After spending the past two years proving what hard work and a good attitude can accomplish, Moose Jaw Warriors left wing Tanner Jeannot is ready to take the next step.
The 19-year-old Oxbow native enjoyed a breakout year with the Warriors in 2015-16 scoring 17 goals and recording 33 points in 72 games during the regular season before stepping things up in the playoffs by notching six goals and 15 points in 10 games. His team also made a major leap forward going 36-27-7-2 and earning a post-season berth for the first time since 2011-12.
Jeannot said he’ll be one of the older guys on the team this season and will have a bigger leadership role than his first two years with the club. He said keeping up the same type of scoring contribution he provided in the playoffs during a full season is one of his hopes, but the goal is to do everything needed to help the team win.
“My main concern is the team is doing good,” said Jeannot, who credits linemates Brett Howden and Jayden Halbgewachs for his success on the scoresheet this past spring. “Obviously I’d like to get noticed a little bit more out there. I still have one more year to get drafted, so just contribute in any way I can and have a good year.”
Mark O’Leary, an assistant coach with the Warriors, said they expect Jeannot to just continue to do the same things he has been doing since he joined the club as an unlisted and undrafted player at the beginning of the 2014-15 season. He said Jeannot excels as a hard-nosed player who skates a north-south game, is first on pucks and creates turnovers with this physicality, which allows the coaching staff to place him up and down their lineup based on need.
“His biggest thing is leading by example,” said O’Leary. “He conducts himself as a professional away from the rink. When he’s at the rink he’s always prepared. He’s always doing a little bit extra to try to take his game to another level.”
Since the Warriors were knocked out of the Western Hockey League (WHL) playoffs in the second round by the Brandon Wheat Kings this past April, Jeannot has been preparing for another post-season run by hitting the gym at W.W. Fitness in Redvers five times a week as well as skating with O’Leary in White City and with fellow WHL players at Ochapowace First Nation. The 6-foot-2 and 190-pound forward has also gotten a chance to learn a few new skills on and off the ice courtesy of an NHL draft-day invite to Minnesota Wild’s development camp at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Jeannot said the development camp was a long seven-day stretch that involved two skates and a workout each day as well as presentations on how to manage their finances as a professional hockey player or the best way to gain results through proper nutrition among other skills. He said the week was tiring, amazing and lots of fun, but it may pale in comparison to the Wild prospects camp he’ll be attending in Minnesota in mid-September.
“It’ll be more competitive and everything,” he said. “It’s going to be four games in five nights and we’re going to Traverse City and we’ll play against (other NHL prospects teams) like St. Louis and New York.”
The opportunity to attend an NHL development camp or help the Moose Jaw Warriors reach the second round of the WHL playoffs didn’t seem to be a possibility for Jeannot two summers ago. After completing his first year with the Yorkton Harvest in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League in 2014 where the forward tallied 15 goals and 36 points in 44 games, Jeannot took a shot at making the Warriors that fall despite not having any prospect ties with the club.
“I went in there undrafted and unlisted so pretty much just a guy going there for experience, but the very first day in fitness testing I really made a name for myself,” said Jeannot, whose strong showing at the rookie camp earned him an invitation to the black-and-white game only to be released shortly afterwards. “Later that week I got a call from Alan Millar, the GM, and (Warriors head coach) Tim Hunter. They wanted me to come back because they had some veterans who weren’t turning out the way they wanted them to. I practised for a day and they wanted me to sign a standard player agreement and play with them that year and that is what I did.”
O’Leary said the loss of star players Brayden Point and Dryden Hunt means this season will be an opportunity for their younger group of players like Howden, Jeannot, Halbgewachs, forward Noah Gregor and goaltender Zach Sawchenko to shine. He said the goal is obviously to win a championship and this core group of guys should help the Warriors knock on that door in the next couple of years.
“I’m really excited about this season,” said Jeannot, who grew up playing minor hockey in Oxbow, Carlyle and Estevan including a two-year stint with the bantam AA Bruins and a one-year campaign with the midget AA Bruins. “Last year we had 10 or so 17 year olds, so they’re all going to be a year older with more experience and knowing what it takes to win. Especially with that playoff experience we got last year we know a little bit better what it takes to win in those kinds of situations.”
