Forward Jimmy Egan made a little bit of Brandon Wheat Kings history when he signed with the club. He became the first U.S. Priority Draft selection to sign a WHL scholarship and development agreement with the team. As interesting as that may be, however, that’s not why he’s excited to join the team, or why they’re so excited to have him.
Egan, a big, skilled forward from Mahtomedi, Minnesota, officially signed with the Wheat Kings on June 16. He was originally the team’s second selection, 28th overall in the 2023 U.S. Priority Draft.
“It feels awesome,” Egan said. “I’m really excited to join this amazing organization. I can’t wait to get started.”
The feeling is very much mutual. Egan was a star with the Sioux Falls Power 16U AAA team last season, leading his team in points per game with an impressive 45 points in 26 games. The season prior, he tore up the Minnesota High School ranks with 52 points in 31 games, good for second on his team even though he was playing with and against players three years older than him.
“We’re thrilled to be able to sign Jimmy and have him join the Wheat Kings,” said Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray. “He brings size and skill to our roster, and has developed really well the last two seasons. We look forward to seeing him at camp this fall.”
When Egan was drafted, he stood six feet tall and just over 165 pounds. Now he’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 187 pounds, and he knows how to use that size to pile up points. Over the last two seasons, he’s put up a combined 112 points in 88 games in five different leagues.
“I feel like I’m a high-hockey IQ power forward,” Egan said. “I used my body to my advantage and put the puck in the back of the net.”
Egan got his first taste of WHL action when he watched a game in February during a visit with the team, and loved the pace of play. He knows that will be an adjustment, but he did play three games in the USHL last season and so got a more up-close sample of junior hockey. He also already has some sense of how to handle a long season with plenty of travel, as his 16U Sioux Falls squad faced teams from all over the country.
“We played against teams like the Dallas Junior Stars and Shattuck St. Mary’s,” he said. “The travel isn’t terrible, we’d go to different showcases around the country in Dallas, Phoenix, places like that. The 16U was definitely a step up from high school where I played the two years prior to that.”
For both the Wheat Kings and Egan, 2025-26 has all the makings of a hugely important season. For the Wheat Kings, it’s a season they’ve made clear they have high expectations for. For Egan, it’s his draft season as a 2008-born player. And both parties could definitely boost each other on this front.
“That’s obviously a goal, but I’m not going to be focused on that,” Egan said. “I’m just focused on getting better each day and doing whatever I can to help the team win.”
In that way and so many others, Egan comes to the Wheat Kings at a unique time. Players can now play WHL games and retain their NCAA eligibility (Egan is committed to Arizona State for the 2027-28 season) so now the opportunity to come to the WHL is, as he put it, “a no-brainer”. And he gets a chance to join a team loaded with skilled forwards who made a statement trade earlier this offseason that says they’re expecting to contend in 2025-26. So how is Egan feeling about the opportunity he’s walking into?
“I’m so pumped,” he said. “I can’t wait to meet everybody and get started.”
Safe to say, the Wheat Kings are thinking the same thing.
