Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product Carson Deichert has been looking forward to this week for a very long time.
Ever since the 15-year-old Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors prospect was selected in the third round, 60th overall by his hometown team in the 2023 Western Hockey League Entry Draft, it’s been all about preparing for training camp and making the best first impression he can.
Now that the time has come, it’s all systems go.
Deichert took the ice for the first time in a WHL Warriors uniform on Thursday morning during the first rookie camp practices and was on the ice later in the afternoon for the first scrimmage of training camp at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
And while things didn’t end up in the win column for he and his Team Grey teammates in that first game, it was still as positive an outing as could be.
“I definitely had a lot of fun there,” Deichert said. “It was a new experience, there are a lot of good players and it was really fast-paced, it’s definitely a big challenge for me and I just have to keep pushing forward and seeing what I can do out there.”
Deichert initially drew the Warriors attention thanks to a stellar 2022-23 campaign with the U15 AA Warriors, where he put up 21 goals and 58 points in only 28 games. He also showed he could take the ice and succeed against older opponents, scoring a goal and picking up four points in four U18 AA games.
That all led to general manager Jason Ripplinger selecting Deichert during the Entry Draft this summer, making him the highest player from the Friendly City to be selected, to boot.
“It was definitely one of the biggest days of my life,” Deichert said. “I knew it would be a cool experience being a part of the team and I’m super happy they drafted me.”
Then came the first practice and the first time Deichert pulled on a jersey with a WHL logo in an official capacity.
“I think I fit in pretty well,” Deichert said of that first skate. “I’m pretty fast so I can keep up with everyone here, and overall it was a fun practice and challenging.”
Thursday night’s game saw a host of top rookies in action, including 2022 first-round pick Connor Schmidt and 2023 first-rounder Aaron Sawatzky. Three of Deichert’s U15 Warriors teammates were also on the ice, as he was joined by defenceman Colton Flanagan and goaltender Jayce Finiak on Team Grey, while defenceman Tyson Ross suited up for Team Red.
Team Red would end up with a 4-2 victory on goals from William Nicholson, Jonah Vanderhorst, Noah Degenstein and Benson Hirst, while Landen McFadden and Cole Dupuis scored for Team Grey.
“It was really fast-paced, everyone out there can skate and pass and has a good shot,” Deichert said. “It was a little tough getting past the defencemen and setting up plays, but it was a pretty fun game all and all.”
As a 15-year-old, Deichert can’t crack Moose Jaw’s line-up fulltime this season and as a result, is looking to leave as good of an impression possible. Then he’ll turn his focus to the Winmar Warriors and the start of the Sask Male 18U AAA campaign.
“That’s going to be an awesome experience,” he said. “I haven’t played that level before, only AA, so playing my first year on a team like that is going to be really fun.”
Camp continues on Friday with rookie camp scrimmage at 9 a.m., main camp practice at 11 a.m., rookie camp scrimmage at 2:30 p.m. and the main camp three-on-three scrimmage at 5:30 p.m.
The team will trim rookies heading into the heart of camp Saturday, with a scrimmage at 9 a.m., practices at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and scrimmage at 3:30 p.m.
Things wrap up Sunday with main camp practice at 10:30 a.m. and the Black-White Intrasquad Game at 12 p.m.
All the action takes place at the Moose Jaw Events Centre and is open to the public.
