Moose Jaw Warriors’ Brayden Point flourishes in post-season call up

When the Moose Jaw Warriors called up Brayden Point at the end of the regular-season, they were not expecting him to fill the scoresheet. They were more or less just prepping him for next year and rewarding him for his outstanding play with the Calgary Buffaloes of the Alberta Midget Hockey League this season.

"We called up three of our young prospects at the end of the year because of injuries and also to give them some experience," says Warriors director of hockey operations Alan Millar.

Five goals and eight points in nine playoff games later, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound centre doesn't look like he's on a call-up stint. He looks like one of the Warriors' go-to goal scorers.

"I can admit I didn't think Brayden would do this well this fast," says Millar. "And it's not just his offensive game. He has made smart decisions in his own zone and has looked great defensively for a young player. We are pleasantly surprised with his play and we think it's a sign of great things to come."

Much like Millar, Point is also surprised that his transition to major junior hockey has been this smooth.

"I didn't think I'd do this good at all," says Point. "I was just happy to be called up and get some experience. The goals have just been a bonus."

Even though Point himself is surprised by his early success, maybe the 16-year-old's impressive play shouldn't have been that much of a shock. After all, he did score 19 goals and 41 points throughout 32 games in his rookie season of AAA midget hockey this year. Sure not every player is able to translate goals from one level to the next. But Point proved in his jump from bantam to midget that he can elevate his game when the stakes are raised.

It's not even a year since Point slipped in the bantam draft. His elite skill set and 102-point season in the Alberta bantam ranks stood out among his draft class. Several scouts regarded him as one of the top five players available last spring. However, he was just 5-5 and 130 pounds at the time. Understandably, some general managers and scouts were leery about how well he would do against bigger and stronger opponents at the next level with his smaller stature.

"Point's size was definitely a reason for him being available at the 14th pick," says Millar. "We are just very happy he was available. If he stays on the development curve he is on right now, he could definitely be a steal at that pick in the draft."

Role models in Kozun, Weal

Point has always been one of the smaller players on this teams growing up. For some, the chatter of "he's too small" gets them down and wears on their confidence. That isn't the case for Point, though. Instead the Calgary native ignored his doubters and aspired to follow the footsteps of some other vertically challenged centres who became 100-point scorers in the WHL.

"I watched [Los Angeles Kings prospect] Brandon Kozun when he played for the [Calgary] Hitmen," says Point. "I kind of looked up more to (Regina Pats star) Jordan Weal [who's also a Kings pick]. He's really good and plays hard every night."

As ACDC put it, "It's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll." Nevertheless, Point appears to be on the right track to becoming one of the Dub's next top goal scorers. He is, after all, already turning heads before his official rookie season.

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen and contact him at Friesenkelly@live.ca