For two weeks, Carter Klippenstein and Brady Turko got to see exactly what all their hard work had been building toward up close.
The two veteran Wheat Kings forwards returned to the team this week after their first ever NHL main camps, Klippenstein with the Minnesota Wild, Turko with the Anaheim Ducks. And both guys put in an awful lot of miles and played some incredibly fast-paced hockey in a short period of time before returning to Brandon.
“It’s been pretty crazy, going down to Anaheim for rookie camp and then moving on to main camp,” said Turko. “It’s definitely an amazing feeling and amazing experience to get down there and be with professional hockey players.”
“It’s kind of surreal,” Klippenstein said. “One moment you’re here, just playing hockey and having a great time with the boys and then the next you’re on a private jet to play against the Jets. It was an unreal experience.”
Before his return to Brandon, Klippenstein got into an NHL preseason game against the Winnipeg Jets, ironically just up the road from where he’ll be playing junior this season. His experience in Winnipeg is one he knows he’ll never forget.
“It was a really good crowd, almost full,” Klippenstein said. “You look up and it’s like ‘There are this many people watching me here?’ and it’s kind of crazy. I actually forgot about the anthem shout that they do, it scared me a little bit.”
The 2006-born power forward got into his first practice with the Wheat Kings today, though his departure from Minnesota was delayed by weather. He took the delay in good spirits.
“We got on the big jet and went to Winnipeg for the game, and within 20 minutes everything is packed up for you and hop on the jet home,” said Klippenstein. “We actually got stuck in the air for about four hours because it was hailing. I got to hang out on the plane for a bit longer with the guys, which was cool.”
Klippenstein wasn’t alone in getting into a faster paced game either. Turko suited up for the Ducks in both of their rookie tournament games, then got in some skates with the full group at their main camp. He picked up on some major differences right away.
“Everything is faster and everybody has got their head up,” said Turko. “There aren’t many passes that aren’t made and not many guys that aren’t making a good hard pass. Then you’ve got to add in the physical side of things. There aren’t many guys under six feet or under 190 pounds so it’s definitely a man’s game.”
Now that Klippenstein and Turko are back, the Wheat Kings’ forward corps is completely intact and ready for the season ahead. With the first win of the season still up for grabs, the team will depend on their depth up front to carry them to some lofty expected heights.
“Our forward group is a really strong group,” Turko said. “I’m super excited for the game on Saturday and I think we’ve got a lot to show here going forward.”
The Wheat Kings have Friday off before hosting the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday at 6:00.
