When the season began, the Brandon Wheat Kings thought they knew more or less what they were getting from Luke Shipley. He’d had nine goals each of the past two seasons (a combined total of 18) and been over the 30-point barrier both times for a combined total of 67.
At the rate he’s going, Shipley will outdo both of the past two seasons in this one alone. With 14 goals and 45 points through 46 games, Shipley has been a scoring machine for the Wheat Kings, especially in the second half, and his steady rise has garnered attention from the NCAA. Shipley recently committed to UMass Lowell for the 2025-26 season.
“It’s a relief,” Shipley said of his college commitment. “It’s been a long process, and one I’m happy to go through, and I’m excited with the spot I landed in and I’m grateful.”
That was only one part of a big week for Shipley, who followed up a five-point game against the Red Deer Rebels with a goal and an assist against the Moose Jaw Warriors two nights later. The WHL doesn’t award a Defenceman of the Week in their weekly awards, but one has to think Shipley would’ve been a heavy favorite to win it.
“Luke’s had an exceptional season, especially since Christmas,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “He probably leads our team in points since the break. He’s playing with a lot of confidence, he’s got good offensive abilities but at the same time he’s doing a good job in the defensive zone too. He’s playing really solid hockey.”
Coaches around the WHL are still trying to figure out exactly what the new world will look like now that the NCAA has opened its doors to CHL players. One thing they’re fairly certain of, however, is four more years of development time will be good for the players themselves.
“The next level is always a goal of mine and the NCAA is a great league to play in and to further my schooling development and see where the next steps take me,” Shipley said.
Before he gets to that next level, however, Shipley has a job to do and so do the Wheat Kings. Brandon took five of a possible six points this week, a good week by any stretch of the imagination. All it really did, however, was allow them to keep pace in an Eastern Conference where everybody seems to be winning at the same time.
“The next ten games are probably going decide our season,” said Shipley. “A lot of them are against teams below us in the standings, so we’ve got to take care of business and keep playing well.”
The Wheat Kings host the Wenatchee Wild tomorrow night at 7:00.
