Bantam AAA Wheat Kings continue to grow as a team

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This article was published 24/12/2018 (2529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings bantam AAA hockey team put an early Christmas gift under the tree of head coach Paul Mandziuk on Sunday.

Matt Stephens made 44 saves and the Wheat Kings received goals from Cayden Glover, Nolan Chastko, Keenan Skrupa, Callum Halls and Carter Dittmer on a penalty shot at Westoba Place in Winnipeg AAA Hockey Bantam Division 1 action.

Liam Russell scored for the Hawks, who outshot Brandon 45-28.

“Going into the Christmas break, we were preaching all week that you only have X number of days to hold it together until you get a couple of days off and can recharge your batteries and turn your brain off,” Mandziuk said. “Today I thought we came out with a decent effort right off the hop. I don’t think our first period was as good as it could have been but I thought we built on it. We ran into some penalty troubles so some players weren’t getting on the ice and there was some time players spent sitting, but I think for the most part our effort was good and our willingness to stick to the script was good.

“All in all, I’m happy with it.”

With the victory, the Wheat Kings improve to 9-12-0-0 and sit fourth in the seven-team West Division. But the record alone doesn’t tell the tale of a 36-game season in which the Wheat King have suffered three- and four-game losing streaks, while also earning four victories in a row.

“In September we were raw and we kind of thought we would have some trouble scoring goals and we did,” Mandziuk said. “We also thought we would have some trouble with players understanding some of the more advanced systems so we really had to take a step back. It was easy to get frustrated when you see players who just aren’t getting it but you have to remember some of them, this is a lot faster than what they’re used to. Our growth in our team play has come a long way. We have players who are only a couple of years out of house league hockey so there is always that struggle.”

He said some of the players also had to adjust their physical conditioning to meet the pace of the game. Mandziuk said the team’s understanding of the finer points of the game has also developed considerably.

“I think we still have a long ways to go but every bantam coach is going to tell you that,” Mandziuk said. “

The team has four first-year players on its 19-man roster, and three players in their second year with the team. They’re also enormous compared to the 2017-18 squad.

“This year we’re bigger and heavier than we were last year by quite a bit,” Mandziuk said. “Our average weight would probably be 15 pounds heavier (on average) than we were last year, which is nice. Last year we were quite undersized and gave up a lot. This year the boys are bigger and stronger. I would like to see them use their size and strength a bit more but I’ve never met a coach who wouldn’t say that.”

The main source of their offence is certainly no secret.

The six-foot, 160-pound Glover has scored 33 of the team’s 75 goals through 21 games. The 14-year-old Brandonite, who is a strong candidate to be selected in the 2020 Western Hockey League bantam draft next May, said his game is built on speed, shooting and scoring.

He admitted the draft is on his mind.

“I think about it quite a bit,” Glover said. “I try to always play good every game and make sure the scouts see what I can really do out there.”

He’s certainly showcased on special teams.

The Wheat Kings are hitting at 20.9 per cent on the power play, tops in the West Division and fourth in the 13-team league.

On Sunday, the Wheat Kings held the Hawks to one goal on nine power-play chances, including a pair of long 5-on-3s. Overall, they are killing penalties at 73.9 per cent, sixth in the division.

“At times we can be solid,” Mandziuk said. “We do take penalties. We’re a team, because we’re bigger and stronger and I insist players be physical, we’re going to take penalties. We had to do some adjustments to our penalty kill but once we got the buy-in and dedication for the system that we run, I think our penalty can be effective. Our power play can be effective when we stick to the script. If we have players who go off script, just like anybody, things fall apart. We do have success on it, which is nice. It gives us that little boost that we need. We work a lot on it so it’s good to see it paying off.”

That’s one of the traits Glover likes about his teammates. He said their effort is seldom lacking.

“We always work hard,” Glover said. “We’re always out there getting pucks to the net, getting pucks out and getting pucks deep.”

He said his squad does need to improve its ability to limit shots by the opposing squad from the slot.

The Wheat Kings will have a nice break to reflect on the first half. They next see action on Jan. 4 when they host the Parkland Rangers at Enns Brothers Arena at 7:45 p.m. Mandziuk hopes he continues to see the development the first half brought.

“At times we’ve competed really well,” Mandziuk said. “I think our skill-set has improved over the course of the season, the fellas have put the effort in, and I think our physical conditioning has gotten better. A lot of these players, it took them a little while to realize how much faster AAA bantam was going to be than maybe what they were expecting.

“There is a little bit of a learning curve but I think they’re starting to adjust to it and think the game better.”

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