Michels becomes face of WHL in Texas

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This article was published 04/04/2025 (402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Matteo Michels goes home to Texas at Christmas, he discovered he’s become a source of curiosity for his younger brother and his friends.

The 19-year-old Brandon Wheat Kings forward, whose was born in Ontario but moved to Colleyville, Texas when he was three, is the face of the Western Hockey League in the local hockey community.

And with the changes last November that allowed major junior players into the NCAA ranks, the WHL has become a new option for elite players who want to go to college one day.

“My brother is 13 years old right now and almost 14,” Michels said. “He’s probably going into his draft year and all those kids that are friends with him are always asking me questions. Now with the NCAA rule changing, they’re all definitely interested in coming to this league because it’s the best junior league in the world.

“I get questions all the time in the off-season when I go back. I never get a break from it honestly, people are always reminding me about it.”

Michels, who had two goals in Brandon’s 6-4 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes at Virden’s Tundra Oil and Gas Place on Wednesday and has three goals in the series, was in action in Game 5 last night. The game ended after deadline, with Brandon needing a win to stay alive because they trailed Lethbridge 3-1.

Michels can certainly talk to his younger brother about what it’s like to find success in the WHL.

The five-foot-10, 170-pound Michels enjoyed a terrific fourth season with 20 goals, 35 assists and 55 points, which exceeded his combined totals from the three previous seasons in every category.

“I’m pretty happy,” Michels said. “I think I reached most of my goals and what I had in stride for myself. I think I’m pretty happy with what I’ve done.”

If you’ve watched the Wheat Kings, the most noticeable part of Michels’ game is his blinding speed. He’s an outstanding skater, but you still need a plan when you arrive at the puck.

“That’s one thing my dad always says, that I don’t use it enough,” Michels said with a chuckle. “He always harps on me about that and I say ‘What else do you want me to do?’ He always says ‘Don’t ever stop moving your feet, because that’s your greatest asset.’

“One thing I’ve been trying to do is listen more to him, and that’s advice I’ve been getting from everyone else. It’s what separates me from other players on other teams is my speed, so I’m trying to incorporate it in a little more this year.”

The right-hand shot said part of the credit goes to the Wheat Kings director of player development, Riley Dudar. He said Dudar’s help and the belief from the rest of the coaching staff were important for him.

“That’s one thing that I worked on over the summer and one thing Dudar have me over the summer to work on,” Michels said. “Even here working with him, he’s a really good skills coach and really good offensively so it kind of opened my eyes a little bit more. Even my coaches believing in me is giving me more confidence on the ice. That’s what I took into the summer and worked on and it translated into this year.”

Between the defensive systems in place, the increased focus on blocking lanes to take away shots and the talented goaltenders in the crease, it’s not an easy league to score in. Beyond his speed, part of Michels’ success also stems from his willingness to go to the hard areas.

“It’s pretty hard to score in,” Michels said. “You might go six games with six goals and then you might go 20 games with no goals. It’s all mental, honestly. You have to try to not get too high on the highs and get too low on the lows. You have to sit in that sweet spot.

“It’s a hard league to score in but honestly they say if you’re looking to score a goal, go to the net and park yourself there. Something will go in at some point.”

Michels was originally drafted 18th overall in the WHL’s first American draft back in 2020. He spent two-and-a-half seasons in Regina, but on Nov. 13, 2023, the Wheat Kings acquired him for disgruntled forward Tony Wilson in a one-for-one swap of 18-year-old forwards. It didn’t take long for him to feel at home.

“I felt pretty excited and ready to go,” Michels said. “Even that first practice, all the guys were bringing me in and screaming when I scored. It just felt like more of a family here honestly. It felt like we wanted to win so it didn’t very long for it to feel like home. It definitely made me love the game even more and enjoy coming to the rink every day.”

Since the trade, Michels has suited up in 115 games for Brandon and has 32 goals and 43 assists. Wilson, who asked out to get a larger offensive role for a second time — he also did it with the Victoria Royals — had 14 goals and 14 assists in 73 games in Regina before being dealt to Lethbridge on Jan. 7 for a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-round pick in 2027.

Beyond his success on the ice, Michels enjoys playing in a smaller community for some very practical reasons.

“We hang out with each other all the time,” Michels said. “Even outside the rink, we’re at a guy’s house hot tubbing, watching a football game together. I can walk to Dom’s house, I can walk to Flammer’s (Nolan Flamand’s) house, I can walk to Johnny’s (Nick Johnson’s) house, we’re all right next to each other and we’re always with each other.

“That’s what makes us tighter because we can be with each other all the time. It’s almost like you’re brothers pretty much, like you’re family. You see them 24-7 so that makes our bond a lot stronger.”

He said that closeness manifests itself on the ice.

“It makes your chemistry better, it makes your talking better,” Michels said. “You know how to reach out to guys when guys are acting different personality-wise, like body language and all that kind of stuff. It makes you love a guy more and want to sacrifice and put your body on the line to block that shot for the other guy. It just makes a stronger bond overall.”

ICINGS: The nominees for the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy that goes to the rookie of the year include the Eastern Conference’s Daxon Rudolph of Lacombe, Alta. (Prince Albert Raiders), Lukas Sawchyn of Grande Prairie, Alta. (Edmonton Oil Kings) and Cooper Williams of Calgary (Saskatoon Blades), along with the Western Conference’s Landon DuPont of Calgary (Everett Silvertips), Ryan Lin of Richmond, B.C. (Vancouver Giants) and Keaton Verhoeff of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. (Victoria Royals).

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