After going through opening weekend with a total of seven high-level players missing from their line-up, the Moose Jaw Warriors have seen reinforcements arrive fast and furious over the last few days.
Among the first to return to the Western Hockey League squad from National Hockey League training camp was forward Eric Alarie, who has back in Moose Jaw at the beginning of the week after going through rookie and main camp with the Los Angeles Kings.
It was the second taste of NHL action for the undrafted 19-year-old prospect after he skated with the Florida Panthers prospects last season, and he once again found the whole experience to be equal parts fun and eye-opening -- especially having a chance to skate in main camp this time around.
“It was really awesome, I really enjoyed it,” Alarie said after practice on Wednesday afternoon. “I know last year I wasn’t able to make it to main camp, so to be able to go there and go against the top dogs like [captain Anze] Kopitar and [Drew] Doughty was a great experience, and I really enjoyed my time there.”
Alarie spent most of his time in California playing with the Kings in their rookie tournament, much like he did with the Panthers last season.
As is the case with any player making the jump from junior to the NHL, the pace of the game was the most noticeable change -- especially when it comes to decision-making.
“There’s an adjustment at the start for sure,” Alarie said. “You have more time with the puck in junior, but even going through the rookie tournament, you almost have to know what you’re going to do with the puck before you even get it. And then main camp was even faster.
So I was prepared, it was just a matter of getting used to that speed of play.”
One major difference was how Alarie dealt with the whole NHL experience itself. Where he admitted to being a bit awestruck during his 2021 run, things were a lot more ‘normal’ this time around, at least as normal as can be when you’re playing alongside the best in the world.
“We’re all here to play hockey and do our best and I can’t be scared of those guys when I go against them,” Alarie said. “It’s the same game whether it’s junior or those pro guys, you play your best and that’s it, that’s all you can do.”
Alarie received a similar message prior to leaving for Moose Jaw as most players -- have a good season, play to your strengths and they’ll be keeping an eye on him through the campaign..
And if things go according to plan, it’ll be quite the season indeed for the Winnipeg product.
Alarie is coming off a campaign where he put up 25 goals and 58 points while playing all 68 games in 2021-22, and as solid as those numbers are, he’ll be looking for even more while also taking other aspects of his game to the next level.
“I just want to be a more reliable player, this is my fourth year in the league and I’ve seen a lot of stuff, so I just want to be reliable in all three zones and especially be good defensively,” Alarie said. “I want to be able to play when we’re down a man and that kind of stuff. So I’m just super excited for the season.”
As one of the team’s veterans, he’ll be looking to as a leader on and off the ice, a role he admits will feel a bit unusual.
“When I was first coming into the league, we had a young team, and now just being older feels a lot different,” Alarie said. “Back then we had ‘99s and ‘98s and this year we have ‘06s and even some ‘07s, so it’s a huge age gap from when I first started, but it’s pretty neat being one of the older guys for sure.”
And an older guy on a winning team is even better.
“Our goal as a team is to win a championship,” he said matter-of-factly. “We had a tough couple of years my first two years in the league and I think now we’re ready to make the jump to be a contender and one of the best teams in the league. So we’ll be working hard and we’ll be going for a championship this year.”
In addition to Alarie, the Warriors welcomed back defencemen Cole Jordan (Calgary) and Max Wanner (Edmonton) from their respective NHL camps earlier this week, with Jagger Firkus returning to Moose Jaw from Seattle on Wednesday afternoon.
That leaves defenceman Denton Mateychuk and forward Martin Rysavy in camp with the Columbus Blue Jackets, with that duo set to play in an exhibition game on Wednesday night.
The Warriors are back in action on Friday night when they host the Prince Albert Raiders. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
