By Marc Smith via Moose Jaw Warriors

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Atley Calvert started out watching the Moose Jaw Warriors from the stands as a kid and dreaming of one day playing for the team.

He ends his Western Hockey League career as the greatest Moose Jaw born player to ever wear a Warriors uniform.

“Atley without a doubt left his mark on the Warriors,” Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger said.

Calvert played 237 games with the Warriors over five seasons and finished off his time in Moose Jaw by getting to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup in front of family and friends at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“I couldn’t ask for a better ending,” Calvert said. “Playing for my hometown, hometown team and doing what we did for the city and the fans.

“To play for the Warriors was a dream come true and to wear the Warriors’ crest it was an honour.”

Calvert was a key part of the Warriors’ run to the organization’s first WHL Championship, posting eight goals and 20 points, including two goals and five points in the WHL Championship Series against Portland.

He said he knew what winning a title would mean to this team and city.

“This city loves their Warriors and they were dying for a championship,” Calvert said. “I’m sure glad that we got it done and I was really happy to just be a part of it.”

Calvert joined the Warriors as an undrafted list player and developed into an offensive threat for the team, topping 40 goals in each of the past two seasons.

“Going from being a listed player, Atley kept taking all the feedback we would give him and took it to heart to develop into the player he became, which is a true warrior,” Ripplinger said.

Calvert credits the Warriors coaching staff for helping him grow into the player and person that he is.

“Coming in as a 16-year-old kid, I grew up here,” he said. “Matured as a man and the people around me really shaped me into the person I am today.”

Calvert has left a big mark in the Warriors’ record books as he is the Warriors franchise leader in goals (105), assists (115) and points (220) by a Moose Jaw born Warrior.

This past season also saw Calvert set the single season records for goals, assists and points by a Moose Jaw born Warrior, finishing the year with 47 goals and 95 points in 68 games.

“There’s a lot of great guys that have played here and were from Moose Jaw and to leave my mark it really is an honour,” Calvert said.

Now, Calvert will get an opportunity to continue his career at the professional level after signing a two-year contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate.

“I just want to lean on the guys in this room, there’s a lot of us that are going to go through the same transition here, so just staying in touch with them and going through it together,” he said.

Calvert will be attending the Penguins’ Development Camp coming up next month in Pittsburgh.