Dosenberger overcomes technical draft delays

On Western Hockey League draft day, the universe made Logan Dosenberger wait.

He was sitting in his living room with the draft connected to the TV via computer with his father Kevin beside him. Then, all of a sudden, the draft wasn’t there.

“The TV goes black for some reason,” Dosenberger said. “I think the computer shut off. When I reloaded it on and scrolled down, I saw my name by Brandon and me and my dad were super happy.”

“It’s been a huge relief to finally have my future partially set out,” Dosenberger added. “It’s with a great organization. I love Brandon.”

The Wheat Kings took the left-handed defenceman from Regina with their second pick of the seventh round, 153rd overall. He was the third blue-liner the team took, after first-rounder Cruz Jim and fifth-rounder Logan Olsen.

The six-foot, 163-pound defenceman from Regina, who was born and raised in the city, began skating before he turned two.

“We’ve got pictures to prove it,” Dosenberger said. “It sounds pretty crazy.”

He began to play at three.

He played up front until he was seven or eight, and then made what proved to a permanent switch to the blue-line.

“It’s versatile,” Dosenberger said. “I can play strong defence but then I can also create offence. I enjoy playing all throughout the ice.”

There is some high-level hockey in the family tree: His uncle Lloyd Shaw was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1995 after spending five seasons in the WHL as a rugged defenceman with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Red Deer Rebels.

Logan also golfs and plays some football.

The family also includes mother Dawn and older brother Corson, who played hockey when he was younger but now boxes.

“They sacrificed so much of their time to drive me to the rink and train me, and even just money to pay for workouts and for teams and ice times,” Dosenberger said of his parents. “They do everything they can to support my career. They’re the most important people and I’m thankful for them.”

That commitment to the game included holding Pats season tickets for about a decade, which gave him a major goal as he grew up.

“It’s been one of my main focuses that I keep in the back of my mind,” Dosenberger said. “When I’m so young it feels like I’ll never get to that point, but then as it goes on, I’ve always been wanting to play in there and develop my career and go through the WHL.”

In the 27 games with the under-15 AA Regina Pat Blues last season, Dosenberger had five goals, 23 assists and 18 penalty minutes. That improved on his numbers from a year earlier when he has two goals and 12 assists in 22 games as a minor.

“I thought it was good,” Dosenberger said. “I developed my offensive game. The year before, my role was more of a defensive guy. We had very elite forwards. This year I led the offence a bit more and still played defence. It was very enjoyable.”

Brandon Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said Dosenberger is still finding his way and has the makings of a very good player.

“Untapped potential,” Moulton said. “He’s a good-sized kid, lots of skill, sees the ice, makes plays. I think we’re just scratching the surface with this guy. He has the ability to defend hard, he’s strong and will lean on kids. He’s got good feet. I see a huge ceiling on this guy.”

Dosenberger sees elements of that appraisal too, noting he’s a good skater who puts his own end first.

“I think I’m a two-way defenceman but I prioritize the defensive zone and moving pucks to my forwards,” Dosenberger said. “I like to join up into the rush when the time is right and try to create offence, and stay solid defensively.”

At the same time, he’s working to get bigger, faster and stronger, noting there’s always room for improvement.

“In my game right now, I want to work on physicality and being more physical,” Dosenberger said. “Also that comes with being in the gym and getting stronger. I also want to work on my shot’s power and speed. I can improve on everything because I’m never going to be perfect but those are the main things.”

After the draft, he had a few Wheat Kings veterans send him texts of congratulation, with Dosenberger calling his week-long tenure with Brandon a great experience so far.

In his minor bantam year, he played with two 2024 Wheat Kings draft picks, forward Chase Surkan and defenceman Ethan Young. That made it even better.

“When I go to camp, they’ll be super nice to have,” Dosenberger said. And rest assured, camp in August is already on his mind. He can’t wait to get to Westoba Place, even if his unlikely experience on draft day might guarantee a blackout at training camp.

“It’s going to be great,” Dosenberger said. “I’m already looking forward to it, just to get in the rink and see what the team is like and meet everyone. It will be good.”

» The Brandon Sun is profiling every member of Brandon’s draft class of 2025. See next Tuesday’s Sun to read about Brandon forward Brayden Watt.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com