The Brandon Wheat Kings have been on a long run of international representation, with players taking part in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, and World Junior Championship over the last several seasons. It looks as if they’ll have plenty of chances to keep that run going.
Three Wheat Kings have been invited to Canadian camps this summer. Forward Chase Surkan will go to Hockey Canada’s development camp for the U17s, while Gio Pantelas and Jaxon Jacobson have been invited to try out for the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup team.
“I’m very excited for these three gentlemen to attend their respective Team Canada camps,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “Getting a chance to represent your country on the international stage is a huge honour and all three of them earned this opportunity. We wish them the best of luck at camp, and I know they will do us proud!”
Surkan, a first-round pick of the Wheat Kings in 2024, spent last season with the Regina Pat Canadians in the Saskatchewan U18 AAA ranks. He certainly made the most of his first full AAA season, posting 73 points in 41 regular season games, 12 points in 10 playoff games, and 12 points in seven games at the TELUS Cup, which the Pat Cs won. Surkan also made his Wheat Kings’ debut and played three games with the team in total.
In his first season with the Wheat Kings, Pantelas quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with on the back end. One of the team’s two first-round picks in 2023, Pantelas posted 10 points in 61 games with a plus-11 rating in his first full season with the team. He also represented Canada at the U17s in November and came home with a gold medal with Team Canada White.
Jacobson, a Brandon native and fifth-overall pick in 2023, set high expectations for himself after scoring twice in his first WHL game (at which time he had not yet turned 15). He raised the bar still further in his first full season in Brandon, leading Wheat Kings’ rookies in scoring with 44 points in 51 games and earning a silver medal with Canada Red at the U17s. He tied for his team lead in scoring at that event with four points in four games.
This marks the fourth year in a row the Wheat Kings have had players at camp for both the Hlinka-Gretzky and U17 teams. The previous year, 2021, Canada did not send a team to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
