When the Moose Jaw Warriors send Todd Fiddler packing to the Prince George Cougars back in early November for a conditional fifth-round bantam draft pick in 2015, the Warriors must have been in a giving mood.
Either that or they got robbed by the Cougars at the trading table.
The 20-year-old Fiddler was a 42-goal scorer last season for the Spokane Chiefs and he got caught up in a numbers game when the Chiefs decided to keep forwards Mike Aviani and Mitch Holmberg and goaltender Eric Williams as their three 20-year-olds and shipped him to Moose Jaw for a third-round pick in 2014.
But for reasons unknown, after he scored two goals and added eight assists in 14 games with Moose Jaw, it became obvious to the Warriors' staff that Fiddler was not going to finish the season there. He was a healthy scratch in two of his last three games as a Warrior and on Nov. 4 he was sent to Prince George.
Ever since then, the native of Meadow Lake, Sask., has thrived.
He's been everything and more the Cougars wanted when they acquired him and he now ranks fifth in WHL scoring with 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points and just 16 penalty minutes. Fiddler scored the second goal of the game Wednesday in Saskatoon in typical Fiddler fashion, stealing the puck from a Blades defenceman and then launching a pro-style blast into the net for his 31st goal.
In 33 games for the Cats he has 29 goals and 26 assists for 55 points.
With 19 games left, he's on pace to at least match his 42-goal output from 2012-13 and tonight in Moose Jaw he'll get a chance to add to his total against his former teammates. The Warriors (13-29-3-5) are on a seven-game losing streak, having just completed a tour of the U.S. Division. The Cougars (20-26-2-5) will try to extend their winning streak to three games.
The Cougars are nearing the end of a six-game road swing through the WHL East Division, going 2-2 so far, including their 10-6 win over the Blades. The trip wraps up Saturday night in Swift Current against the Broncos.
Today's game starts at 5 p.m. (PST). Dan O'Connor's play-by-play broadcast can be heard on CIRX 94.3 FM.
