At the very start of the season, we spent a lot of time on both this blog and the broadcast talking about the nature of expectations. Expectations from the coaches and staff, from the players, and even from the fanbase. The Brandon Wheat Kings are, by their own admission and insistence, a team with high expectations.
Case in point, the Wheat Kings beat the Regina Pats and Wenatchee Wild a combined 10-4 over the last two games. They took seven of a possible eight points from their four opponents over the last week and moved within striking distance of the East Division lead. And yet you get the distinct sense the team expects more from itself.
After those games, the focus was not on the periods that went well for the Wheat Kings (and there were two periods against the Pats and Wild that went REALLY well) but on the periods where they weren’t up to par. If anything, periods like the first period against Wenatchee and second period against Regina only throw the tougher periods into sharper relief. The team has set the standard for themselves with the pace they play at in their best periods. Anything else isn’t good enough.
If consistency were easily attained, no junior hockey team would ever really have a bad season or even a bad stretch. And if your inconsistent stretches end with you getting seven of a possible eight points, you’ve done ok.
The Wheat Kings aren’t down on themselves, not after a stretch of hockey like they’re on right now. They are, however, very intensely interested in doing even better.
- If you want an example of why it’s important to hold yourself to a higher standard, the first period against Wenatchee is a textbook case. The Wheat Kings outshot Wenatchee 15-9, scored three times at even strength, and got what turned out to be all the offense they would need for a win. Statistically it was their best period of the night, and for most teams that would constitute an excellent opening frame, especially when you come in off a trio of consecutive tough first periods. And yet, the team was about one or two breaks or decisions away from really, truly, blowing that game open. They were two good finishes away from turning a solid win (5-2 with an empty netter) into the kind of proper whipping that can be a huge confidence boost. Instead, they hit a crossbar, missed the net on some golden chances, let two power plays get away without result, and got stoned on breakaways and two-on-ones. Even then, they still had a chance to turn the win into a thumping. The five-minute major to Shaun Rios (very curious to see what the league ends up doing for discipline on that front) could’ve netted them a couple more goals and the way the power play had been performing that wouldn’t have been an unreasonable expectation. Instead, Wenatchee scored a shorthanded goal and dragged themselves back into the game. The Wheat Kings got away without anything more than a scare this time around. Against the kinds of teams they’ve got on the schedule in late February and early March, they might not get off so lightly. The first period was excellent in that game. Now the question becomes: how do they make it even better?
- The goal he scored against the Wenatchee Wild (shoutout to Nolan Flamand for a beautiful alley-oop assist) not only made Marcus Nguyen the first Wheat King to 25 goals, it gave him 25 for the first time in his career. Last season, a 20-year-old was the only Wheat King to break the 30-goal barrier and while another Wheat Kings may well get there this season, Nguyen is almost certain to be the first. If you’d told the Wheat Kings they were going to get 30+ goals out of Marcus Nguyen (he’s on pace for 36) and somewhere between 65 and 70 points, they’d probably have called that a good investment. What would his numbers be like if the running mate he started the season with, Roger McQueen, had been fully health this year?
- Nguyen is second on the Wheat Kings in scoring (he and Luke Shipley have been trading that place back and forth for the last couple of games) and that’s part of a strange and potentially historic trend for the team. If the current Wheat Kings’ scoring race holds, it would be the first time in the team’s WHL history that overagers have finished first, second, and third in team scoring. Shoutout to Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun for confirming that this is unprecedented in team history. It might not end up happening (Matteo Michels and Jordan Gavin are the next closest Wheat Kings to Shipley’s 45 points as of this writing) but whether it does or not, the Wheat Kings have never gotten offensive contributions from their overage group quite like this.
- Another strange stat, and this one is likely to stay this way for some time yet: the Wheat Kings top five scorers are all players they’ve acquired in trades made by Marty Murray since he took over as GM. Right now the five leading scorers are Nolan Flamand (acquired from Kelowna for Trae Johnson and draft picks), Marcus Nguyen (acquired from Portland for American prospect forward Reed Brown), Luke Shipley (acquired along with Anthony Wilson from the Victoria Royals for Teydon Trembecky and draft picks), Matteo Michels (acquired one-for-one from Regina in exchange for Wilson), and Jordan Gavin (acquired from Tri-City along with Merrek Arpin in exchange for Charlie Elick and a third-round pick). I can see why so many fans want the Wheat Kings to make more trades if this is going to be the result. Now, again, this is probably not the case if the Wheat Kings have the services of a healthy Roger McQueen. It’s also not an indictment of the team’s drafting either. Marty has only been at the helm for two drafts (he was hired after the draft in 2022) and a lot of the team’s previously drafted talent is taking on a huge role with this team (see Caleb Hadland and Quinn Mantei). But it’s interesting, and a bit surprising, to lay out just how much the Wheat Kings have gotten out of trades over the past two seasons.
- Speaking of drafted talent, how many other WHL teams do you think want a do-over on Carter Klippenstein? The tall, hard-working, agitating forward has five goals in his last six games and hasn’t forgotten about the other parts of his game along the way. When the goals weren’t coming as easily for him, scouts were still excited about his game. Was that because they knew he could be valuable in other ways, because they knew the dam was due to burst soon, or a combination of both? Either way, he’s bound to generate more interest if he keeps scoring like this. I’ve praised his shot before (when he walks off the wall and curls to the middle you know there’s a bullet of a shot coming) but lately it’s been the good old fashioned will to get to the paint that’s been working for him, something Marty has specifically said the team needs more of.
- The East Division title remains as important to the Wheat Kings now as it has been all season, and they’re just two points out of it entering play on Friday night. There’s a real opportunity for them coming up as they’ve got divisional matchups for the next six games in a row, while the Prince Albert Raiders are off in Alberta dealing with the maelstrom that is the Central Division. But while the Wheat Kings are chasing down the Raiders, they mustn’t lose sight of the Saskatoon Blades. The Wheat Kings and Blades enter Friday’s game exactly tied in the standings. Same wins, same losses, same overtime and shootout losses, naturally the same points, and the same games played. Right now, the Wheat Kings hold the narrowest of edges in the season series, but there are four games left in that season series including the one on Friday night. At this time, the Wheat Kings control their own destiny in that matchup, and they can’t waste that opportunity.
- Stepping away from the WHL for just a moment, it was good to see today that former Wheat Kings’ captain Brett Hyland is doing so well in the U Sports circuit with the perennial powerhouse University of Alberta Golden Bears. Hyland is third in team scoring, and leading the way in points per game, with 30 points in just 19 games this season. I always thought Hyland had the complete skill set necessary to go pro, and he still might do so, but for now he’s tearing it up close to home at U of A, which has seemed to be an ideal landing spot for the Edmonton-born forward. Incidentally, talk about a guy who needed the news from the NCAA one season sooner. I have to think there would’ve been Division 1 schools lining up for him. But U Sport remains, in my eyes, a highly underrated path to the pros. Brett was one of the easiest guys to deal with on the team, a great interview and a great kid, so to see him doing well makes me smile. Hopefully this is just the next step on a long road in hockey for him.
From being at the Wheat Kings office today, I got a sneak peak at how ticket sales are looking for the next couple of home games, and I have to say I’m impressed with the number of fans who appear ready to show up. Marty said on his postgame interview last night that he wants Westoba Place to be a difficult building to play in, something echoed by the players. The on-ice results and efforts are the primary drivers of that, no question. But having the place packed full of Black and Gold faithful adds to that. Every player who’s ever donned a Wheat Kings jersey will tell you how special it is to see that building full. If the Wheat Kings start climbing up the standings, maybe even into a home playoff spot, I can’t wait to see the building full more often myself. Hey, broadcasters can get energy from the crowd too.
