Jordan Messier fits the criteria of what you would want from a 20-year-old forward.
With the Tri-City Americans trying to get down to three overagers by Thursday’s deadline, Messier became the odd man out. And the Moose Jaw Warriors couldn’t pass up the chance to acquire him.
Tuesday, the Warriors acquired Messier from Tri-City in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.
“We feel we added a player who will be a good fit with our team,” said Warriors general manager Alan Millar. “He’s a big body, he has some skill, he had a track record of producing offensively. We like all of that about him, but we also like the fact that he’s coming in from a good program — and a program that has had success. He’s been well-coached. He’s played in 58 WHL playoff games, he’s been to a league final, he’s been to two conference finals.
“We think he can contribute to our team in a lot of ways on and off the ice.”
With the addition of another 20-year-old, the Warriors have released left winger Austin Bourhis. Bourhis picked up an assist in four games with the Warriors after being picked up as a free agent in the off-season.
“It’s always a difficult day when you have to make tough decisions,” said Millar. “We had to make another one today.”
Messier spent four seasons with Tri-City where he played 270 regular season games and recorded 77 goals, 163 points and 224 penalty minutes. The right winger also played in 58 playoff games where he scored 14 goals and had 28 points.
Messier is from Canmore, Alta. and stands six-foot-two and weighs 195 pounds.
