Atley Calvert has accomplished a feat only done once before in Moose Jaw Warriors’ history.
With his game-winning goal in the third period against Calgary on Sunday, Calvert became just the second Moose Jaw-born player to score 30 goals for the Warriors.
“As a Moose Jaw kid, you grow up watching this team, so to play for them is just an absolute dream and it’s really cool,” Calvert said.
He joins David Bararuk, who scored 33 goals in the 2001-02 season, as the only Moose Jaw-born players to hit the 30-goal mark.
Bararuk post his 30-goal season a year before Calvert was born, but Calvert said it’s nice to be in his company.
“The Warriors have a really rich history and we’ve had a lot of good players come through here, so I’m just happy to play here,” Calvert said.
“You grow up as a little kid, you watch the Warriors, they’re the team of the town and you look up to guys like Brayden Point and a lot of the great Warrior players who have come through here.”
Through 51 games this season, Calvert has 30 goals and 55 points, which are both career highs. He’s actually doubled his goal total from last season with 17 games left to play in the regular season.
Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary said Calvert is dangerous because he can score a number of different ways.
“We can be dangerous off the rush, we have guys that can make plays in those areas, but Atley does it so well right in front of the net,” he said.
“The game-winner [on Sunday] was a perfect example of that, we didn’t get it to go off the rush, but he has the diligence to stop in front of the net and he’s rewarded with a big one.”
Calvert’s breakout offensively rounds out his game as he’s been one of the team’s most responsible players at both ends of the ice for the past two seasons.
“He plays the game honestly, a lot of guys score goals, but there’s fewer guys that do it while playing the right way on the other side of the puck,” O’Leary said. “That’s the key for Atley, if you play the right way and do the right thing, you can be rewarded.”
Calvert entered this season with 18 career goals, but he had his sights on potentially reaching that 30-goal mark this season.
“It’s always in the back of your head, you always set goals before the season, but it’s a product of our team, our team’s really good this year, so everyone benefits,” Calvert said.
His 30 goals this season have him currently sitting eighth in the Western Hockey League.
Calvert said playing a more patient game has helped him.
“I’ve just settled down a bit, you’ve got to let the game come to you, when you’re forcing things, things usually don’t go your way,” he said. “You’ve got to take a step back and really just have fun every day and try to get better every day.”
While he’s enjoyed individual success this season, Calvert said his focus is on the team heading down the stretch of the regular season.
“If we can finish the season playing the right way, playing consistent, that will be big,” he said. “We’re going to try and get rolling here and playing the right way to end the season.”
Calvert and the Warriors return to home ice on Wednesday night to face-off with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Puck drops at 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.