Marc Smith/MJ Warriors

Moose Jaw, Sask. – For the first time in franchise history, the Moose Jaw Warriors will have the target of defending champions on their back.

The Warriors will open the defence of their 2024 WHL Championship on Friday night against the Wheat Kings in Brandon.

“It will be exciting,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said. “The players have put the work in, they’re prepared and just looking forward to getting things started for real.”

Moose Jaw, Sask. – The Moose Jaw Warriors put together a strong 60-minute performance to close out the preseason, topping the Swift Current Broncos, 4-2, at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Saturday night.

“This was definitely our most complete game we’ve had so far in this preseason,” Warriors forward Owen Berge said.

Berge scored for the second straight night to help the Warriors to the bounce back win heading into the regular season.

Swift Current, Sask. – A rough minute early in the first period put the Moose Jaw Warriors behind the eight-ball and they couldn’t recover.

The Warriors dropped an 8-2 game to the Broncos in WHL preseason action on Friday night in Swift Current.

“We were a little bit late to check and just tracking details, we were in good spots, but we were just a half-second late to get the job done,” Warriors assistant coach Curtis Pereverzoff said on the difference in the loss.

The Moose Jaw Warriors have trimmed their preseason roster to 26 players after reassigning three players on Monday.

After opening the preseason schedule against the Regina Pats over the weekend, the Warriors have reassigned defenceman Cohen Williams, along with forwards Preston Hoppe and Maxon Johnston.

Williams, the Warriors’ 2024 second round pick, made his WHL preseason debut on Saturday against Regina in Assiniboia. He will join the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s U18 prep team.

The Moose Jaw Warriors couldn’t capitalize on an early lead as they dropped their second straight to open the preseason.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the Southland Co-op Centre, the Warriors dropped a 4-2 game to the Regina Pats on Saturday night.

“The crowd was great, sometimes exhibition needs a little bit of that, a little bit of juice in the air,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said.

A gutsy effort came up just short for the Moose Jaw Warriors in their preseason opener on Friday night.

The Warriors lost 7-4 to the Regina Pats at Affinity Place to kick-off a neutral site home-and-home set between the two rivals.

“There was all kinds of really good things,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said.

“It’s all about taking steps as we move along here, whether it’s day-to-day or period-by-period… I thought we were better in the second than we were in the first and our best period was the third period.”

Lynden Lakovic and Brayden Schuurman combined to score four overtime winning goals during the Moose Jaw Warriors’ championship run.

The duo were at it again in the Warriors’ Annual Intrasquad Game to wrap up Training Camp on Sunday as Lakovic scored the overtime winner to lift Team Red to a 4-3 win over Team Grey.

“The intensity definitely picked up today and it was the most high-paced game of the camp, that shows really good signs of where our team is at,” Lakovic said after the game.

The Moose Jaw Warriors are excited to announce that the team will be returning to the ice for its 2024 Training Camp from Aug. 28-Sep. 1.

The 2024 Training Camp opens on Wednesday, Aug. 28 and will run over five days at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The camp wraps up on Sunday, Sep. 1 with the annual Black & White Intrasquad Game.

This year’s camp will feature the returning members of last season’s WHL Championship-winning squad, as well as members of the Warriors’ 2023 and 2024 WHL Prospects Draft classes.

Brayden Yager and Canada Red skated to a 3-2 shootout loss to Sweden in Windsor, Ont. on Wednesday night.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward picked up an assist on Canada’s first goal by Carson Rehkopf midway through the second period, which tied the game at 1-1.

Sweden took a 2-1 lead early in the third, but Rehkopf’s second of the game with 1:47 to go tied the game back up.

The two sides went to a shootout with Canada missing on its four attempts, including one by Yager, to fall to Sweden.

Brayden Yager crossed another milestone off the list on Thursday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, inking his first contract in the National Hockey League.

Yager was drafted by the Penguins with the 14th overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The Saskatoon product had an outstanding fourth season with the Warriors in 2023-24, helping lead the team to its first Western Hockey League Championship.