WHL: Warriors banking on their blueline down the stretch

If defence truly does win championships, the Moose Jaw Warriors have a great shot at hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup this May.

The Warriors' defence can arguably clear the crease faster than any other blueline in the Dub. They are built around towering defenders that play with an abundance of truculence. Their back end's average height is over 6-foot-2, including three defenders that stand 6-foot-4 or taller.

"We have a very physical defence that is hard to push around," says Warriors head coach Mike Stothers. "They are a type of defence that forwards hate to play against. That works in our favour."

This hulking blueline is anchored by New York Rangers first-round pick Dylan McIlrath. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder is consistently matched up against opponents' top scorers as a shutdown specialist.

"I try to play big and play a shutdown role against teams' top lines," says McIlrath. "I play physical and try to make it hard on players who try to go hard to the net and sit around the net looking for rebounds."

McIlrath's role with the Warriors is vital to their expected playoff success. He will be heavily counted on to shutdown opponents' top stars. This task obviously won't be easy for the Winnipeg native with the possibilities of being matched up against the likes of Medicine Hat Tigers sniper Emerson Etem and Brandon Wheat Kings star Mark Stone down the stretch.

"I know I'm going to be up against really talented players in the playoffs," says McIlrath. "It's going to be a challenge, but we have a good defence. I have a lot of good players beside me and I know we can get it done."

McIlrath is right by saying his defence partners will take some pressure off his shoulders. One teammate in particular that has taken on a significant role on the Warriors' blueline is St. Louis Blues prospect Joel Edmundson. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder, like McIlrath, plays a stay-at-home game with an edge. He has munched up major minutes against other teams' top units, especially on the penalty kill.

"Edmundson kind of plays similar to McIlrath," says Stothers. "They are both your classic stay-at-home defenceman. He is big, and he plays big. He also plays against other teams' best players. That's not an easy task, but he has succeeded at it."

When Morgan Rielly suffered a knee injury just 18 games into the season, the Warriors not only lost one of their top defenders, but they also lost one of their top goal scorers. Nevertheless, it appears Rielly could return to the lineup sometime during the post-season. The 17-year-old recently moved back to Moose Jaw from his town of Vancouver so that the Warriors can keep closer tabs on his road to recovery.

"We are very optimistic that Rielly could return this year," says Stothers. "He just moved back to Moose Jaw. He will be getting enrolled in school here and just getting settled over the next week or so. There's no timeline in place right now. He will be continuing his rehab here. Our trainers will be helping him out anyway they can. We will be taking it one day at a time with him."

Travis Brown found more opportunity on Moose Jaw's back end when Rielly suffered his knee injury. He then was moved up the depth chart and had his responsibilities with the team spike. Brown's impressive play hasn't went unnoticed, but he has been somewhat overshadowed by the Warriors' defensive stars.

"Brown has shown great improvements since training camp," says Stothers. "We've been really happy with how he has been developing. We've been playing him in both offensive and defensive situations."

The Warriors currently sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with 81 points. The first-place Edmonton Oil Kings seem to be their biggest rival heading into the playoffs. Moose Jaw's blueline will undoubtedly have their hands full against the Oil Kings if they do indeed meet in the post-season. Edmonton is second in the league in goals scored. Their offense entails four players that have maintained a point-per-game scoring pace this season — Michael St.Croix, Dylan Wruck, Tyler Maxwell, and T.J Foster.

"It's too early to speculate whether we will play Edmonton, but if we do, we will just have to play our best," says Stothers. "We can't over think teams. We have to go into the game with the mindset that it is just another game."

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen (image credit WHL.ca)