Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus and defenceman Denton Mateychuk went into the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game on Wednesday night looking to have an impact on the ice and show off their skills.
Neither could have expected just how well things would turn out.
Firkus scored a highlight-reel goal in the first period and assisted on another in the second before Mateychuk set up Team White’s third goal in a 3-1 win over Team Red in Kitchener, Ont.
Firkus was named Team White’s player of the game for his efforts, and Mateychuk -- who served as White’s captain -- drew rave reviews from commentators for his play throughout the contest.
“Obviously it's a great experience coming here, I just wanted to come here and show what I can do and I think I did that tonight,” Firkus told CHL.ca after the game. “So it was a good game, I think it's even better to get the win.”
Firkus scored White’s opening goal 13:44 into the first, and it was a highlight-reel marker. Firkus broke in on the left wing, juked to the middle of the ice and got off a shot that slammed up under the crossbar to tie the game 1-1.
Firkus was also instrumental in setting up the Guelph Storm’s Jake Karabela for White’s second goal 5:20 into the second. As Karabela broke down the wing, Firkus lifted a flip pass from deep in White’s zone that skipped onto Karabela’s stick as he hit the Team Red blueline. A breakaway and a slick move later and White held a 2-0 lead.
Mateychuk’s turn to get in on the action came three minutes later, and it was the product of something Warriors fans have seen many a time season -- Mateychuk alertly jumped onto a loose puck at the Red blueline and hit Antonin Verreault with a pass in the zone, who finished off the tic-tac-toe play by firing a quick cross-crease feed to Nathan Gaucher for the goal.
Firkus was naturally ecstatic with the whole event, which included combine testing on top of everything else surrounding the nationally-televised game.
“It was awesome,” he said. “It was great to be here and it was an unreal experience and I couldn’t happier to be a part of it all.”
As much fun as the night was, the real impact will be felt in a couple of months’ time.
Firkus went into the game as the 33rd-ranked prospect for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but the combination of his performance Wednesday and his 33 goals and 75 points thus far this season will likely see that change dramatically for the better.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Mateychuk’s draft stock also rise, either, even though he doesn’t have as much room to go as the ninth-ranked North American Prospect.
Firkus, Mateychuk and the Warriors are back in action on Saturday night when they host the Saskatoon Blades in a game with playoff position implications. Game time is 7 p.m.at Mosaic Place.
