Marc Smith/MJ Warriors

Moose Jaw Warriors hockey returns to the ice at the Moose Jaw Events Centre this week.

The Warriors will host 68 players over five days for the team’s 2022 training camp, starting on Wednesday.

There will be 20 returning players, joined by 48 draft picks, listed players and camp invites.

The camp will feature 21 players from Saskatchewan, including four Moose Jaw products. There will be 22 players from Alberta, 14 from Manitoba, six from British Columbia and three from the United States.

Daemon Hunt will get a shot at representing Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.

The Moose Jaw Warriors’ captain was named to the Canadian national junior team for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.

Hunt is a third-round selection of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and has served as the Warriors’ captain for the past two seasons.

The Brandon, MB product posted 17 goals and 39 points in 46 games for Moose Jaw during the 2021-22 season. He picked up 33 goals and 94 total points over 163 games in his WHL career.

A total of 12 Western Hockey League players will suit up for Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, slated for July 31-August 6 in Red Deer, Alta.

Hockey Canada announced the roster Monday afternoon.

It’s been a whirlwind week for Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk. Just five days after being drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the 12th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Mateychuk has now signed a three-year entry-level contract with the pro club.

Jagger Firkus didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called on Day 2 of the 2022 NHL Draft on Friday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward was selected with the third pick, 35th overall, of the second round by the Seattle Kraken.

Firkus led the Warriors with 36 goals and 80 points in his draft year as he rose up rankings.

He was named Player of the Game for Team White at the 2022 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game after picking up a goal and two points in the game.

Denton Mateychuk flashed a big smile as he became the latest Moose Jaw Warrior selected in the first round of the NHL Draft.

The 17-year-old defenceman was picked 12th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2022 NHL Draft on Thursday in Montreal.

“It’s the next step in my career and I’m really excited to be a part of the organization,” Mateychuk told reporters shortly after being drafted.

Brayden Yager was the best rookie in the Canadian Hockey League during the 2022-23 season.

The Moose Jaw Warriors forward was awarded the CHL Rookie of the Year award on Tuesday as part of the 2022 Memorial Cup week.

“This a great accomplishment for Brayden and the Warriors organization,” Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger said. “From the time he came into the WHL, he was a highly-touted prospect and with his development he’s become a well-rounded, high skill player.”

Yager is the first player in franchise history to win the CHL’s Rookie of the Year award.

The Moose Jaw Warriors’ home schedule will kick off with a Trans-Canada Clash at Mosaic Place on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Warriors will host the Regina Pats to close out an opening weekend home-and-home series against their longtime rivals.

This will be just the third time since 1996-97 that the Warriors and Pats have kicked off the regular season against each other.

The Moose Jaw Warriors will suit up in four games during the Western Hockey League’s 2022 preseason schedule.

The Warriors will open the preseason on home ice against the Swift Current Broncos on Friday, Sept. 9, and then travel to the Innovation Credit Union iPlex in Swift Current on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Moose Jaw closes out the preseason the following weekend with a home-and-home set against the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Warriors host the Wheat Kings on Friday, Sept. 16, and then travel to Brandon on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The Moose Jaw Warriors will be well represented next month when Hockey Canada hosts a pair of camps in Calgary.

Brayden Yager and Jackson Unger will be looking to crack Canada’s roster for the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Red Deer when they join 42 other players at the National Men’s Summer Under-18 Team selection camp, running from July 20-23.

Yager is coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign that saw him post 34 goals and 59 points in 63 games.