By CORY WOLFE
The Moose Jaw Warriors have parted ways with a former captain who scored one of the franchise's most important goals.
Twenty-year-old winger Dustin Paul was dealt to the Red Deer Rebels Wednesday for a third-round pick in next year's bantam draft.
The Tribe had seven overage players including Paul scheduled to return this season and WHL teams can keep just three. Paul apparently requested a trade, but no one from the Warriors would confirm that.
"Dusty was pretty much sought after," said general manager Ralph Schmidt.
"I'm not 100 per cent sure of that," head coach Len Nielsen said of the trade request. "I think Dusty was aware of the situation here as all the guys are. As far as what we were trying to do, was just to get our numbers whittled down a little bit - one, for our sake; and two, to get a player settledin wherever they're going to go."
The Warriors picked Paul in the fourth round, 50th overall, in 1994. As a rookie in 1996-97, he played a major part in the Warriors' storied playoff run. Paul scored two two overtime goals in the playoffs, most notably the Game 5 winner in Brandon that gave Moose Jaw a 3-2 lead coming home. In Game 6, Ryan Tobler scored in overtime to oust the defending-champion Wheat Kings in the first round.
The following summer, Paul was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the ninth round but never signed and became a free agent earlier this year. He finished his three-year Warrior career with 87 goals and 95 assists (182 points) in 211 games.
"He's been almost a point-a-game player for his career and he's a valuable player as a 20-year-old for anyone," said Nielsen. "I think he'll be able to help Red Deer immediately and the draft pick will help us because we've done very well in the past."
"Teams are real tight to give up draft picks now," added Schmidt, "because everyone realizes the importance of the draft."
Four of the five players returning as overages are defencemen: Kris Mallette, Scott Schoneck, Shawn Skolney and Craig Strain. Forward Brent Hobday will be at camp with the Detroit Red Wings but is unsigned and will likely return to Moose Jaw.
"They're all good quality kids as Dusty was and they're all good quality players," said Nielsen. "I don't question the character of any of them at all. We'll try to keep the three that fit best in our mix and try to get the other two that don't stay with us to good places."
Said Schmidt: "I think there probably won't be a whole lot happen before camp. The guys we've got back, we'll bring ‘em in and see how things go."
WARRIOR SCALPINGS...The presence of top prospect Ben Knopp at camp remains uncertain. The Calgary product continues to entertain college scholarship offers. Warriors' GM Ralph Schmidt and coach Len Nielsen spoke with Knopp a couple of weeks ago but won't push the issue any further, they say. "We live by the theory that we treat all of our players the same," said Schmidt. "We want to make sure the Brian Sutherbys and Bobby-Chad Mitchells are looked after as well. Ben's a helluva player but so are guys like Sutherby and Steven Crampton."
- August 12, 1999
Times Herald Sports Reporter
"We had heard that rumour, too, but we never really questioned Dusty about it."
