Wheat Kings treasure Christmas break

Jayden Kraus was over the moon last summer when he was acquired by the Brandon Wheat Kings.

When the 19-year-old goaltender from Prince Albert, Sask., talks about why Christmas is important to him, it’s easy to understand why the deal appealed to him.

“For me, I’m really proud of being a Prairie boy and I’m proud of where I come from,” Kraus said. “I’m really excited to go back and sleep in my own bed, spend lots of quality time with the people who mean the most to me and obviously lots of close childhood buddies who are now going to the (University of Saskatchewan in nearby Saskatoon).

“I’m just pumped to see everybody who has been part of my journey up to this point.”

The Wheat Kings finished up the first half of their Western Hockey League season on Dec. 19 in Calgary and then scattered across Western Canada and the northern United States. They return to Brandon on Boxing Day for a game in Moose Jaw on Dec. 27.

The five-day break is the shortest for the Wheat Kings since 2015, and Kraus says they’ll be busy.

“It’s amazing,” Kraus said. “This year for me, being a little closer to home, I’ve had the opportunity to see my parents a lot more, so that’s obviously been amazing. Just to be home and having the day to day with them, I’m really excited.

“We’re a pretty big Catholic family so on Christmas we’ll be going to church like we do every year. I’m excited to have that moment with them.”

Beyond that, there aren’t many Christmas plans they stick to every season.

“I don’t think here any must-do family traditions,” Kraus said. “Our family has changed so much over the years and people are busy doing different things so for me it’s just super exciting that I get to go home and spend time with my loved ones and all my best buddies.”

One of those pals is well known to Wheat Kings fans

He is best friends with former Brandon defenceman Rhett Ravndahl of nearby Birch Hills, who now plays with the Kamloops Blazers after a trade at the deadline last January.

They will hang out for sure, but the focus remains elsewhere. Kraus is fortunate all his family and cousins live in Prince Albert, so it’s easy to get together.

“We’ll do Christmas Eve with all my cousins, and Christmas Day morning will just be my immediate family,” Kraus said. “Then at night, depending on the availability of everybody, we usually get together for another dinner.”

And what’s the food he’s most looking forward to during the big meals?

“That’s a tough one,” Kraus said. “All the turkey and stuff is a hit, but I’m a huge fan of mashed potatoes and gravy. I don’t know how I can say anything but that.”

MAX LAVOIE

Lavoie may not want to share his holiday plans with his teammates from the Prairies.

The 19-year-old rookie defenceman from Victoria won’t be taking his skates home because it doesn’t freeze enough for there to be outdoor rinks. As a result, Lavoie has other plans.

“I might be golfing over Christmas break,” Lavoie said. “That’s my plan. I golfed Jan. 1 last year.”

On Christmas Day, he’s home with his family, which includes a grandfather who lives with them. The Lavoie family opens one gift on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning.

There has been one other tradition that’s evolved

“It’s a funny one actually,” Lavoie said. “Every year my family watches Elf. I don’t know why but it’s something we’ve been doing for the last 20 years.”

Beyond Will Ferrell and the 2003 holiday comedy, the food is another big attraction.

“I cannot wait for turkey dinner,” Lavoie said. “I love it. Mashed potatoes and turkey and stuffing is my favourite meal of the year.”

There are few guys in the league he knows but he’ll instead spend time with a couple of buddies and mostly his family.

His other grandparents are in Quebec and his cousins are in Calgary, so it’s a bit far to see both sides. Honestly, the people he needs to see most will be there, and the best gift of all.

“The last two years being away from home, the holidays is all about family to me,” Lavoie said. “It’s going home and seeing my brother and my mom and my day and grandpa and just spending quality time with them.”

CALEB HADLAND

Hadland is planning on having a heavenly time during the break.

“I wouldn’t we say we have any traditions but every year mom does some baking and makes what we call heavenly dainties,” Hadland said. “They’re like marshmallow peanut butter squares. That’s known around the house for sure.”

While that’s his favourite sweet, he has no shortage of food to look forward to during the holiday. “I’m a big ham guy,” Hadland said. “I’d rather have ham than turkey so mom always makes a ham instead, I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

The 19-year-old forward is from Sylvan Lake, Alta., a short drive from Red Deer.

The Hadlands spend Christmas at home because all the extended family lives in Fort St. John, B.C., which is a 764-kilometre journey.

“When we were younger we always used to make treks up there and we would alternate families, but now everyone is a little older so we’re probably just going to stick around Red Deer this year.”

After a big meal on Christmas Eve, they open gifts on Christmas morning at 8 sharp. But the day is more relaxed than it used to be.

“Now with me coming back (to Brandon) on Boxing Day we usually keep it light on Christmas and have some leftovers,” Hadland said.

Like the Lavoie family, his must-see Christmas movie is Elf.

He tries to get to the outdoor rink with his buddies when he’s home, although the rinks weren’t ready last Christmas.

“If they’re good this year, we’ll definitely be out there having some fun,” Hadland said.

His buddies include Keith McInnis and Talon Brigley of the Red Deer Rebels, Justice Christensen of the Prince Albert Raiders and Ephram McNutt of the Regina Pats, who Hadland played with in the under-13 and U15 ranks.

He said the break comes at the perfect time for all of them.

“It’s huge,” Hadland said. “We’re all batting injuries and minor tweaks and just getting tired from the dog days of the season. This break is always real good to get a few days off and come back rejuvenated.”

The key is just being hanging out with the people who mean the most to him. He said that’s the highlight of the season for him now.

“Just being at home,” Hadland said. “It’s a long season and you don’t get to see your family and friends that much, so it’s just going home and relaxing and hanging out and just enjoying some time off with friends and family.”

NICK JOHNSON

Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are about to take another terrible beating at the Johnson home.

Christmas movies are part of the tradition for the 20-year-old forward’s family, with the 1990 film Home Alone that also stars Macaulay Culkin his personal favourite.

“We always throw Home Alone on for sure,” Johnson said. “That’s a classic in my house.”

Unfortunately, one of his family’s Christmas traditions has gone to the wayside now that he’s older. But others have endured.

“When I was younger, me and my dad and brother would always go to the same tree guy to pick out our Christmas tree,” Johnson said. “We would always get a real tree, never a fake one. Other than that, there’s a couple of musts. We have to go see both sides of grandparents and make sure both sides of the family get to see each other. It’s always a turkey at both dinners.”

His extended family all lives in Calgary, which allows everyone to see each other.

On the 23rd, they usually go to see his maternal grandparents, with his dad’s side of the family on the agenda on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, he spends it with his parents, siblings and brother-in-law.

“My mom makes eggs Benedict every Christmas morning,” Johnson said. “I just chill out for the day.”

“You wake up hungry,” he added. “You always go to bed a little hungrier so you can always have a little more for sure. That’s for sure the go-to every Christmas morning. I can’t wait for that one.”

Happily for Johnson, the Wheat Kings finished up the first half of their season in Calgary, so he was able to drive home from the rink with his parents while others had to fly or ride the bus back to Manitoba.

And that extra time will be the greatest gift of all.

“Honestly, I’m away so much with being in Brandon, one of the furthest teams away from Calgary, so I don’t really ever get to see my grandparents very often,” Johnson said. “Just spending time with them means a lot to me, especially now that they’re getting older.

“Sometimes people aren’t as lucky to me to have both sides of them, so I try to make the most of it and spend as much time as I can with them over the holiday.”

pbergson@brandonsun.com