New Faces for the Warriors Tonight

The Moose Jaw Warriors have assembled their final 2010/2011 roster. As trade deadline came and passed on January 10th, the Warriors made several changes. The first stage came while the Warriors were on the BC road trip by acquiring Brett Lyon. Assistant captain Quinton Howden feels Brett has a lot to offer the tribe. “Brett brings size and toughness to the team. He’s a big guy that competes very hard and is willing to do anything to get the win,” said Howden. Director of Hockey Operations, Alan Millar is pleased with the veteran depth Lyon brings to the team. “Brett is a player that makes it harder for other teams to play against us,” commented Millar. “He is a hard nosed, gritty player with playoff experience; having played in 16 playoff games with Vancouver last season,” he added.

The Warriors moved import forward Michal Hlinka to the Prince Albert Raiders for Sebastian Svendsen. (Photo on left) Svendsen comes all the way from Denmark and had 34 points in 44 games for the Raiders. “Svendsen brings speed and work ethic with him to Moose Jaw; he’s got skill and will fill a good offensive roll,” remarked Quinton Howden on the newest addition. “Sebastian was a player we were targeting on trade deadline to add to our top six forwards,” said Alan Millar. Millar likes Svendsen competitiveness and skill.

Over the course of the break, the Warriors called up defensemen Matt Franczyk. Matt is 6’2” and comes from Winnipeg, MB. Matt had been playing with the Winnipeg Wild Midget AAA team, and had 25 points. Assistant captain and two year Warrior defensemen Kendall McFaull believes Matt adds depth to the Warriors backend. “He is going to make us stronger and help push us to become better as a defensive core,” said McFaull. “He’s a hard worker that learns quickly and is a great addition to the team,” he added. “Matt’s a solid, stay at home defensemen who keeps things simple and does the little things well,” remarked Millar.

The Warriors chose to release Mackenzie Royer to the Camrose Kodiaks, Royer will have a shot to play for the Royal Bank Cup, the National Junior A Championship as the Camrose Kodiaks are this year's hosts. Royer was acquired in a trade deal with Calgary that also brought forward Cody Beach to Moose Jaw.

Trade day had two major trades in former Swift Current Bronco’s star, Cody Eakin heading to Kootenay and Brayden Schenn becoming a Saskatoon Blade. Both teams acquiring the two superstars gave up many future picks and drafted players. Kootenay and Saskatoon currently sit in the top spots of the Eastern Conference. The Warriors head into the final three months of the regular season with optimism. The team finished off the road trip with a solid 5-2 effort and are catching both the Medicine Hat Tigers and Red Deer Rebels in the Eastern Conference Standings. The team is now fully assembled and ready to roll.