WHL NOTEBOOK: Wheat Kings trade with everybody eventually

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/01/2024 (864 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings have made their fair share of trades over the years, even if they aren’t nearly as active as some teams.

With the trade deadline near on Jan. 10, here’s a look at the last deal Brandon has made with the other 21 Western Hockey League teams, and a little bit on how each deal turned out.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

EAST DIVISION

• MOOSE JAW WARRIORS — Oct. 12, 2022 — Brandon solved its overage issue by sending Riley Ginnell for a fifth-round pick in 2023. After Ryder Korczak was unexpectedly returned from pro hockey, Ginnell was dealt to Regina on Nov. 21, 2022 for a fifth-round pick in 2026.

• PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS — Oct. 11, 2023 — Brandon acquired 17-year-old defenceman Seth Tansem for a fourth-round pick in 2025. He has settled into Brandon’s third pairing this season.

• REGINA PATS — Nov. 13, 2023 — In a one-for-one deal involving a pair of 18-year-old forwards, Brandon acquired Matteo Michels for the disgruntled Tony Wilson, who had asked for a trade. Michels, who was born in Ontario, but grew up in Texas, has scored in his last three games against the Pats and proven to be a well-liked teammate.

• SASKATOON BLADES — Sept. 20, 2023 — Brandon acquired overage forward Jayden Wiens for a third-round pick in 2025 and a fourth-round pick in 2027. A heart-and-soul player, Wiens is the smallest guy on the team, but a big presence in the dressing room and on the ice.

CENTRAL DIVISION

• CALGARY HITMEN — Jan. 9, 2006 — Brandon acquired 18-year-old defenceman Dustin Kohn in return for 19-year-old forward Derek LeBlanc and a fifth-round pick in 2007. In 109 regular season and playoff games during two seasons, the New York Islanders draft pick Kohn had eight goals and 70 assists, Meanwhile, Brandonite LeBlanc terrorized the Wheat Kings, putting up 11 points against them in six games in the 2007 playoffs.

• EDMONTON OIL KINGS — Sept. 19, 2018 — After settling on the tandem of Jiri Patera and Ethan Kruger, Brandon sent 19-year-old goaltender Dylan Myskiw to Edmonton for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2019. Brandon used the pick to grab Alberta defenceman Cyle Clayton, who is college committed and currently playing in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, while Myskiw became Edmonton’s starter for a season.

• LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES — Sept. 27, 2022 — Tyson Zimmer, 18, was sent to Lethbridge for a third-round pick in 2023 and a fifth-round pick in 2024. After putting up 25 points in 85 games playing bottom six minutes in Brandon, he has 69 points in 99 games in Lethbridge in more of a front-line role. Meanwhile, the third-round pick was part of a package which was sent to Victoria for Tony Wilson and Luke Shipley. Wilson has since been dealt to Regina for Matteo Michels, while Shipley is a top-four defenceman with Brandon.

• MEDICINE HAT TIGERS — Dec. 6, 2013 — Brandon sent 18-year-old goaltender Christopher Tai for a conditional pick in 2015. Tai made just one start for the Tigers and finished his career in Junior A.

• RED DEER REBELS — May 17, 2021 — In a one-for-one swap of 19-year-olds, Brandon sent backup goaltender Connor Ungar in return for big defenceman Mason Ward. Ungar spent one season in Red Deer and was traded to Moose Jaw, where he graduated. Ward was traded to Swift Current on Jan. 9, 2023 for Kayden Sadhra-Kang, who in turn was traded for current Wheat Kings defenceman Jackson DeSouza.

• SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS — Sept. 27, 2023 — Brandon sent 19-year-old defenceman Zach Turner for a sixth-round pick in 2024. Turner, a Boissevain product who struggled to get into the lineup in Brandon, has battled injuries this season, but has two goals and six assists in 19 games with the Broncos.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

B.C. DIVISION

• KAMLOOPS BLAZERS — Sept. 17, 2019 — Seventeen-year-old forward Riley Ginnell was picked up for a sixth-round pick in 2021. A great dressing room guy and solid contributor with Brandon, Ginnell was dealt as an overager to Moose Jaw.

• KELOWNA ROCKETS — Nov. 30, 2023 — In a one-for-one deal involving overage defencemen, Jackson DeSouza was acquired by Brandon in return for Kayden Sadhra-Kang. DeSouza was injured in his first game when he blocked a shot with the side of his head but has since become a reliable defensive defenceman for Brandon.

• PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS — Jan. 9, 2020 — In a one-for-one deal, the Wheat Kings dealt 18-year-old forward Jonny Hooker for 19-year-old forward Reid Perepeluk. Hooker served as Cougars captain in his final season, while Perepeluk was a key piece of Brandon’s team in the Regina hub.

• VANCOUVER GIANTS — May 18, 2023 — Brandon addressed its overage situation by dealing 20-year-old defenceman Logen Hammett for a fourth-round pick in 2024. Hammett, who was named an alternate captain by the Giants, has five points in 35 games and will make his return to Brandon on Saturday.

• VICTORIA ROYALS — Oct. 5, 2023 — Brandon solved its overage logjam by trading 20-year-old forward Dawson Pasternak for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024. Pasternak has 13 goals and 23 assists in 31 games with the Royals.

U.S. DIVISION

• EVERETT SILVERTIPS — July 14, 2022 — The Wheat Kings sent 19-year-old defenceman Jacob Hoffrogge for a seventh-round pick in 2024. Hoffrogge was subsequently dealt to Edmonton and is now in his overage season with Prince Albert.

• PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS — Jan. 10, 2023 — Brandon sent the rights to Colin Frank, a sixth-round pick in 2025 and a second-round pick in 2026 for 19-year-old forward Dawson Pasternak and a conditional fourth-round pick. Pasternak was terrific for Brandon after the deal, but showed up at camp with a bad back and was dealt to Victoria when Jayden Wiens stole his job.

• SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS — Aug. 15, 2013 — Brandon acquired defenceman Taylor Green for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2014. He played a full season in Brandon and was dealt to Moose Jaw on Oct. 5, 2014 for — you guessed it — a fifth-round pick in 2015.

• SPOKANE CHIEFS — Sept. 24, 2021 — Brandon acquired 17-year-old forward Ben Thornton for a second-round pick in 2021 which Spokane used to draft Luka Shcherbyna, who now skates for Wenatchee while Thornton, who was dealt to Kelowna for a conditional draft pick, is out long-term with concussion issues.

• TRI-CITY AMERICANS — Oct. 31, 2021 — Brandon acquired 19-year-old forward Landon Roberts for a seventh-round pick in 2024. Roberts was a physical force for the Wheat Kings and a well-liked teammate, but was dealt to Swift Current in the summer of 2020 for a conditional pick as he entered his overage season. He was cut by the Broncos and finished his junior career with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s title-winning Steinbach Pistons.

• WENATCHEE WILD — July 20, 2018 — Brandon traded Gunnar Wegleitner to the Kootenay Ice for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2019 but he didn’t land a roster spot.

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — How many players can you remember who Brandon traded for during the 2015-16 season, and for extra points, which ones were on hand in Seattle when they won the 2016 WHL championship?

• TRADES: The Regina Pats began their rebuild in earnest on Sunday with three deals. Here’s a look at every deal made since the Christmas trade freeze listed on Dec. 27.

— Dec. 31 — Regina sends 19-year-old American forward Borya Valis to Prince George for 17-year-old forward Tyson Buczkowski, a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a conditional third-round pick in 2026.

— Dec. 31 — Regina sends 19-year-old Russian forward Alexander Suzdalev and a sixth-round pick in 2025 to Saskatoon for 17-year-old forward Zach Moore, 18-year-old Slovakian defenceman Samuel Barcik, 16-year-old defenceman Dayton Deschamps, a fourth-round pick in 2025, a first-round pick in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2026.

— Dec. 31 — Regina sends overage defenceman Parker Berge to Everett for overage defenceman Ty Gibson and a second-round pick in 2025.

— Dec. 31 — Kelowna sends 18-year-old forward Marcus Pacheco to Medicine Hat for 18-year-old forward Brett Calhoon, a third-round pick in 2024 and a fifth-round pick in 2025.

— Dec. 30 — Calgary sends 19-year-old forward Tomas Marinkovic to Vancouver for 18-year-old forward Connor Dale.

— Dec. 30 — Moose Jaw sends 18-year-old forward Harper Lolacher to Regina for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2025.

— Dec. 27 — Seattle sends 18-year-old forward Gracyn Sawchyn, 16-year-old forward Lukas Sawchyn and unsigned 15-year-old defenceman Tracen Ashley to Edmonton for 19-year-old forward Nathan Pilling, a first-round pick in 2026 that originally belonged to Seattle, a second-round pick in 2024 that originally belonged to Kamloops, a conditional second-round pick in 2027, a third-round pick in 2025 that originally belonged to Moose Jaw, a conditional third-round pick in 2027, a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a seventh-round pick in 2024.

— Dec. 27 — Edmonton sends 19-year-old forward Rilen Kovacevic, 18-year-old import defenceman Vojtech Port and a sixth-round pick in 2024 to Moose Jaw in exchange for 17-year-old import forward Andrej Tomasec, a first-round pick in 2025, a conditional second-round pick in 2025 and a third-round pick in 2026.

— Dec. 27 — Lethbridge sent overage defenceman Chase Pauls to Prince George for a third-round pick in 2024.

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The league didn’t name any weekly stars due to the Christmas break.

• SIN BIN — Calgary Hitmen defenceman Carter Yakemchuk received a one-game suspension for a check-from-behind major and game misconduct against Prince George last Thursday.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — After spending is first full pro season in the ECHL last year as an alternate captain with the Utah Grizzlies, Brandonite James Shearer made a big move to join the Coventry Blaze in the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom. He has one goal and seven assists in 23 games with the Blaze. Now 26, Shearer played 202 regular season and playoff games with the Wheat Kings during three seasons. Shearer, who was listed by the Wheat Kings after being dropped by Calgary and was playing with the Steinbach Pistons, signed with Brandon during the 2015-16 season and was on the third pairing of the championship team. After graduating from Brandon as captain following the 2017-18 season, he spent four years at the University of Calgary suiting up for the Dinos. Interestingly, he was also drafted by the Minot Minotauros and current Wheat Kings GM Marty Murray in the 2015 NAHL draft.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon kicks off a six-game home stand this week when it faces the Vancouver Giants on Saturday in its only game the rest of this week. The rest of the home stand includes the Victoria Royals (Jan. 9), Swift Current Broncos (Jan. 12), Prince Albert Raiders (Jan. 14), Lethbridge Hurricanes (Jan. 20) and Medicine Hat Tigers (Jan. 21).

• ANSWER — Brandon made seven deals during the 2015-16 season, which seems positively old-fashioned now.

In order, they were:

• Oct. 1, 2015 — A conditional 10th-round pick in 2017 was sent to Saskatoon for forward Garrett Armour. (The Blades picked defenceman Zach Veitch of Rivers, who went straight from under-18 with the Yellowhead Chiefs to college hockey with Dakota College at Bottineau.)

• Oct. 28, 2015 — With an extra overager, Rihards Bukarts was sent to Portland for a conditional third-round pick in 2016 that was later traded.

• Nov. 5, 2015 — With overage forward Tim McGauley hurt, Brandon acquired Luke Harrison from Spokane for a conditional 11th-round pick

• Nov. 25, 2015 — When McGauley returned, Harrison was sent to Prince George for a ninth-round pick in 2016.

• Nov. 25, 2015 — In a one-for-one deal, Jordan Thomson of Wawanesa was acquired from Swift Current for Mark Taraschuk.

• Jan. 4, 2016 — After overage defenceman Colton Waltz asked for a trade, he and Braylon Shymr were sent to Saskatoon for defencemen Mitch Wheaton and Schael Higson, plus the second-round pick in 2017 which the Wheat Kings used to draft defenceman Vinny Iorio.

• Jan. 10, 2016 — Brandon acquired depth forward Jaeger White from Everett for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2017. White was injured on March 2 and missed the rest of the season. The answer to the quiz question is three.

When Brandon won the title with an 8-4 victory over the Thunderbirds on May 13, 2016, Thomson and Wheaton were on the ice and Armour was in the stands as a healthy scratch. White was hurt and Higson had been sent home so neither player was on hand to hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson