Welcome to another WHL Best of the 2010s feature where we profile the best WHL players from the 2009-10 season all the way to the 2019-20 season. Players are judged based on what they did in each division. This means if a player spent time in multiple divisions, their placement will be judged based on what they did separately while in each division. Don’t forget to vote on our Twitter page, @WHLonA51 to help determine which player will be crowned the best WHL player of the 2010s. We hope you enjoy.
From a purely statistical point of view, it’s actually pretty difficult to make an argument for Brayden Point as a superstar of the 2010s.
First of all, Point was not a first-round pick. He was a third-round pick, 79th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Second, he wasn’t an offensive superstar. He was not a 100-point player in the WHL. His career high in points was 91 during the 2013-2014 season (36G, 55A). Third, he wasn’t on a championship team. Yes, he made his debut during the 2012 semi-final playoff run against the eventual champions Edmonton Oil Kings; however, his only other playoff appearance was when they lost in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals to the Brandon Wheat Kings. While statistics are important in arguments, it’s not the only way to measure the impact of a player. Sometimes, it’s the impact one can have on and off the ice of the organization that matters most.
The way to look at Point’s impact is what happened from the very moment he started with the Moose Jaw Warriors. During the 2012 playoffs, he had ten points (7G, 3A) in 14 games. That included three game-winning goals. As a 15-year-old, Point brought a lot of skill, an unmatched work ethic, and the ability to lead.
The next three seasons didn’t go the way either Point or the Warriors would have liked. They missed the playoffs from 2013-2016. During the 2015-16 season, which was his last with the Warriors, they finally got back into the playoffs. They lost in five games to the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Eastern Conference semi-final. Point sat in the locker room and had a tough time taking off that Warriors jersey he wore with pride.
As far as the stats, his 134 goals are third all-time on the Warriors. Point’s 324 points also have him at third all-time for the Warriors. While his statistics may not be eye-popping, to the players that played with him, Point was so much more.
“You’re going to need a long piece of paper for that one.” Brett Howden told Discove4rMooseJaw.com in April of 2016.” That guy has done a lot for me, he’s been by my side for two years now, and it’s a sad moment.”
His off-ice impact included his work within the Moose Jaw community. In the four years with the Warriors, he raised $22,000 for the Points for Hunger program. During his final year, Point could have left and joined another team for a championship run, but he didn’t want to. He remained and battled for the Moose Jaw Warriors until his final game. He was literally and figuratively a Warrior.
Point’s passion did not go unnoticed on the International stage. In 2015, he helped Team Canada win World Junior Gold with four points in seven games. Then in 2016, Team Canada Head Coach Dave Lowry named him captain. That year, he would record five points in five games as Canada finished sixth.
If you are looking at this best of the 2010 debate from a purely statistical point of view, you may end up picking someone else, but numbers don’t tell the whole story. Point’s on and off-ice impact left a legacy in Moose Jaw and the WHL, and He deserves your vote for the best in the 2010s.