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Moose Jaw Warriors
MJWarriorsnewlogo.JPG
City Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
League Western Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division East
Founded 1980
Home arena Moose Jaw Events Centre
Colours Red, white, black
              
General manager Jason Ripplinger
Head coach Mark O'Leary
Championships Ed Chynoweth Cup
1 (2024)
Conference Championships
2 (2005–06, 2023–24)
Website
chl.ca/whl-warriors/
Franchise history
1980–1984 Winnipeg Warriors
1984–present Moose Jaw Warriors

The Moose Jaw Warriors are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team. They are based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The Warriors play in the East Division of the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference. Their home games are held at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. The team started in 1980 as the Winnipeg Warriors. They moved to Moose Jaw in 1984. In 2024, the Warriors won their first league championship!

Team History

Before the Warriors, Moose Jaw had another hockey team. The Moose Jaw Canucks were a founding team of the Western Canada Hockey League in 1966. They were even the league's first champions! But after two seasons, the Canucks left the league. Moose Jaw didn't have a top junior hockey team for a while.

The Warriors team began as the Winnipeg Warriors in 1980. They played in Winnipeg Arena. This arena was also home to the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets. In 1984, the team moved to Moose Jaw. This brought major junior hockey back to the city.

The Warriors played in the Moose Jaw Civic Centre for 26 seasons. People called it "The Crushed Can." In 2011, they moved to Mosaic Place. This arena is now known as the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

In their early years in Moose Jaw, Theoren Fleury became a big star. He was one of the top scorers in the WHL. With players like Fleury, Kelly Buchberger, Mike Keane, and Lyle Odelein, the Warriors made the playoffs in 1986. They won their first regular season division title in 2004. In 2006, led by Troy Brouwer and Dustin Boyd, they reached the championship series for the first time. They lost to the Vancouver Giants. In 2018, the Warriors had their best regular season ever. They won 50 games and earned 100 points. They won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions. However, they lost in the playoffs to the Swift Current Broncos.

In the 2023–24 season, the Warriors celebrated their 40th year in Moose Jaw. They won their first Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions! Key players included Jagger Firkus, Denton Mateychuk, and Brayden Yager. They beat the Saskatoon Blades in a thrilling seven-game series. Six of those games went into overtime! In the final, they swept the Portland Winterhawks in four games. This win earned them a spot in the 2024 Memorial Cup tournament. At their first Memorial Cup, they reached the semi-final. They were eliminated by the host team, the Saginaw Spirit.

Team Look: Logo and Uniforms

QuintonHowden
Quinton Howden playing for the Warriors in 2010.

The Warriors' first logo and uniforms had Indigenous designs. Their old logo showed a side-profile of a head wearing an Indigenous headdress. In 2020, the team decided to review their branding. This was due to discussions about Indigenous mascots. In 2022, they revealed a new logo. It's inspired by Moose Jaw's aviation history. The city has strong ties to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Snowbirds. The new logo features a CT-114 Tutor jet with the Snowbirds logo. The team kept its original colors: red, black, and white.

Season Records

Moose Jaw Civic Centre
The Warriors played at the Moose Jaw Civic Centre, also called the "Crushed Can," from 1984 to 2010.

This table shows how the Warriors performed each season. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W L T OTL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
1984–85 72 21 50 1 – 320 438 43 7th East Did not qualify
1985–86 72 25 44 3 – 294 375 53 6th East Lost East Division semifinal
1986–87 72 38 31 3 – 366 321 79 4th East Lost East Division semifinal
1987–88 72 18 52 2 – 308 458 38 8th East Did not qualify
1988–89 72 27 42 3 – 318 372 57 6th East Lost East Division semifinal
1989–90 72 28 41 3 – 287 330 59 8th East Did not qualify
1990–91 72 31 39 2 – 336 369 64 6th East Lost East Division semifinal
1991–92 72 33 36 3 – 279 316 69 6th East Lost East Division quarterfinal
1992–93 72 27 42 3 – 277 346 57 8th East Did not qualify
1993–94 72 21 48 3 – 269 361 45 9th East Did not qualify
1994–95 72 39 32 1 – 315 275 79 4th East Lost East Division semifinal
1995–96 72 18 49 5 – 223 331 41 6th East Did not qualify
1996–97 72 36 29 7 – 278 240 79 4th East Lost East Division semifinal
1997–98 72 23 39 10 – 235 281 56 5th East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
1998–99 72 39 31 2 – 292 262 80 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
1999–00 72 25 34 9 4 221 259 63 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2000–01 72 34 29 4 5 287 291 77 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2001–02 72 30 34 6 2 226 239 68 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2002–03 72 36 22 11 3 266 208 86 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2003–04 72 41 22 8 1 209 172 91 1st East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2004–05 72 14 47 10 1 182 282 39 4th East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
Season GP W L OTL SOL GF GA Points Finish Playoffs
2005–06 72 44 20 5 3 278 205 96 1st East Lost final
2006–07 72 28 41 3 0 217 271 59 5th East Did not qualify
2007–08 72 37 21 6 8 229 214 88 4th East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2008–09 72 19 50 1 2 198 352 41 6th East Did not qualify
2009–10 72 33 27 5 8 243 247 78 4th East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2010–11 72 40 26 2 4 245 240 86 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2011–12 72 45 19 6 2 258 213 98 1st East Lost Eastern Conference final
2012–13 72 25 36 4 7 182 249 61 4th East Did not qualify
2013–14 72 21 42 3 6 202 283 51 5th East Did not qualify
2014–15 72 32 35 4 1 221 266 69 4th East Did not qualify
2015–16 72 36 27 7 2 249 231 81 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2016–17 72 42 21 8 1 255 219 93 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2017–18 72 52 15 2 3 326 216 109 1st East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2018–19 68 40 20 6 2 234 192 88 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference quarterfinal
2019–20 62 14 44 4 0 146 291 32 6th East Season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 24 8 13 3 0 71 95 19 6th East No playoffs were held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 68 37 24 4 3 251 221 81 2nd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2022–23 68 41 24 0 3 252 237 85 3rd East Lost Eastern Conference semifinal
2023–24 68 44 21 0 3 297 228 91 2nd East Won Championship

Championship Wins

Blades vs Wariors 7 May 2024 2
The Warriors shake hands with the Saskatoon Blades after winning the 2024 Eastern Conference Championship in overtime of game 7.

The Moose Jaw Warriors have won several important titles:

  • Ed Chynoweth Cup (1): This is the league championship. They won it in 2024.
  • Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy (1): This award is for the team with the best regular season record. They won it in 2018.
  • Regular Season Division titles (4): They were the best team in their division in 2004, 2006, 2012, and 2018.
  • Conference Championships (2): They won their conference in 2006 and 2024.

WHL Championship Games

Famous Players

NHL Alumni

Many players from the Moose Jaw Warriors have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).

NLL Alumni

One former Warriors player, Kaleb Toth, played thirteen seasons in the National Lacrosse League. He played for the Calgary Roughnecks and Toronto Rock. He was added to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2022.

Team Records

Here are some of the best and worst team records for a single season:

Team records for a single season
Statistic Total Season
Most points 109 2017–18
Most wins 52 2017–18
Most goals for 366 1986–87
Fewest points for 32 2019–20
Fewest wins for 14 2004–05/2019–20
Fewest goals for 146 2019–20
Fewest goals against 172 2003–04
Most goals against 458 1987–88

These are the best individual player records for one season:

Individual player records for a single season
Statistic Player Total Season
Most goals Blair Atcheynum 70 1988–89
Most assists Theoren Fleury 92 1987–88
Most points Theoren Fleury 160 1987–88
Most points, rookie Mark MacKay 140 1984–85
Most points, defenceman Scott Schoneck 76 1998–99
Best GAA (goalie) Mike Brodeur 2.11 2003–04
Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played

Awards Won

Here are some of the awards won by Moose Jaw Warriors players:

Bob Clarke Trophy (WHL top scorer)

Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year)

  • Dryden Hunt: 2016
  • Jagger Firkus: 2024

WHL Playoff MVP

  • Denton Mateychuk: 2024

Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman)

  • Kale Clague: 2018
  • Denton Mateychuk: 2024

Del Wilson Trophy (WHL top goaltender)

Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year)

  • Mark MacKay: 1985
  • Donovan Nunweiler: 1997
  • Brayden Tracey: 2019
  • Brayden Yager: 2022

Doc Seaman Trophy (WHL scholastic player of the year)

  • Brennen Wray: 2006

Brad Hornung Trophy (WHL most sportsmanlike)

  • Blair Atcheynum: 1989
  • Jason Bast: 2010
  • Justin Almeida: 2019
  • Brayden Yager: 2023
  • Brayden Yager: 2024

See also

  • List of ice hockey teams in Saskatchewan
  • CILG (broadcasts Moose Jaw Warriors games)
  • Ice hockey in Saskatchewan
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