September 27, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
The Moose Jaw Warriors had two key pieces of its 2022-23 roster back on the ice on Monday.
Cole Jordan and Eric Alarie returned to practice with the team after spending the past few weeks on the ice at NHL training camps.
Jordan, a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames, attended his second camp and is coming back to Moose Jaw with a boost of confidence after a successful stint at the pro level.
“Playing against some high-level players there, I should hopefully get off to a good start here,” Jordan said after his first practice back at the Hangar.
Jordan suited up with the Flames at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC which also featured Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver’s top prospects hitting the ice against each other.
The Brandon, MB product played in two of Calgary’s three games. He said his biggest takeaway was the pace needed to play at the NHL level.
“It’s really fast hockey, so you’ve got to be making quick plays and quick decisions to make sure you’re at the top of your game,” Jordan said.
“It’s a good experience, getting to play against a lot of Americans [Hockey] League players, so playing against that better competition is definitely good for my development and helps me going forward into this season.”
After the prospect tournament, Jordan moved onto the main camp with the Flames and he said that was another step up again.
“There’s a ton of really good players out there and they’re pros, so the main thing for me is watching them, how they compete, how they battle, just everything that they do because that’s where I want to be in the future, Jordan said.
Alarie was also attending his second NHL camp after heading to the Florida Panthers camp last year. This time he hit the ice with the Los Angeles Kings.
He said he felt like he had a stronger performance this time around.
“First time, I didn’t know what to expect, I wasn’t used to the speed of the game, but now I knew how they play that type of game, so I was prepared and I did pretty well for sure.” Alarie said.
Alarie took part in the Rookie Face-off with the Kings in San Jose.
Like Jordan, he said the speed was the biggest part of the game to adjust to.
“You just have to always move your feet,” Alarie said. “At that level, you don’t have enough time when you get the puck, so if your feet are moving when you get the puck, it’s so much easier to make plays and I’ll be trying to bring that into the team this year.”
Alarie also had the chance to line up against the NHL players during main camp. He said he lined up in a drill against veteran defenseman Drew Doughty.
“I was fore-checking against him one time and he was just going left, right, left, right and so it was fun, but he’s really good,” Alarie said.
The 19-year-old forward is coming off a career-year with the Warriors last season after posting 25 goals and 58 points. He said he feels like he’s coming back a better player after Kings camp.
“I learned a lot,” he said. “Moving your feet, just keeping the puck on your stick unless there’s a good play to make and not throwing it away, so I think I learned a lot and I’m looking forward to bringing it to the team.”
With Alarie and Jordan back in Moose Jaw, the Warriors are closer to being at full strength with Max Wanner, Denton Mateychuk, Martin Rysavy and Jagger Firkus still with their respective NHL teams.
Jordan said he’s excited to get down to work with the Warriors.
“The group that we have here, we’re going to be a real exciting group to watch and we’ll win a lot of hockey games this year, so it’s real exciting,” he said.
Jordan was limited to just 36 games and 11 points last season due to injury, but the 20-year-old defenseman is aiming to put together a strong bounce back season this year.
He said last season is in the rear-view mirror and he’s looking forward to the year ahead.
“Just getting that first game of the year under my belt on Friday and going from there,” Jordan said.
Alarie said he can feel the excitement around this year’s team.
“We’ve got new jerseys, new logo, new helmets, everything, so it’s very exciting to get going on Friday and get a win for sure,” he said.
The Warriors return to game action coming up on Friday when they face-off with the Prince Albert Raiders at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
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