Lynden Lakovic continued his strong play for the Moose Jaw Warriors even as his team continues to struggle early in the season.
Lakovic scored an impressive shorthanded goal in Moose Jaw’s 6-4 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday. Lakovic made a steal before eventually finding paydirt after a great individual effort.
The play started as Prince Albert’s Riley Boychuk regained the puck along the side boards and tried to carry it back into the offensive zone. Before he could do so, Lakovic tapped the puck off his stick, forcing a turnover in neutral.
The Capitals’ 2025 first-round pick then hit teammate Casey Brown with a great pass, starting a two-on-one break. Brown faked a shot and dished back to Lakovic. As the 18-year-old forward attempted to deke, he lost control of the puck. But no matter, Lakovic picked it back up off the end boards and beat goaltender Dimitri Fortin to the short-side post for an easy put-in.
The goal marked Lakovic’s 13th goal in 14 games this season, putting him in a tie with the Everett Silvertips’ Shea Busch for the most goals in the WHL.
Lakovic is playing — and scoring — in all situations for the Warriors, notching eight goals at even strength, three goals on the power play, and two shorthanded.
While Lakovic is firing on all cylinders, the Warriors are not. The team is currently under .500, sporting a record of 7-8-1. Their 15 standings points place them sixth-best in the Eastern Conference.
On Saturday, the team attempted to shore up its goaltending by acquiring Chase Wutzke from the Red Deer Rebels for five different draft picks.
