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WINNIPEG, Man.—The Winnipeg Warriors will open their Western Hockey League schedule this week with twelve new faces still in camp from last year’s dismal last place finishers.
Coach Alf Pike and owner Jack Perrin were faced with a tremendous rebuilding program as they found themselves without an N.H.L. tie-up. The Warriors entered the W. H.L. two seasons ago and with the player help coming from the Mom real Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs they went on and captured Western honors and defeated Montreal Royals to win the Edinburg Cup. Last season with the Habs and Leafs still providing the players the Braves finished dead last in the Prairie Division and set a league record for losses in doing so.
Agreement Ended
Owner Jack Perrin was none too pleased with the standing of his club and felt that the N.H.L. clubs had broken their contract with him to provide 15 players of Western League calibre or better. Just recently he filed a law suit against the two clubs. Hence, the Habs and Leafs did not renew their agreement with I he Warriors.
Goal
In goal the Warriors will have youthful Ray Mikulan, a 23-year-old Winnipeg boy. who has spent two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. Property of the New York Rangers, Mikulan compiled a 3.25 goals against average, along with four shutouts, with the last place Canucks in the Coast Division of the western wheel.
Defense
Up until this past week the Warriors found themselves very thin on defense. The only experienced pro along the blueline was holdover Danny Summers who has spent two years with the Warriors after several seasons in the A.H.L. Coach Alf Pike has converted the veteran A.H.L. rightwinger Pete Kapusta to a defenseman. Kapusta a Winnipegger. spent 11 seasons in Providence livery and was with Three Rivers last season. His contract was purchased outright.
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Help
Owner Perrin has had the telephone lines buzzing this past week and has come up with hardrock Frank Arnett, a former Manitoba Junior Leaguer, from the Cleveland Barons. Arnett toiled on the blueline for North Bay Trappers last season. He also received Kent Douglas from Springfield Indians, Ken Willey from New York Rangers via the Memorial Cup champion Flin Flon Bombers and picked up Don McGregor a 23-year-old local boy who played with Sault St. Marie Indians last season in the N.O.H.A. A big surprise in camp last week the appearance of defenseman Mickey Keating from the Montreal Canadiens camp. Keating, a local lad. was with the Warriors in their first season and toiled with Rochester and Montreal Royals last season. Due to a illness in his family, he has been given permission by the Montreal Canadiens to play in Winnipeg despite the law suit.
First
The forward lines will see holdover Earl Ingarfield centering sophomore holdover Gordie Redahl, a left-winger, and rookie Eddie Jamieson a burly 200-pound right-winger up from the Winnipeg Monarchs Jrs. Ingarfield and Redahl are on loan from the New York Rangers.
Second
The second line sees rookie Art Stratton, who was with the North Bay Trappers last season on loan from the Cleveland Barons centering another rookie on the left side from Cleveland in Ross “Butch” Graham and the veteran holdover Bill Mosienko on the right boards. Both Stratton and Mosienko are Winnipeggers.
Third
The third unit sees another rookie Brian Derrett. a tall boy, who has graduated to pro ranks from the Winnipeg Baron Jrs. centering Bruce Lea. a left-winger obtained from Detroit Red Wings via Seattle Americans and Howie Glover, a rookie right-winger from the Cleveland Barons via North Bay Trappers. This line accounted for all three goals in the Warriors 4-3 exhibition game loss against the highly-regarded Vancouver Canucks. Glover scored all three goals with Derrett assisting on three and Lea on two goals.
Two holdovers, left-winger Murray Wilkie and right-winger George Ford make up the balance of the squad. Since the club can only dress four defensemen and nine forwards, three blueliners and two forwards will have to be cut.
Summing up his club’s chances coach Alf Pike said, “we should be stronger at the start than last year. Our defence is starting to shape up and am quite pleased with our forward lines. There is no doubt that we will be much stronger in the nets.”
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