The newest member of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Matthew Savoie made his first appearance with his new team Friday morning and brought a fresh excitement to practice.
Savoie was traded from the Wenatchee Wild for an impressive seven future draft picks.
“I think going into the trade deadline, I had a good idea I was getting moved and this is a place where I really wanted to come to and be a part of,” Savoie said. “I formed some really close friendships at World Juniors with a couple guys on this team so I’m really excited.”
Savoie was part of Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden where he met three soon-to-be Warriors teammates.
Defenceman Denton Mateychuk and forwards Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus were all part of Team Canada at the tournament.
Having Savoie join the team, is something Yager expects will give them a lot of fire power on the ice.
“I think just how fast he plays just kind of suits how we play,” Yager said. “He’s super-fast and move the puck quick. He is a smart player.”
“We’ve played against him a lot over the last couple years and I think it’s a really big pickup for us,” Mateychuk added.
In a twist of fate, the Warriors have been knocked out of the playoffs two years in a row by Savoie’s former team, the Winnipeg Ice, who relocated to Wenatchee this season.
The Ice made it to the WHL finals last season but for Savoie that isn’t enough.
“I’m definitely not satisfied with how those playoff series went and even with the success we had with those teams, I think I’m still hungry for more and really looking to just get it done this year,” Savoie said.
The Moose Jaw Warriors currently sit in third place in the Western Conference.
Savoie is expected to make his debut for the team on Saturday night against the Vancouver Giants.
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