Moose Jaw Warriors

History

The Moose Jaw Canucks were a founding franchise of the then-Western Canada Hockey League in 1966, and were the new league's first champion. However, after just two seasons and with the WCHL barred by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) from competing for the Memorial Cup, the Canucks opted to return to the revived Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 1968. When the WCHL became recognized by CAHA in 1970, Moose Jaw was left without top-level junior hockey.

The Warriors franchise was established as the Winnipeg Warriors prior to the start of the 1980–81 WHL season, and played out of Winnipeg Arena, which they shared with the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets. In 1984, the franchise relocated to Moose Jaw, bringing major junior hockey back to the city for the first time since 1970.

The Warriors played in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, also known as "The Crushed Can", for 26 seasons, before moving to Mosaic Place, now the Moose Jaw Events Centre, in the city centre in 2011.

The team's first few seasons in Moose Jaw saw Theoren Fleury emerge as the team's primary star—Fleury finished among the top five scorers in the WHL during his tenure with the team. Led by Fleury, Kelly Buchberger, Mike Keane, and Lyle Odelein, the Warriors made the franchise's first playoff appearance after the relocation during the 1985–86 season. The team captured its first regular season division title in 2003–04. In 2005–06, led by Troy Brouwer and Dustin Boyd, the Warriors followed their best regular season with their first ever trip to the championship series, in which they were swept by the Vancouver Giants. In 2017–18, the Warriors captured their first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions with their first 50-win and 100-point season, before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual champion Swift Current Broncos.

In the 2023–24 season—the Warriors' 40th in Moose Jaw—the Warriors won their first Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions. Led by Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychuk, and Brayden Yager, the Warriors advanced to their second league final by defeating the regular-season champion Saskatoon Blades in a seven game series that featured a WHL-record six overtime games, including the seventh and deciding game. In the final, they won four straight games versus the Portland Winterhawks to secure the championship and a berth in the 2024 Memorial Cup tournament. At their first Memorial Cup, the Warriors advanced to the semi-final, where they were eliminated by the host and eventual champion Saginaw Spirit.

Logo and uniforms

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties OTL = Overtime losses Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Championship history

• Ed Chynoweth Cup (1): 2023–24
• Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (1): 2017–18
• Regular Season Division titles (4): 2003–04, 2005–06, 2011–12, 2017–18
• Conference Championships (2): 2005–06, 2023–24

WHL Championship

• 2005–06: Loss, 0–4 vs Vancouver Giants
• 2023–24: Win, 4–0 vs Portland Winterhawks

Players

NHL alumni

The following Moose Jaw Warriors alumni have played in the National Hockey League (NHL).

• Chris Armstrong
• Blair Atcheynum
• Scott Bailey
• Lonny Bohonos
• Johnny Boychuk
• Dustin Boyd
• Mike Brodeur
• Kyle Brodziak
• Troy Brouwer
• Curtis Brown
• Kelly Buchberger
• Frederic Chabot
• Joel Edmundson
• Deryk Engelland
• Tomas Fleischmann
• Theoren Fleury
• Owen Fussey
• Noah Gregor
• Travis Hamonic
• Matt Higgins
• Brett Howden
• Quinton Howden
• Daemon Hunt
• Tanner Jeannot
• Blair Jones
• Mike Keane
• Sheldon Kennedy
• Paul Kruse
• Pavel Kubina
• Dale Kushner
• Brooks Laich
• Darryl Laplante
• Reed Low
• Jamie Lundmark
• Masi Marjamaki
• Jim McKenzie
• Tomas Mojzis
• Lyle Odelein
• Nathan Paetsch
• Brayden Point
• Dale Purinton
• Morgan Rielly
• Aaron Rome
• Jiri Smejkal
• Kevin Smyth
• Ryan Smyth
• Martin Spanhel
• Rastislav Stana
• Ryan Stanton
• Brian Sutherby
• Dave Thomlinson
• Ryan Tobler
• Roman Vopat
• Jason Widmer

NLL alumni

Warriors alumnus Kaleb Toth played thirteen seasons in the National Lacrosse League for the Calgary Roughnecks and Toronto Rock; he was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2022.

Team records

Awards

Bob Clarke Trophy (WHL top scorer)

• Theoren Fleury: 1987–88 (tied with Joe Sakic, Swift Current Broncos)
• Troy Brouwer: 2005–06
• Jayden Halbgewachs: 2017–18
• Jagger Firkus: 2023–24 Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year)
• Dryden Hunt: 2015–16
• Jagger Firkus: 2023–24 WHL Playoff MVP
• Denton Mateychuk: 2023–24 Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman)
• Kale Clague: 2017–18
• Denton Mateychuk: 2023–24 Del Wilson Trophy (WHL top goaltender)
• Ken Brown: 1966–67 Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year)
• Mark MacKay: 1984–85
• Donovan Nunweiler: 1996–97
• Brayden Tracey: 2018–19
• Brayden Yager: 2021–22 Doc Seaman Trophy (WHL scholastic player of the year)
• Brennen Wray: 2005–06 Brad Hornung Trophy (WHL most sportsmanlike)
• Blair Atcheynum: 1988–89
• Jason Bast: 2009–10
• Justin Almeida: 2018–19
• Brayden Yager: 2022–23
• Brayden Yager: 2023–24

References

References

1. Smith, Marc. (2015-09-25). "Moose Jaw Hockey History Honoured". Discover Moose Jaw.
2. "WHL History".
3. Lapp, Richard M.. (1993). "Local Heroes: A History of the Western Hockey League". Harbour Publishing.
4. "Winnipeg Warriors".
5. "Moose Jaw Civic Centre".
6. (2011-08-11). "Moose Jaw complex gets corporate name". [[CBC News]].
7. (2024-05-16). "Moose Jaw Warriors History".
8. Palmer, Randy. (2024-04-21). "Warriors looking forward to showdown with Blades in Eastern Conference final". Moose Jaw Today.
9. Smith, Marc. (2018-03-13). "Warriors Clinch Scotty Munro Trophy; Willms Breaks Record". Discover Moose Jaw.
10. McCurdy, Bruce. (2018-05-09). "Netminder Stuart Skinner the latest of Edmonton Oilers' promising 2017 draft class to bid for an NHL contract". [[Edmonton Journal]].
11. (2024-05-08). "Warriors advance to first WHL final in 18 years with 3-2 OT win over Blades". CBC News.
12. McLernon, Will. (2024-05-16). "Moose Jaw Warriors win first WHL championship in 40-year franchise history". CBC News.
13. Kirshenblatt, Adam. (2024-05-23). "Moose Jaw brings star power in first Memorial Cup appearance". [[The Sports Network]].
14. Palmer, Randy. (2024-05-31). "Warriors see magical season come an end with loss in Memorial Cup semifinal". Moose Jaw Today.
15. Hanna, Claire. (2020-10-01). "Moose Jaw Warriors to review use of Indigenous images in logo". [[CTV News]].
16. (2022-07-05). "After review of logo, Moose Jaw Warriors unveil new Snowbirds inspired theme". [[Sportsnet]].
17. (2022-07-05). "Warriors reveal new brand logo". Discover Moose Jaw.
18. "Moose Jaw Warriors sweep Portland, capture first WHL championship in franchise history {{!}} Globalnews.ca".
19. Rocca, Taylor. (2018-03-14). "Moose Jaw Warriors capture franchise-first Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy".
20. [http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayersByTeam.jsp?team=Moose+Jaw+Warriors Legends of Hockey player search]
21. Smith, Marc. (2022-12-02). "Alumni Report: Kaleb Toth enters Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame". Canadian Hockey League.