Moose Jaw, Sask.- Amidst the din and excited shrieks of a U7 hockey practice, one young player confidently skated up to Moose Jaw Warriors star Lynden Lakovic with a pressing question.
“Do you want to race?”
Clocking in at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Lakovic may have had a bit of an advantage even if the youngster got a head start.
But that’s not what mattered.
The team’s coach says the buzz from the Warriors visiting practices can last for days.
“In a town like this, the Warriors are a pretty big deal to these kids,” Curtis Campbell, who coaches three U7 and U9 teams, said. “They see them on this other level, and then when they’re actually there in person, they’re kind of starstruck for the first little bit. But then the players are so good with the kids.”
Lakovic had similar experiences on the ice growing up in the Okanagan and hopes to bring the same energy that had an impact on him as a child.
“I remember me and my buddies were always trying to show off to them and try to act cool because we looked up to them,” Lakovic said. “They were role models in the community for us at such a young age.
Just having fun, playing games with them, making making them laugh. I think that’s just the important part. I remember when I was younger, I was always having a blast out there because we were playing games and we were racing each other and they made it fun.”
The Warriors have attended nearly 20 minor hockey practices in the community so far in 2024-25.
Games like Freeze Tag and British Bulldog are always a hit, while the up-and-comers also pepper their favourite players with hard-hitting questions about their season and find new inspiration for goal celebrations.
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“I hope they understand how important they actually are to the community and to these kids and how these kids are looking at them as role models,” Campbell added. “What they say and what they do in the community, even how they behave on the ice, the kids see it all. And kids are so impressionable. If Lynden Lakovic scores and does a selfie celebration like he did last year. Well, guess what? That week, some kid did it at minor hockey in Moose Jaw because Lak did it on the ice.”
Lakovic, who is now projected as a top pick for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, is one of the longest-serving members of the Warriors and a key part of capturing the franchise’s first WHL Championship last spring.
But he also remembers the fans having the team’s back through the tough times as well as the dramatic 2024 playoff run.
The kids were some of the loudest supporters in the crowd that greeted the team’s bus as they arrived back from a wild Game 7 overtime win in Saskatoon and nearly cheered the roof off the Hangar when the Warriors completed the sweep against Portland to lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
While Lakovic has been sidelined by injury in recent weeks, he’s still found ways to connect with beyond the rink boards while nearing a return to the lineup.
Campbell recalled a special moment for his young daughter who had been held out of practice because of a broken arm.
“She’s at the rink with her cast on and Lak is walking in the rink too. He stops when he sees her cast and starts talking to her, like ‘Oh yeah, I’m hurt too. Hey, maybe we can get better together and let’s work together to get better.”
There’s plenty of season left to play and no shortage of Warriors players stepping up to help out with Campbell’s team practices.
And when Lakovic moves on to the next level, he hopes to continue the tradition- and even thinks he could be a great coach one day.
The Western Hockey League strives to promote and foster a welcoming environment in communities close to our 22 clubs in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Every team has the creative freedom to allow their players and staff to work with the organizations and groups that they are most passionate about. The end goal is to create and maintain long-lasting relationships and ongoing partnerships within their community.
Through the McSweeney’s WHL Community Collective, we aim to highlight these outstanding initiatives done by each club throughout the season.