Warner’s season cut short but still sweet

“Playing alongside Morrissey, it’s obviously incredible playing with a player of that calibre. I learned a lot from him, learned the game and the ins-and-outs of the league. That was a great learning experience, as well.

“I just got to consider all the positives I’ve had in the short amount of the season I’ve got,” added Warner. “I’ll get on rehabbing and get back to the gym schedule and get back to full per cent.”

Warner has played through shoulder issues for the past three years and avoided surgery as a result. He battled through the pain and other issues, but finally decided that surgery was required this season.

“It started slipping a little bit out of place, my shoulder. It was sore and aching every game and practice,” said Warner. “I just kinda thought to keep going and keep going and I did that for about three years.

“It came to a point this season where I thought ‘I need to get this fixed and rehab it to full health again.’”

The Wild’s doctors looked at him in Minnesota and eventually decided Warner needed surgery, which he will undergo in a week’s time.

Raiders general manager Bruno Campese signed Warner to a WHL Standard Contract on Aug. 6, after Warner played in the USHL last year with the Fargo Force and Waterloo Ice Hawks. Campese said he was happy with how Warner progressed this season.

“He played really well for us. His game was getting better and better over the time he was spending with us,” said Campese. “Injuries are part of it and every team has to deal with them.

“We’re dealing with it this time and it’s unfortunate that he’s going to have to have surgery on his shoulder that’s going to take him out for the rest of the season, but it is what it is.”

Warner’s season ender comes at a very inopportune time for the Raiders as their defence core will be depleted for the near future.

Sawyer Lange will be sidelined indefinitely with an upper body injury and captain Josh Morrissey will leave the team to join Team Canada’s World Junior Selection Camp starting on Thursday in Toronto. Morrissey played on last year’s Team Canada squad and will likely crack the squad once again.

Morrissey and Warner played a lot together on the Raiders’ top even-strength pairing, and Morrissey played with Lange on the top power play unit—so a lot of important pieces will be missing.

“It’s not easy to lose all those types of guys but you find ways to adapt and that’s what we did,” said Campese.

Campese added two veterans in the last week in 20-year-old Colton Heffley on Dec. 2 and Raymond Grewal on Dec. 6 to help cope with the absences. He also said he likes how the remaining, healthy defenders have been playing, especially Brendan Guhle and Brennan Riddle who have been “playing unbelievable.”

The Raiders are four games into their seven-game road trip and will play the Victoria Royals (16-14-2) Tuesday and the Vancouver Giants (12-18) on Wednesday.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea

by Jeff D'Andrea

Warner’s season cut short but still sweet

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