MOOSE JAW -- The Moose Jaw Warriors continued their effort to rebuild their stock of draft picks after their Western Hockey League Championship run last season, trading one of the key members of their victory on the eve of the WHL trade deadline.
The Warriors sent overage forward Brayden Schuurman to the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for 2008-born forward Cooper Ernewein, a fourth-round draft pick in 2024 and third round pick in 2028.
“Cooper is a highly skilled forward playing for the Saskatoon Blazers. He has great hockey sense and play-making skills, bringing more depth to our 2008 age group,” said Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger.
The trade helps restock the Warriors draft picks traded away in the lead-up to their winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup last spring, as general manager Jason Ripplinger was able to swing a host of deals over the last couple months to get future Prospects Draft selections in order.
Schuurman joined the Warriors in a trade with the Victoria Royals last October and went on to put up 20 goals and 47 points in 62 games. He saved his best for the playoffs, though, and especially the championship final as he scored the overtime winner in Game 3 and the game-winning and WHL title-winning goal in Game 4 as the Warriors swept the Portland Winterhawks.
He’d finish the post-season with seven goals and nine points in 20 games.
The trade brings Schuurman -- who recently returned from injury and has five goals and 14 points in 13 games this season -- only a couple hours away from his home in Abbotsford, B.C.
“This allows Brayden to finish his junior career closer to home. He has been a key piece to our organization over the last two years, and we thank him for everything that he has done for the Warriors and our community and wish him the best of luck in the future,” said Ripplinger.
Ernewein, a 6-foot-0, 170-pound forward, hails from Saskatoon and was selected by Seattle in the eighth round, 175th overall in the 2023 Prospects Draft.
He went on to join the Saskatoon Blazers of the Sask Male AAA Hockey League last season and had four goals and 12 points in 43 games as the Blazers won the SMAAAHL title. This season, Ernewein has 13 goals and 26 points in 24 games and is currently third in team scoring for the fifth-place Blazers.
The Warriors now have picks in every round of the 2025 Prospects Draft except the the eighth, including two picks in the third round, four in the fourth and two more in the seventh, with a total of 16 overall.
Moose Jaw is still missing first and second round picks in 2026 and a first round pick in 2027 but have two first-round selections in 2028 and six picks in the first three rounds.
The WHL trade deadline is set for 7 p.m. Moose Jaw time on Thursday.
