Under the new rules of the preseason, all WHL exhibition games will feature overtime at the end of regulation regardless of the score. For the league, it’s a chance to showcase some new rules. For players, it’s another chance to show their skills and leave coaches with one more reason to keep them on the roster, and Hudson Landmark took advantage.
The 2007-born forward from Sherwood Park streaked down the right win and put a perfectly placed wrist shot right under the bar in the Wheat Kings’ overtime session in Ochapowace. It was the cherry on top of what had been a strong showing for him.
“I saw a lot of time with the puck there off a turnover and we had good support entering the zone,” Landmark said. “I saw a lane to shoot it and took the shot, it ended up going in.”
It was hardly the first time Landmark had been noticeable in the game against the Regina Pats, however. He made some smart plays shorthanded, including turning a defenseman inside out and giving himself a clean look at the Pats’ net. Though he was turned aside on his bid for a shorthanded goal, it was evident his confidence was up.
“I was definitely nervous going into that first game,” Landmark said. “But just getting it under me, and with a lot of support from the team, they were just telling to keep going and they helped me get my legs under myself.”
The team has noticed Landmark’s steadily improving game too. Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray said he earned some looks on special teams, and the coaching staff has been pleased with the results.
“I think he continues to impress and he’s getting better every time he’s out on the ice,” Murray said. “That’s a good thing for us. You can see he has a veteran presence, he’s played some junior hockey before and his details are strong. He’s blocking shots and he showed some skill in our last game against Regina. He’s trending the right direction.”
Landmark’s upward trend goes back well before the preseason began too. After a solid final season in Alberta’s U18 AAA ranks in 2023-24 (38 points in 38 games with the Sherwood Park Kings) he made the move to the BCHL’s Sherwood Park Crusaders before shifting over to the Canmore Eagles of the AJHL. Almost the instant he joined the team he began producing, and he kept it up at a remarkably consistent pace all through last season, clicking along at a point per game through the regular season, playoffs, and Centennial Cup.
“It was a great time out there,” Landmark said. “They really focused on my development and we had a great team, we ended up going to the Centennial Cup, which was also a great experience. We played against a lot of good teams and I think that really helped me get to where I’m at.”
That Centennial Cup experience wasn’t lost on the Wheat Kings, who can add Landmark to the list of players with national championship experience. But while quite a few of their players have gone to the brightest U18 stage in Canada at the TELUS Cup, Landmark went to a national tournament full of junior aged players.
“Regardless of whether you’re coming from youth hockey or junior hockey, if you play in a pressure situation like that, that’s a positive,” said Murray. “Those are times when you can’t afford to take a shift off or let your guard down. Anybody that’s been in those situations is definitely appealing for us. We want winners, guys who have won and who know what it takes.”
“It was a great time, great to spend it with my teammates,” said Landmark. “It was the best teams going at it, so I definitely had to up my game. That was a great experience overall.”
Landmark and the Wheat Kings will host the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first game of a back-to-back on Friday, September 11. The two games against the Warriors will wrap up the preseason for Brandon.
