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Stanton signs with Chicago

St. Albert native Ryan Stanton is one step closer to the big show after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

St. Albert native Ryan Stanton is one step closer to the big show after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

The Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman was passed over in the NHL draft, but got his chance through some phone calls with different teams and various visiting scouts who liked what they saw.

“It was definitely an exciting day for me and my family. I kept working away and tried to stay consistent throughout my four years and it paid off for me,” Stanton said. “I've been talking to a couple of different teams since about Christmas and we decided that Chicago would be the best fit for me and that there was opportunity there in the future. They seemed interested in me. I liked the personnel there. They treated me very nice and I'm excited to become part of their organization. I definitely hope to be somewhere and keep developing as a player and one day make it to the big club.”

Stanton's leadership this season wearing the A has not gone unnoticed by the Warriors' organization and was a factor in his signing with the Hawks.

“It’s very exciting to have one of our 20-year-old players sign a NHL contract. It’s a true testament to Ryan’s work ethic and commitment to his hockey career,” said Jeff Truitt, director of hockey operations. “We are very fortunate to have such an outstanding young man with such character in our organization.”

For his part, Stanton says he just tries to be steady.

“I try to be a consistent D-man who brings it every night and can play in both ends of the ice. I try to do anything I can to help my team win.”

In his fourth and final WHL season, Stanton recorded 10 goals and 30 assists in 59 games.

“Not too many guys can say they played all four years in the same organization in the western league,” he said. “I enjoyed my time here. I think I've come a long way as a person and a player here.”

The six-foot-two and 205-pound defender said the best memories of his junior career are not a particular goal or a specific game, or even the current opportunity in the playoffs.

“It’s been the guys I've met while I've been here and the fun times hanging out together,” he said. “It's junior hockey; its supposed to be the best time of your life and it was good to me.”

Stanton and his teammates will have an uphill battle in the playoffs against the Calgary Hitmen, who finished first in the league with 107 points, three ahead of the Brandon Wheat Kings and at least eight ahead of every other team. The Warriors closed out the regular season with 78 points.

It's a far cry from last season when the Warriors finished dead last in the WHL with just 19 wins, and a time when Stanton said his goal was simply to get as far as possible. Now the window of opportunity has opened up a bit wider.

“We're going into the series as underdogs, that's for sure. When you get to the playoffs, you never know what can happen. We look forward to the beginning of the series [Thursday] and hopefully we play well,” he said. “They have good depth and obviously one of the best goaltenders in the CHL. There's a reason they finished first in the league. There are a lot of areas you have to pay attention to but we're determined to do that and give them the best effort we have.”

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