Wheaties’ import options wide open

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/08/2015 (3703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With four potential import players and two spots available, it’s adding up to an interesting month ahead for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Western Hockey League team opens on-ice rookie camp training sessions a week from today, with the veterans joining the mix on Friday, Sept. 4.

One of the more compelling storylines heading into camp is the team’s import situation, something Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon acknowledged Tuesday at a media event at Canad Inns Brandon.

“I have a comfort level that we’re going to have two good imports but it really could be a lot of different combinations,” McCrimmon said. “It really could be. I’m not putting a lot of time into sorting that out because we don’t have all the information at our fingertips that we’re going to need to make those decisions.”

The team has four possibilities for its two spots.

•Defenceman Ivan Provorov, 18, a first-round choice by the Philadelphia Flyers, who played last season with the Wheat Kings and was named the Eastern Conference’s top defender. If the Russian doesn’t stick with the NHL club, Provorov will return to Brandon.

• Forward Rihards Bukarts, a dynamic Latvian who counts as a 20-year-old this season because of his late 1995 birthday. He put up 74 points in 62 regular season games last season and will attend camp with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

• Forward Dario Winkler, 18, an Austrian taken in the second round of the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft by the Wheat Kings. He played junior hockey in Austria last season and will arrive in Brandon next week.

• Defenceman Oliver Kylington, 18, a second-round choice by the Calgary Flames who will play with the NHL club, their American Hockey League affiliate in Stockton, Calif., or the Wheat Kings. Brandon drafted the two-way Swedish defender in the first round of the Canadian Hockey League import draft.

If that seems like an unusually crowded situation, it is. The Wheat Kings were allowed to make two import draft selections this year because Provorov is an NHL first-rounder who could stick with the Flyers and because Bukarts is an overager who could turn pro.

McCrimmon remains hopeful that Provorov will return.

“We hope he’s back and I think it would be the right place for him to be but there are going to be other people who make that decision,” McCrimmon said.

It’s a similar situation with Kylington, but a couple of things had to occur for that possibility to even exist. He had to sign with the Flames before July 15, which happened. Plus, players not drafted in the first round of the NHL draft have to be offered back to their home country if they don’t make that club, but Sweden waived that right.

“At this point it appears that Kylington will play hockey in North America,” McCrimmon said. “Calgary’s American Hockey League team in Stockton is one of those possibilities and Brandon is one of those possibilities. Those are all things that are going to play out based on where the Flames see the best place for his development.”

Kylington will play in an NHL prospects tournament in Penticton, B.C., and then head to Flames camp. He could participate in Stockton’s camp after that.

“It’s just another one of those things that has to play itself out,” McCrimmon said. “That’s why teams have training camps. There are still things to be decided at all levels of hockey.”

<B>ICINGS: In addition to the imports, eight other Wheat Kings will take part in NHL camps this fall. C <B>John Quenneville (New Jersey Devils), RW<B> Jayce Hawryluk (Florida Panthers), D <B>Ryan Pilon (New York Islanders) and C/RW <B>Reid Duke (Minnesota Wild) are all NHL draft picks, who are preparing for pro camps. Undrafted

G <B>Jordan Papirny and

D <B>Colton Waltz will join Bukarts in Edmonton’s camp, while C <B>Tim McGauley (Washington Capitals) and

D <B>Macoy Erkamps (St. Louis Blues) are other free agents who have earned invitations. Three other members of last season’s Brandon team will also be in camp, with graduated captain RW <B>Peter Quenneville skating with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while LW<B> Morgan Klimchuk and D <B>Eric Roy will be at the Flames’ camp. Roy was unsigned by Calgary after being drafted by the team two years ago, but was later offered an amateur tryout.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson

Camp Schedule: WHEAT KINGS TRAINING CAMP ROOKIE CAMP Tuesday, Sept. 1 Registration Wednesday, Sept. 2 Team White practice, 8:30 a.m. Team Gold practice, 10 a.m. Team White vs Team Gold, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 Team White vs Team Gold, 10 a.m. Team White vs Team Gold, 6 p.m. MAIN CAMP Friday, Sept. 4 Team White practice, 8 a.m. Goaltenders session, 9:30 a.m. Team Gold practice, 10:30 a.m. Team White vs Team Gold, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 Team White vs Team Gold, 9:30 a.m. Intrasquad scrimmage, 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6 Intrasquad game, 2 p.m. All sessions are open to the public. The only session that has an admission fee is Sunday’s intrasquad game.