On April 22, 2020, with the world in the grips of a global pandemic that would prematurely end one hockey season and all but erase another, the Brandon Wheat Kings made the 13th overall pick in the WHL Prospects Draft. Their selection: a defenseman from Weyburn, Saskatchewan by the name of Quinn Mantei.
Fast forward four and a half years, and you could say the Wheat Kings found their guy.
Up a goal, down a goal, on the power play or on the penalty kill, Mantei is coming over the boards for Brandon. He’s not only trusted in all situations, he’s now their captain and just finished his 200th and 201st games in their colours over the weekend.
“It’s pretty cool, not a lot of guys can say that,” Mantei said of his milestone. “How lucky I’ve been to be able to do it here, and to stay healthy and hit that milestone, it feels like yesterday I was just coming in as a 16-year-old. I’m pretty fortunate I’ve gotten this far.”
Mantei was one of many young players whose transition to junior hockey was made all the more difficult by the pandemic, which forced him to play only six games in 2020-21. But after joining the Wheat Kings at 16, he’s grown quickly. Mantei has won the last two Brad McCrimmon Awards, given by the Wheat Kings annually to their defenseman of the year, and seems a strong contender for his third.
“He’s one of those guys you never have to worry about,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “He’s no-maintenance, you know what you’re going to get from him every night. He wears his heart on his sleeve and that’s the reason we chose him as our captain. It’s a big accomplishment for him to play that many games and he just has to be Quinn, the guy that he is night in and night out for us.”
In no small part because of Mantei’s growth, this year’s version of the Wheat Kings is perhaps the best equipped to contend of any the young defenseman has played on. Now one of the elder statesmen on the back end, he wants to make the most of a gradually opening window to contend.
“Everybody wants to win and it makes the rink a fun place to come to when we’re playing well and the vibes are high,” said Mantei. “I think there’s another level we can still get to. We’ve let a few games slip recently but if we can keep building I think we can be right up there near the top of the standings.”
Mantei and the Wheat Kings will stay on home ice this weekend, hosting first the Tri-City Americans on Friday, November 22 and then the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday, November 23.
