No one wins any banners in September, but as teams are often bitterly reminded in March, points earned this month count the same as points earned at any point in the season. To that end, the Wheat Kings haven’t been leaving any points on the table in the early season.
With two wins under their belts, both against division rivals, and reinforcements coming from the NHL, you could forgive the Wheat Kings for feeling pretty good about themselves right now. But that’s not to say they’re feeling perfect. Talk to the players and they’ll tell you they’re still trying to find another gear.
They should find it soon, because this weekend promises to provide their toughest tests so far. Not only are they on their first multi-game road trip of the season, they’re facing a Prince Albert Raiders squad that’s also gotten a ton of NHL reinforcements this week, and a surprising Saskatoon Blades squad that’s right there with them at 2-0.
At least the 20-year-old question no longer looms over the team, but the answer (which was never going to be easy) proved to be just as tough as everyone thought it would be.
- So let’s start with that 20-year-old question. Yesterday, the team traded forward Rylen Roersma to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a 2nd round pick in 2026 and a 5th round pick in 2027. There was a spirited reaction online to this trade, which shows the loyalty Wheat Kings fans have to their favorite players and just how well thought of Roersma was within the city of Brandon. Head coach and GM Marty Murray told me it was a hard choice to make, knowing how long Roersma had been a Wheat King. Two things tipped his hand: one, Nolan Flamand came into camp on a mission and had an excellent preseason and start of the season (Roersma, it should be said, was no slouch himself). Two, the market for Roersma allowed him to get a return he was more comfortable with. That second round pick in particular might prove to be valuable ammunition down the line. But trust me, Wheat Kings fans, if it was a tough day for you watching your favorite Wheat King get traded, it was a tougher one by far in the Wheat Kings office. 20-year-old trades can be among the most difficult parts of the job but someone has to do it.
- With the trade of Roersma, the 20-year-olds for the Wheat Kings will be Marcus Nguyen, Nolan Flamand, and Luke Shipley. At a glance, this gives the Wheat Kings a strong group of veteran players (Murray mentioned to me he’d taken calls on all of them from other teams not as fortunate in their 2004 class). Nguyen has an enviable skill set, one I think might’ve been a bit buried in Portland, and despite being buried he still posted 24 goals and 56 points last season. In the playoffs, he went off with eight goals and 17 points in 18 games, and for a Wheat Kings team that has its sights set on a deep playoff run, his experience will be invaluable. Shipley and Flamand have each had strong starts to the season, meanwhile, and seem poised for excellent finales to their respective junior careers.
- Now to the good news: defenseman Charlie Elick has returned from the Columbus Blue Jackets after his first taste of NHL exhibition action. Blue Jackets reporters came away very impressed with Elick’s brief showing, especially (this will surprise no one in Brandon) with his physical game as he threw a crushing body check on Zach Benson. Elick brings size, skating ability, and snarl to the back end, all of which will be more than welcome as the Wheat Kings make their first foray into Prince Albert. One word of caution: players often have an adjustment period when coming back from the NHL. It’s quite a jump to go from taking NHL-caliber passes and passing to NHL-caliber targets to junior hockey where most of Elick’s teammates aren’t old enough to buy a beer in the province he’ll be playing in this weekend. Luckily he’ll have a full practice today and a gameday skate on Friday to get used to the pace again, and once he settles in he’ll be a force on the back end.
- The Wheat Kings weren’t expecting to get Carson Bjarnason back from the Philadelphia Flyers so soon, but they’re not sorry to get him back in the fold. Bjarnason, like Elick, drew high praise from those watching the Flyers’ camp and exhibition games, and in many regards he seems to have taken a step forward of his own. His return gives the Wheat Kings one of the best goaltenders in all of junior hockey, an ace in the hole for games where (as inevitably happens to every team at some point) they need a goalie to bail them out. It’s also a chance for Bjarnason to build his already impressive case to represent Canada at the World Junior Championships in December
- As happy as the Wheat Kings were to see Bjarnason return, they’d no cause for complaint with the play of Ethan Eskit. The 2006-born goaltender picked up where he left off last season, stopping 23 of 25 in the 5-2 win over Moose Jaw on opening night, then one-upping himself by stopping 24 of 25 in the 5-1 win over Regina the following day. Last season, the Wheat Kings pushed Bjarnason hard, and Eskit’s longest stints of duty came when Bjarnason was injured or when he was away at the start of the year. Expect that to change this season, as Eskit has made his case for a greater workload.
- For the past three seasons, the Brandon Wheat Kings and Prince Albert Raiders have been building up toward their windows to contend at roughly the same time. As their other division rivals have fallen off, these two teams are ready to rise up and begin their long awaited battle for top spot in the East Division. It doesn’t hurt that both teams have recently had an influx of talent from NHL camps. Expect the Friday night game in Prince Albert to be the Wheat Kings’ toughest test yet. Furthermore, these two teams seem to know they’re on track to compete with each other. Going back years, the games between the Wheat Kings and Raiders have been intense, physical, and a genuine pleasure to call. Some of the best hockey of the last few regular seasons for both teams have come against each other and Friday night promises to be more of the same.
The first road trip of the year is always fun, and always important as players get to know their new teammates best when they’re on the road together. We’ll see if the Wheat Kings can keep their winning ways up on the road before an October and November that sees them spend a lot of time on home ice.
