It took a little longer than a young Ryan White might have planned, but what was always meant to be is about to be: he is going to be a Brandon Wheat King.
The Brandon native and former AAA Wheat King was announced as the newest member of the team’s coaching staff today, joining them as an assistant coach. Though he was a Calgary Hitman during his playing days, he had always wanted to be part of his hometown team.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life to have an opportunity to be part of the Wheat Kings and pull on that yellow and black,” White said. “It’s a little bit different coming in as a coach, but honestly, really probably just as excited as I was as a player at that age. I’m just excited to be part of it and get things moving in the right direction.”
As a Brandon native, White understands the importance of the Wheat Kings in the community, but his familiarity with the team runs deeper than that. Having coached at the Western Canada Hockey Academy, he already knows a number of players who’ve come up through the local development system, players he’ll now be coaching in 2026-27.
“Knowing some of the players that came up through the academy and have been in Brandon and watching those guys play AAA, obviously that one team (2023-24) had a lot of success and it seems like they’re getting a few of those guys together,” said White. “These guys have been in the league and paying their dues and figuring out what the league’s all about, but they’re in the position now where they’re becoming veteran players. From the outside looking in, it seems like a very good time to hop on board and try to give them a little bit of extra support and hopefully a push to get where they want to go.”
White played over 300 games in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild, and Arizona Coyotes, as well as hundreds of games in other professional leagues. He’s also learned a great deal about coaching in recent years, serving as an assistant coach with the MJHL’s Winkler Flyers for five seasons and winning a championship in 2023-24.
“It’s a lot different than playing, that’s for sure,” White said, “and I think when you first get into it, you expect there’s a lot of similarities, and there is, but there’s a lot more going into the coaching. You’re not worried about just yourself, you’re worried about all the kids you’re trying to develop and get better, and each kid’s different. And you’ve got to kind of find a way to get a message to these guys. You want them playing hard and playing the right way for you. So it’s on the coaches to get that message across, get on the same page. And as much of a challenge it might be, the process is a fun part too.”
As a coach, one thing that sets White apart is an ability to draw from direct personal experience on just how far sheer will can take you. He was a hard-nosed player in his NHL days, and a pure worker, something he says he can help impart to the players.
“A lot of that comes down to being a choice,” White explained. “It’s the choice to do the hard things and do the things that a lot of guys maybe don’t want to do. I think from my standpoint it’s just about being there and maybe being the beacon of ‘it can be done.’ If you do it a certain way and do things right and pay attention to your coaches and put your best foot forward every day, you’re going to have an opportunity to keep playing.”
And White has already proven that his approach can work. During his time with Winkler, the team regularly sent players to higher levels of hockey from the NCAA to U Sports (including former Wheat Kings defenseman Max Lavoie, who joined the team after a season in Winkler). Many of those players are still in touch with White.
“I know in my experience in Winkler, seeing the guys get to move on to the next level and keep playing, I still have some players that are playing,” he said. “It’s a rewarding feeling. And it’s rewarding seeing those guys and seeing the smile on their face and seeing what they’ve accomplished and how they feel about themselves as young men. Having a little bit of experience, hopefully that can make the kids believe a little bit what I’m saying is true and hopefully make that transition a little bit easier.”
