The Brandon Wheat Kings don’t have to come right out and say it to their veteran returning players but the list of invitees to their main camp delivers a message loud and clear: this is no time to rest on your laurels.
For the first time in the tenure of Director of Hockey Operations Chris Moulton, the Wheat Kings have enough players to field four teams at camp instead of three. And thanks to an influx of veterans from elsewhere in the junior hockey world and young guns eager to prove themselves, all four teams will be full of players looking to play their way onto the team.
“I think this will be our most competitive camp we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Moulton said. “We definitely have a lot of skill, but I would like us to play a balanced game of skill and competitiveness. I don’t want teams coming into our arena and thinking they can run our show. I want a team that can score and play a high-paced skilled game but also have the ability to push back on other teams.”
In that case, Moulton’s scouting staff has brought in exactly the kind of recruits he’s looking for. Size, snarl, and skill are all in high supply among this year’s camp invitees. Last season, brothers Gunnar and Axel Gleasman (6-foot-4 and 6-foot-6 respectively) turned heads at camp with their heavy style, and both are back for another round.
“Gunnar had a good year,” said Moulton. “He started the year playing at the Okanagan Hockey Academy in Colorado and played in the NAHL as well and got some junior experience. It was good for him. He wanted to prove himself. He’s a big body that wants to play hard and play physical and I think sometimes you have to test that skillset against older, more mature players. I’m glad he took that experience, and he’s coming to make our hockey team this year.”
Younger brother Axel, the larger of the two, also tested himself against a higher level of competition this year at OHA Colorado with their U15 program. Now standing 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he’s going to be the biggest skater on the ice at camp.
“Axel had to go back and keep taking steps, and you could really see the steps in his game,” Moulton said. “I saw some of his final games online, he was playing with more skilled players and he was keeping up with the pace. He definitely still has room to grow as far as his game goes, but you can tell the work he’s put in has really benefited him. He has the ability to push this year, and he’s coming in to take that next step. I would say he’ll be a guy coming in to try to play next season.”
The Gleasmans were popular among fans at last year’s camp thanks to their physical approach, and that physicality and competitiveness are running themes of this year’s group. One player who is not, in fact, an invite but did play Junior A last season in the BCHL is Wheat Kings 2023 draft pick Ryan Boyce.
“He’s also coming to push,” Moulton said of Boyce. “He saw some limited ice time early last year, but once Okotoks realized what they had, they played him a lot more at the end. He’s a skilled player that plays very competitively. He’s not the biggest guy but he’s not afraid to get involved, he’s not afraid to go to the dirty places, he’s not afraid to be first to pucks, and along with that comes some skill. He has a really good chance to play in the Western Hockey League.”
Boyce has plenty of company from elsewhere in the Junior A ranks. Among them, forward Will Whitter of the SJHL’s Nipawin Hawks, who posted 35 points in 52 games last season.
“I’ve always kind of had time for Will so I’ve tracked him over the years,” said Moulton. “I saw a kid that played a very mature game as a 17-year-old in a tough league. When we were going through this with school chances, I think this allowed him to come here and do his thing. Here’s another big strong kid who plays hard, has some skill, and plays the game the right way.”
The Wheat Kings didn’t have to go too far afield for every prospect. Some of them played in Manitoba’s Junior A circuit last season, including a pair of Winkler Flyers: 6-foot-4 defenseman Max Lavoie, and forward Kam Thomas. Lavoie, in addition to his size, also put up 32 points in 58 games.
“I think he can play in the Western Hockey League, and if it’s not for us, it’ll be for somebody else,” said Moulton of Lavoie. “I see a guy that I would’ve considered the toughest guy in the MJHL last year. He can handle himself very well, he’s not flashy but he’s incredibly effective. He can make a first pass, he doesn’t get beat, he makes players pay the price, and on top of that he has some good hockey sense.”
On Thomas, who posted 42 points in 56 games last season, Moulton had this to say: “He’s an honest, hard-working kid who shows a ton of leadership. He plays a 200-foot game. He’s one of those kids the coach really advocated for, he said he’ll come and do anything you ask him to do and he’ll work really hard. Those are the type of guys that I wanted to come in.”
Speaking of teammates, a teammate of defenseman Cam Allard in Estevan with the AAA Bears was defenseman Thomas Reis. Reis made his Junior debut with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers last season, and posted 33 points in 56 games from the back end.
“I saw Thomas play a lot because he played with Cam two years ago, so whenever we watched Cam play, Thomas played,” Moulton said. “Thomas is put together. He’s not the tallest guy, but he’s physically strong. He brings physicality to his game, almost a bit of a nastiness, and he has a really good set of tools. He is going to make camp immediately competitive. He is going to make people notice, and he’s going to play hard.”
One final prospect that jumps off the page, one whose career Moulton has followed for a long time, is forward Asher Lucas. Playing in the KIJHL last season as a 16-year-old, he was his team’s most reliable offensive threat with 46 points in 33 games, and that came one season after he demolished the JPHL U17 circuit with 72 points in 33 games.
“Seattle drafted Asher after he had a really good season there (in the JPHL) and I was somewhat surprised when they dropped him,” said Moulton. “When they dropped him, he was playing in the KIJHL at 16 years old and playing against every other team’s top line every night. Take what you want from the KIJHL, but when you’re 16 years old playing against 18, 19 and 20-year-olds every single shift every night it’s hard. And Asher did a great job.”
Moulton added while they have respect for their returning players, he also thinks camp is a time where veteran players should be pushed in order to be at their absolute best when the season begins.
