Warriors, Wheat Kings battle for WHL playoff positioning on TSN+
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The Moose Jaw Warriors and Brandon Wheat Kings continue their push for Western Hockey League playoff positioning as they're set to do battle on TSN+ Thursday night.
Moose Jaw sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 33-16-2 record and sit second behind the WHL-leading Saskatoon Blades in the East Division.
They are coming off back-to-back wins over the Red Deer Rebels and Calgary Hitman last weekend and are on a five-game winning streak.
The Warriors are led by WHL leading scorer Jagger Firkus who has 40 goals and 91 points in 46 games this season.
Firkus, a Seattle Kraken prospect, is on a 24-game point streak, registering 18 goals and 48 points during that span.
Also leading the Warriors is centre Matthew Savoie, who was acquired from the Wenatchee Wild in a blockbuster deal prior to the CHL trade deadline.
The Buffalo Sabres prospect has six goals and 17 points in 10 games with the Warriors, including a five-point night against the Vancouver Giants in his debut on Jan. 13.
Jackson Unger patrols the crease for Moose Jaw and has a 27-12-2 record this season with a .914 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average.
The 6-foot-1 netminder last appeared in the Warriors' 6-4 victory over the Rebels on Friday, stopping 25 of 29 shots.
The Wheat Kings are sixth in the East with a 26-20-6 record this season.
Brandon beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-1 on Friday but fell to the Prince Albert Raiders 7-3 on Saturday to split the back-to-back over the weekend.
The team has gone through a retool after trading long-time captain Nate Danielson to the Portland Winterhawks in a blockbuster trade prior to the trade deadline.
They are now led by forward Rylen Roersma who has 19 goals and 53 points in 51 games followed by centre Roger McQueen with 21 goals and 51 points.
Fans will also get a look at 2024 NHL top prospect Charlie Elick, who is ranked 29th in TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button's January draft list and 28th on TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie's most recent draft ranking.
The 6-foot-3 right-shot defenceman has four goals and 23 points in 51 games with a plus-3 rating.
Goaltenders Carson Bjarnason and Ethan Eskit have split the goaltending role for the majority of the season in Brandon.
Bjarnason has an 18-10-4 record with a .908 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average this season.
He last appeared in Friday's victory over the Hurricanes, making 21 saves.
Eskit has an 8-10-1 record with an .872 save percentage and 4.16 goals-against average in his rookie season.
He last appeared during Saturday's blowout loss to the Raiders, allowing all seven goals while making 38 saves.
Brandon and Moose Jaw have split the season series 3-3 so far this season with both teams picking up a victory after regulation.
After Thursday's game, the two clubs will face off against each other one more time on March 21.