnipeg product then picked up a pair of assists as the Warriors rolled to a 7-3 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night.
MacIntosh now has two goals and five points in seven games since joining the Warriors from AJHL Blackfalds back on Nov. 2. The Warriors’ ninth-round pick in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft, MacIntosh got off to an unbelievable start in Junior A this season, with 19 goals and 34 points in 17 games prior to joining Moose Jaw. He remains fifth in AJHL scoring.
After the kind of start he’s put together this season, it should come as no surprise that Warriors forward Jagger Firkus is attracting all sorts of attention.
The 19-year-old Seattle Kraken prospect has pulled five points clear in the WHL scoring lead with 22 goals and 43 points in 21 games and is also second overall in scoring in the entirety of Canada, a single point back of OHL Kitchener’s Carson Rehkopf.
All that success has attracted the attention of TSN’s Core 4 U-24 project, which on Wednesday released its list of the top 50 players under the age of 24 in or affiliated with the NHL.
Firkus cracked the list at number 48 and was the only player from the CHL to do so.
Former Warriors prospect Jesper Wallstedt is also on the list and is the second-ranked goaltender at number 25.
As one might expect, Connor Bedard tops the list after putting up nine goals and 15 points in his first 16 NHL games for Chicago as an 18-year-old.
The Warriors continue to feature in the Canadian Hockey League Top 10, as they have since the beginning of the season.
The Warriors slotted in at 10th overall for the second straight week after posting a 2-1 record that included a 9-6 win over the sixth-ranked Saskatoon Blades.
The run marks the Warriors' longest streak in the CHL Top 10 to start a season in the internet era, and he’s where they’ve slotted in each week:
Pre-season - Fifth
Week One - Fourth
Week Two - Fifth
Week Three - Fifth
Week Four - Seventh
Week Five - Second
Week Six - Seventh
Week Seven - 10th
Week Eight - 10th
