The Brandon Wheat Kings already exciting prospect pool grew by ten players over the course of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. Within that class of ten talented young men are players who’ve scored at rates not seen in decades, players that led their squads in scoring, and players that Brandon hockey fans will already be familiar with.
1st round, 14th Overall: Forward Chase Surkan
You’ve got to go all the way back to 2003-04, 20 full years, to find the last time someone in Saskatchewan U15AA scored more than Chase Surkan, and that was at a time when the teams played twice as many games as they do now.
Surkan was unstoppable this season for the Regina Pat Blues. The 5-foot-8 forward posted 135 points in just 27 games to finish with an incredible five points per game on the season. He built on that with 32 points in just nine playoff games, and helped the Pat Blues to a provincial championship. He also added on his first U18 AAA goal for good measure during a three-game stint with the Regina Pat Canadians.
2nd Round, 36th Overall: Forward Prabh Bhathal
Just like Surkan, you’ve got to go back a long time to find the last time somebody matched Bhathal’s offensive output in his league. Specifically, his 83 goals are a mark untouched in the Winnipeg AAA ranks through this decade.
Perhaps even more impressively, Bhathal did so without a clear running mate; he was 76 points clear of his next closest teammate in scoring. Having already joined the Winnipeg Thrashers at both the U17 and U18 levels (he had two goals and an assist in three playoffs games in U18 hockey), the 6-foot-2 forward from Winnipeg looks to have a bright future.
3rd Round, 59th Overall: Defenseman Easten Turko
The Wheat Kings know the Turko family fairly well by now. Not only do both Easten and his brother Brady play AAA hockey in Brandon, they’re now both prospects of the Wheat Kings.
Easten’s hockey IQ is one of his most impressive traits, as was the case with Brady at the same age. The younger Turko posted 45 points in 32 games this past season, leading the Winnipeg AAA league in scoring by a defenseman. Though he’s 5-foot-7 at the moment, his older brother was smaller than that when he was selected in 2022, and has since grown to 5-foot-11.
Turko tacked on seven assists in 11 playoff games to help steer his U15 AAA Wheat Kings to a league title for the third consecutive year.
4th Round, 81st Overall: Goaltender Urijah Moosetail
The second selection in a row from the U15 AAA Wheat Kings, Moosetail enjoyed a superb season in between the pipes. Posting a 15-0-1 record during the regular season, and an impressive .911 save percentage and 2.45 GAA, the young Brandonite was just getting started.
Moosetail saved his best work for the playoffs. Not only did he post a 9-1-0 record, he improved to a 2.01 GAA and a sterling .934 save percentage. He’s been the starting goaltender for the U15 Wheat Kings each of the last two seasons come playoff time, and has delivered a championship both times. Already six feet tall, he brings a projectable frame and impressive statistics to the role of netminder.
4th Round, 85th Overall: Defenseman Ethan Young
Back up just four picks after selecting Moosetail, the Wheat Kings looked to the blueline again and found another member of the Regina Pat Blues. Young was the Pat Blues leading scorer among defenseman for two seasons in a row, this time posting 38 points in just 25 games.
In the postseason, Young again led his team’s blueline with 12 points in nine games as the Pat Blues earned a provincial championship. Standing 5-foot-8, Young still has plenty of time to grow as well.
5th Round, 103rd Overall: Forward Alex Letourneau
Turning to Alberta for the first time in the draft, the Wheat Kings selected a forward with a good mix of size and skill. Letourneau led the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers in points in 2022-23 and then did it again in 2023-24, building on an impressive rookie U15 campaign by posting 28 goals and 58 points in 33 games.
At 6-foot-2, Letourneau already has the size to play more of a power game, and it’s helped him produce in both the regular season and playoffs. His 11 points in five games led the Rangers in the playoffs as well.
5th Round, 107th Overall: Forward Carson Park
Right back to the draft board after only four picks again, the Wheat Kings also went back to Saskatchewan again. They found another skilled forward in Carson Park, who managed to put up some impressive totals despite a slightly shorter season than some of his peers.
Playing in 18 games for Prairie Storm, Park still picked up 21 goals and 49 points, and likely would’ve led his team in both categories had he played the full 27-game season. His points-per-game pace left him tied for eighth in Saskatchewan, and he played his first four U18 AAA games with the Moose Jaw AAA Warriors, and scored his first goal.
6th Round, 128th Overall: Forward Hudson Postnikoff
Done with doubling up, the Wheat Kings stayed in Saskatchewan for their lone pick of the 6th round. Here they found Postnikoff, a star with the Saskatoon Outlaws U15 AA squad. With 32 goals and 51 points in just 29 games (leading his team in both categories) Postnikoff had an impressive season with the puck.
The young Saskatoon-born forward will stay in Saskatoon next season as he looks to be joining the Contacts for his first season of U18 AAA. At a height of 5-foot-11, he’s one of the taller forwards the Wheat Kings took in the draft.
8th Round, 169th Overall: Forward Mason Chubey
After sitting out round seven, the Wheat Kings found another scoring threat up front in round eight. Chubey was the second leading scorer on his Winnipeg Bruins team in the regular season with 61 points in 29 games. Though he didn’t get as deep of a playoff run as some of his fellow draftees, he made the most of it. Chubey led the team with eight points in just three games, and led in goals as well with four.
The Winnipeg native comes in at 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds.
9th Round, 191st Overall: Defenseman Tristan Follick
The Wheat Kings waited until the last pick of the day to go as far west as British Columbia, and there they picked up an intriguing defenseman. Follick’s 10 goals and 22 points in 25 games with Pacific Coast Academy were impressive enough from the back end, but they were even more impressive when you consider he was his team’s leading scorer. He then tied for the team lead in scoring again in the playoffs with six points in four games.
At 5-foot-10 and 156 pounds, the Langford, BC native was also the only player the Wheat Kings picked from the CSSHL during the 2024 draft.
(Article courtesy of Rob Mahon)
