Season in Review: Brett Howden

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"It's emotional for sure," Howden admitted in a recent interview with NYRangers.com after the Warriors were eliminated from the WHL playoffs in seven games by Swift Current, who as of this writing is one win away from capturing the WHL championship, in the second round. "My brother [Quinton] played there, so I spent a lot of weekends there as a young kid. We'd go up most weekends because I wanted to see him play.
"For me to be drafted there and then live in the same building and wear the same number and go to the same school [as him], it was almost meant to be," he adds. "For that to come to an end, it's really emotional."
His final season was filled with highs, both in Moose Jaw, where he was the team's captain for his final two seasons, as well as internationally with Canada at the World Junior Championships in Buffalo.
Howden had 24 goals and 51 assists for 75 points in just 49 games during the regular season before adding seven goals and 15 points in 14 games during the postseason. In Buffalo, Howden had three goals and four assists for seven points in seven games to help Canada capture the gold medal at the WJC.
"It was a pretty crazy season for sure," Howden said. "There were a lot of highs. Finishing first with Moose Jaw was pretty special. We were at the top of the league the whole year. Winning gold was pretty amazing, too."
Howden's performance at the World Juniors certainly stuck with Gordie Clark, the Rangers' Director of Player Personnel.
"His line was used in a defensive role, and yet they go out and score 10 even strength goals in the World Junior, which is pretty amazing," he said of Howden.

With his junior career behind him, the next step is the pro ranks, wherever that may bring Howden come the fall.
Howden knows there will be a learning curve at the start, playing against players older and bigger than what he's used to in Moose Jaw. A positive, though, is he's already gotten a taste of the American Hockey League last season when he played five games with Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate in Syracuse, where he posted three goals and four points in five regular season games. Howden added a pair of assists in three playoff games.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Howden said he followed both the Rangers and the Wolf Pack following the February deal, and said he was excited to see young players not only get called up, but to be put in prominent roles in New York.
"That kind of gets everyone a lot more excited and makes them that much more hungry when they see it's right there," said Howden, who will wear a Ranger jersey for the first time next month at the organization's annual development camp. "I think everyone kind of wants it that much more. You've seen all these guys getting called up and playing big minutes. Everyone's going to try and make sure that's them" next season.
The moves by General Manager Jeff Gorton at the deadline, coupled with his statement of wanting to field a younger roster, has Howden excited by the prospect of pushing for a spot in New York sooner rather than later.
"It's super exciting," he said. "There's a lot of opportunity for lots of guys in the organization. This summer is going to be big for a lot of guys."

Assistant General Manager Chris Drury echoed those sentiments, and said the Rangers are a great spot for all young players heading into this season.
"If I was a young player looking to make my mark in the league and with the Rangers, this is a heck of an opportunity," he said. "When you look at the pieces we traded away … that's a lot of ice time and opportunity for someone ready to step in and grab it."
The emotions of a swan song in Moose Jaw have now given was to the excitement of a new beginning in the Big Apple.
"In the end, it's exciting," Howden said. "It's time to start a new chapter in my life and move on."
Photo by Marc Smith/ DiscoverMooseJaw