Clague joins Warriors
The Moose Jaw Warriors made one of the biggest splashes at the Western Hockey League trade deadline, pulling off a last minute deal that saw standout defenceman Kale Clague join the Tribe from the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The price was steep – projected NHL second round draft pick Luka Burzan, highly regarded defenceman Chase Hartje, a second round pick in 2018, first round pick in 2019 and first round pick in 2021.
The reason for that cost?
Clague is widely regarded as one of the top offensive defencemen in the league – before heading off to the World Juniors Championships, he had 10 goals and 47 points in only 28 games with Brandon. He has played in back-to-back World Juniors and played in two WHL finals, winning with the Wheat Kings in 2016. The Los Angeles Kings drafted him in the second round, 51st overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. “Adding Kale Clague, he’s a world class player who I’m very familiar with and I know the Western Hockey League fans are,” said Warriors coach Tim Hunter. “He’s a pretty good hockey player, we’re excited to have him and our players are going to learn a lot from him.”
Given his three-and-a-half seasons with the Wheat Kings and all-star pedigree, Clague was naturally surprised when the news came that he had been traded on the afternoon of Jan. 10. But the inkling was there. “I thought it might be coming,” Clague said shortly after his Warriors debut on Jan. 12. “It was kind of unexpected to be traded, but it’s nice to be here, there’s a great team here already and I just want to be the best version of myself and help the team to win the game and make a push.”
Clague has had an immediate impact: he picked up an assist in two of his first three games while going plus-7.
“To see Moose Jaw trade as much as they did for me and having the chance to come and play for a great team that’s a contender, I’m going to do everything I can to help,” he said. “Hopefully we can win a lot of games down the stretch and have a good playoff run, too.”