Brendan Warren was just laying around, taking in an easy Friday night.
His phone rang around 9:30 p.m. with the call coming from the Arizona Coyotes, informing him of his inclusion in a trade to Philadelphia for Nick Cousins and goaltending prospect, Merrick Madsen.
“I was kind of shocked at first,” Warren said in front of his stall at last weekend’s development camp.
Warren, who will be a junior in the fall at Michigan, got his first taste of what his new club had to offer at the fundamentals camp, and he was instantly impressed as his high expectations of what he called a “top notch organization” were surpassed.
“[They’re top notch] for a reason,” Warren said. “I got here and was blown away by the facility and the training we’ve got this week. I thought it was run really well. Everything about it is top class.”
The two-way forward held his own at the camp all while absorbing all that was offered from his new coaches.
Warren played for Team Black in the 3-on-3 tournament, which marked the conclusion of the on-ice portion of the camp. His side came in second, losing 2-1 in overtime in the finals. He netted a pair of goals over the four games played.
With all 40 of the prospects now heading off their separate ways, Warren’s focus can turn back to his collegiate program. Last season, Michigan had a tough go in the Big Ten conference, going 6-12-2 with an overall record of 13-19-3. He’s anticipating a big turnaround next year, and he’d like to be one of the reasons why.
In order to do that, Warren says he’ll have to find his “consistency.” As a freshman, Warren tallied 17 points in 38 games, but saw that number dip as a sophomore with 10 points in 35 contests.
“I’ve had some struggles with [consistency] over the past couple of years,” Warren said. “I think this year I can prove to be a top player and a leader at Michigan.”
Warren describes himself as a power forward who can utilize his speed to be a pest on the forecheck, as well as on the penalty kill. He takes pride in creating offense off of his defense, and he is hoping to do a bit more of that with a bigger role as a junior.
There’s certainly some promise in Warren’s game, and if he can find that consistency he speaks of, there’s a chance he can quickly move up the organization’s prospects to watch.
