Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
For Moose Jaw Warriors star forward Brayden Yager, it was likely the final time he’ll lineup against his best friend and PG Cougars star captain Riley Heidt in the WHL.
Both players have been joined together at the hip since their minor hockey days in Saskatchewan, most notably in the Saskatoon-area.
Yager and Heidt terrorized opponents claiming provincial championships along their way to stardom, especially at the AA bantam level with the Martensville Marauders.
During the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, both players were selected one ahead of each other – Heidt picked second to PG while Yager was chosen third overall by the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“He is my best friend, he is like a brother to me and we have gone through so much together, grown up together and it’s a special relationship we have and it is pretty cool to see how far we have come,’ said Yager post-game to MyPGNow.com.
“He is a special player in my life.”
While Heidt will forever be etched in Cougars folklore, with 300 career points and counting, you could argue Yager has a slight edge on his best friend as it was Moose Jaw who punched its ticket to the Memorial Cup last spring dispatching the Portland Winterhawks in four games.
Heidt and company fell short against Portland in the Western Conference Finals in six games – the last of which was a double-overtime heart breaker.
Unless the Cougars pay a king’s ransom to land Yager, his final trip to CN Centre ended in defeat on Tuesday night as PG upended the Warriors by a 4-1 score – it was a rare off night for both him and Heidt who were held pointless.
It’s been a tough go for the Warriors this season who sit last in the Western Hockey League with a mark of 3-10-2.
With the like Jagger Firuks, Denton Mateychuk, Atley Calvert and, Matthew Savoie among others who have departed from last year’s Ed Chynoweth Cup champions – speculation around Yager’s long-term future with the Warriors will no doubt be a talking point in the weeks ahead.
However, the 19-year-old isn’t giving much thought to the outside noise.
“When you miss five of your best players it’s going to be a different look. Firk(Jagger Firuks) is a special player, Denton is a special player, Sav (Matthew Savoie) is a special player and despite as top heavy as we were it adds so much depth to your lineup. Last year, I thought our third line was just as good as any first line – that goes away when you lose some star power.”
“Like I said, it’s going to be a different look when you lose those players and that is part of winning,” added Yager.
“It is just another game; another practice and I must focus on what is coming tomorrow. I don’t think about what is coming too far ahead of me, just the day-to-day.”
Like Heidt, Yager will be given every opportunity to make Canada’s World Junior team this winter.
After posting 117 points last season, Heidt is off to another hot start with 20 points in 12 contests with the Cougars. Similarly, Yager has tallied 17 points in 11 games with Moose Jaw.
The path to the NHL for both players took a unique twist of fate over the summer as Yager was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Winnipeg Jets – a Central Division rival of the Minnesota Wild, the same team Heidt was drafted and signed to.
Yager was dealt to the Manitoba capital in a unique one-for-one swap of top prospects with Rutger McGroarty heading to the Steel City.
“Shocking was the first reaction but afterward you kind of get a look at where you are going, and I am going to a Canadian market. The fans that they have and the atmosphere there is incredible especially in the playoffs – getting to go to the city at camp was electric, I had a lot of fun there and I am super-excited.”
Regardless of how Heidt and Yager’s pro career turns out, the smart money suggests this is far from the final chapter of a fascinating hockey journey of childhood friends.
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