Wheat Kings face giant questions

The Brandon Wheat Kings face their 60th season in the Western Hockey League with some significant question marks.

After losing a killer’s row of potential overagers to college hockey and graduating some of their key offensive pieces from a year ago, it’s a club that will certainly be less experienced. At the same time, they return some terrific pieces and have some promising newcomers in the fold.

The Brandon Sun identified five key questions that will go a long way to determining how the 2026-27 campaign goes. Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Marty Murray, 10 returning veterans and newcomer Josh McGregor were asked to weigh on the season to come.

1. DEFENCE

With just two returnees from last year’s team on the back end, how will the defensive unit respond?

Gio Pantelas was expected to anchor this unit, but when he asked for a trade to the Penticton Vees to play closer to home, that left Nigel Boehm and Cameron Allard as the sole returnees.

They’ll also miss the offence that graduated with Grayson Burzynski and the sandpaper that left with Max Lavoie. They did acquire multi-dimensional 19-year-old veteran Josh McGregor of Brandon from the Swift Current Broncos, but the incoming class has four very similar, undersized, puck-moving players in 16-year-old Cruz Jim, 17-year-old Easten Turko, Ethan Young and 19-year-old Ilari Kapanen of Finland. They also added 17-year-old rookie Will Katsilieris, who brings size and a two-way game.

It may be an unpopular sentiment in today’s speed and skill-based game, but it doesn’t hurt to have some big thumpers on the back end to encourage opposing forwards to vacate the front of the net.

• MARTY MURRAY: “We have a little bit of everything on the back end. Obviously we’re not that experienced. We bring back two guys, but saying that, we have McGregor and Kapanen, who has played a lot of international stuff. We’re somewhat inexperienced but we do have a veteran presence back there as well. I think the strength of our team is putting the puck in our forwards’ hands, and we have good puck movers back there.”

• NIGEL BOEHM: “Our group has made some big strides from training camp. We have a good group of young guys coming in and we have some veteran guys with Josh and Cam. It’s looking good. We have some size and lots of skill.”

• CAMERON ALLARD: “I’m super excited for our D corps. People look at it and see it’s me and Nigel returning but you look at Mags, he has the most games played on the back end and you look at Ilari and he was playing overseas in an unbelievable Swedish league. You bring up Jimmer and you bring up Younger and you have Turks and Katsy. I think there are no problems there. I think we’ll be a really good group to work with all year.”

• JOSH McGREGOR: “I expect us to be a good, fast-paced defensive corps. We’ll work on boxing out. We’re not the biggest D corps but I think we’ll be hard working.”

• RYAN BOYCE: “We have our two vets in Nige and Cam, and Mags coming in from Swift — he’s obviously a super important piece for us this season — so I’m feeling confident with Kappy coming in and our prospects are looking good. Our younger prospects will learn from our vets and keep improving throughout the season. It’s looking strong.”

• GUNNAR GLEASMAN: “I think they’re all skilled on D. Our defensive coach, Coach (Aaron) Rome, has done a great job getting our young defencemen, who are smaller guys, to be physical in front of the net and play simple and be predictable and overall play bigger than they actually are.”

• PRABH BHATHAL: “Having a younger group, they’re going to be a lot more energetic. I think they’ll mesh well with our group playing fast. They want to be out there. I think we’ll be fine. It will take a few games for them to get their nerves out, but after that, I think the defence will be fine. Our veterans on defence will help them out offensively and defensively and talk to them. It will work out just fine.”

• JIMMY EGAN: “We have three younger defencemen and they’re all really skilled. In this league, the D are going to be younger with the rule to go to college. I feel that we have really good young D, and Kapanen is a really good player.”

• CHASE SURKAN: “Obviously there are not a lot of vets coming back but I think we have a lot of younger guys who are going to play big roles for us this year. They’ll improve a ton throughout the year with the minutes they’ll get. I think that’s valuable for them.”

• BRETT WILSON: “Even with Ally and Boehm coming back from last year, I think we have a pretty solid crew. We brought in some good guys and then our young guys have lots of skill. They can move the puck. I think we have a pretty solid corps here and I’m excited to get going.”

• JAXON JACOBSON: “We only have two veterans from last year but I feel like we have a bunch of junior veterans. We have Ilari and Josh who have played junior games. Them bringing their experience to our blue-line along with Cam and Nigel has been good. I’m excited for our young guys too. We have a good group of young guys and they should bring a lot of excitement and offensive and defensive upside.”

2. FILIP RUZICKA

With a camp under his belt and a season to gain confidence, how good can Filip Ruzicka be?

There wasn’t a better Wheat King in the back half of the season and the playoffs last winter than towering goalie Filip Ruzicka. After missing training camp due to some issues with his Czech club team, it took him time to adjust to the smaller ice surface and North American shooters, who are prone to shooting the puck from anywhere at any moment instead of working it around.

Like every goalie, he had his off nights but they were vanishingly few compared to his strong outings. After being drafted by the Minnesota Wild, signing with the team and attending his first NHL camp, all eyes will be on the six-foot-seven netminder, and backup Ryley Budd.

• MARTY MURRAY: “He can be one of the top goalies in the league and I think we could have one of the top tandems in the league. I really think on any given night, either goalie gives us a chance to win. Obviously Filip had an exceptional season, especially in the second half and in the playoffs last year.”

• JAXON JACOBSON: “I think he’s going to be unbelievable. He was really good for us in the playoffs, he was good for us in the regular season. He stole us some games for sure. He’ll be good and bringing in Ryley too, Ryley has been a good backbone for us in pre-season and he’s been battling in practice. I’m excited to see what they can do together.”

• RYAN BOYCE: “He’s a game changer. I remember the stretch he had last year around mid-season, he was unstoppable, and we were winning games when he was kicking. I’m not surprised at all that he got signed by the Wild and drafted by them. He’s going to be our guy and win us hockey games.”

• JOSH McGREGOR: “He’s unreal. I went to Virden and watched all those games and he’s just a brick wall. When you get the puck, you look where to shoot and there’s nothing there. Before him, I was shooting on (Carson) Bjarnason here, and there was no difference. There was nothing to shoot at.”

• CHASE SURKAN: “We saw last year with how good he was. The sky is the limit for him. It’s so hard to score on him even in practice. I don’t really know how they can do it in games.”

• JIMMY EGAN: “Fil is so good. He can really on his head and keep us in games. He’s big to have back.”

GUNNAR GLEASMAN: “The sky is the limit for Fil. I think he’s the best goaltender in this league. I think there are 25 guys on this team who will back me up on that. It’s really a no-brainer. He works his ass off, he’s a good guy and he’s a helluva goaltender.”

• PRABH BHATHAL: “He’s been trying hard and looks good out there. He’ll be as good as any goalie in the league, if not the best goalie. It just depends on him. If he stays focused and wants it, then I think he’ll be the best goalie in the league.”

• CAMERON ALLARD: “Oh man, it’s going to be unbelievable watching this guy play. Being a defenceman for him, it’s only going to help us. I’m excited to protect the front of the net for this guy and put my face on the line, put my legs on the line, put my body on the line for this guy all season. I’m super exited for what he has to bring to the table once he gets back from Minnesota.”

• NIGEL BOEHM: “He’s an unbelievable goalie. Obviously, his size, everyone sees it out there. He’s had an unreal camp and hopefully he’s doing good down there at his NHL camp. Hopefully we get him back as soon as possible. I’m really looking forward to the season. Hopefully he keeps all the pucks out of the net and makes our job easier.”

• BRETT WILSON: “It’s so special to see that. He’s going to be a huge part of our success this year, without a doubt. If he keeps playing to that level, which we all know he will, we’re going to have a a lot of wins because of him.”

3. SPECIAL TEAMS

With some new bodies on special teams, can Brandon’s power play and penalty kill be difference makers?

For better and worse, both special-teams units underwent startling transformations during last season as the power play finished 11th at 23.6 per cent, and the penalty kill, which finished 14th at 75.2 per cent.

With an incredible amount of skill last season, the Wheat Kings man advantage came out of the gate treating penalty kills like they owed them money and were sitting at 40 per cent a month into the season.

But after that incredible start, the power play became slow, predictable and less able to rise to the big moments of the game.

Conversely, the penalty kill would have surrendered three power-play goals to the St. Mary’s nuns JV team early in the season, but turned things around and did a much better job as the year went on. Still, a number of their top penalty killers won’t be back.

• MARTY MURRAY: “It’s kind of funny how that works. You want them both to be clicking pretty consistent through the year and not having those big drop-offs. At the end of the day, it’s about the numbers for sure but also about the big times in a game. Our power play, even in Moose Jaw the other night, we’re down 2-1 and we get a power-play goal to get us back in the game. That was a game changer for me. Those are good signs, and it’s the same thing with the PK. You’re going to need some big kills down the stretch.”

• JIMMY EGAN: “With the power play, we have the skill and we have the guys who can put the puck in the net. It’s just about executing, and I think they’ll do that. With the PK, it’s just all about hard work and blocking shots and that mentality. We need to have the mentality to keep the puck out of our net.”

• BRETT WILSON: “That’s what makes teams stand out from each other. Everyone is pretty solid five-on-five, but if our special teams are clicking right away, that gives us that first jump and then we can use that as momentum going on. When we get to playoffs, that wins what wins a series, special teams, I think we have the pieces to do it.”

• CHASE SURKAN: “I think we need to outwork the opposition. Sometimes you get lackadaisical and not really working hard and standing around. If we can outwork the PK and the PK can outwork the power play, we’ll be good.”

• GUNNAR GLEASMAN: “It comes to every single individual buying in. I like to think of it almost like a chain. You need to have everyone attached, and I think this year is going to be good for us moving forward with all being connected at the end of the day.”

• PRABH BHATHAL: “That’s what makes or breaks games, is special teams. If our special teams are going well and everyone is communicating out there and the chemistry is there, I think it will be great and we’ll have a great start again. Us as players just have to mesh together and the power play will do well. PK-wise, we just have to do what he ended the year with, block shots, get in the way, hard, gritty-type of play and we’ll do just fine.”

• CAMERON ALLARD: “I think we need a lot of simplicity. The power play tends to overcomplicate things because you’re on the power play and think you need to be a super skilled player but you make one, two, three, four good passes and it turns into chicken salad. It takes more than one play to make a great power play and if we can simplify … on the kill, it’s the same thing. Don’t run after the opposition. Stay in your lanes. They have one more guy out there, but if the four of us are working 100 per cent, that’s 400 per cent, and if five of their guys are working at 80 per cent, that’s 400 per cent as well. If we’re going balls to the wall the whole time, there will be no issues.”

• RYAN BOYCE: “Consistency is the biggest part, finding our game and our jam and what makes us successful, both in the D zone and on the power play. We have to get what we were doing at the start of the year on the power play, finding those plays, Capitalizing on them is going to be the biggest thing and carrying that through the whole season.”

• NIGEL BOEHM: “A big thing is consistency. That’s going to be a big focus for us, and working our tail off every shift. That’s ultimately what it comes down to. With the group we have, everyone in there can do it, and if somebody is not going, then the next guy is up. I think that’s a big thing for us. With the chemistry we’re getting this year, being able to use and create a good power play and penalty kill will be huge for us this year.”

• JAXON JACOBSON: “Both sides competing is what’s going to get us over the hump with every part of our game, and just being on the same page and outcompeting everyone on the ice will make us successful.”

• JOSH McGREGOR: “I think we need to be at least over 85 per cent on the PK and then you want to be over 20 per cent on the power play. We’ll get better with practice.”

4. MISSING OFFENCE

How will the Wheat Kings replace the offence lost with the graduation of Luke Mistelbacher, Nick Johnson, Grayson Burzynski, Caleb Hadland, Carter Klippenstein and Jordan Gavin?

It’s not uncommon for teams to graduate their scoring because older players generally lead the way. Brandon will be without six of last year’s top 10 scorers, Mistelbacher (top scorer, 42g, 46a), Gavin (fourth, 16g, 42a), Burzynski (fifth, 11g, 47a), Johnson (sixth, 22g, 31a), Caleb Hadland (seventh, 15g, 29a) and Pantelas (ninth, 6g, 31a) .

Having said that, they return Jaxon Jacobson (second, 25g, 60a), Joby Baumuller (third, 40g, 22a), Chase Surkan (eighth, 20g 18a) and Brady Turko (10th, 18g, 18a), so they have some high-end pieces to build around. In addition, Russian newcomer Kris Muissu and American rookie Colin Grubb have both shown they could be key pieces of the offence up front, and young defender Cruz Jim is a dynamic presence on the back end.

If they want to approach last season’s 269 goals, they’ll need another big step up from Brady Turko and Prabh Bhathal and supplementary scoring throughout the lineup.

• MARTY MURRAY: “I think we have a lot of ability to put the puck in the net. You lose some pretty key players, but at the same time, we have some guys who are coming back who had success in the league. There aren’t too many 40-goals scorers floating around and we have one, and Jacobson had 85 points. I think we have some real good pieces up front, Muissu looks really good so far, Grubb will be a consistent contributor, Surkan, Turko. I think we have a lot of depth up front. I’m hesitant to say our fourth line but even our fourth line that goes over the boards could do a lot of damage.”

• CHASE SURKAN: “We have Joby back who had 40 goals last year, and Jax, who had a handful too. Those are two guys we’ll lean on, and we’ll have some depth in there who will bring the offence when they can. I think we’ll be fine.”

• CAMERON ALLARD: “I think have tons of guys. We have Jax, we have Joby, Surks. Our top six is a ton of offence and pretty close to last year if not better. I’m excited to see that, and then we have a bunch of offensive defencemen who can jump into the play. I think everyone will contribute to that and I think we’ll be pretty good.”

• RYAN BOYCE: “We have Moose coming in from Russia, he’s got one of the best shots I’ve ever seen, and Grubber and Max and Joby and Turks and all those guys who are coming back with experience playing in the league. The offence is not going to take a step back this year. We’ll keep pushing and keep scoring tons of goals and win hockey games with both our offence and our defence.”

• PRABH BHATHAL: “I think we’ll do great without the graduating players. We saw them play last year and they were producing a lot but later when the year was ending, many of the players on our team were also producing that are still here now and will get a bigger role. I think we’ll do great.”

• GUNNAR GLEASMAN: “The guys who are returning and the guys coming in, I think it’s just everybody competing and working their ass off, everyone stepping up and everyone helping the guy next to him out. That will benefit us.”

• NIGEL BOEHM: “We lost a lot of key guys after last year, especially up front, but with our new guys coming in, they’re looking forward to it and looking like they can pull their weight. That’s ultimately what it comes down, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do offensively.”

• JIMMY EGAN: “We have a lot of rookies coming in who will help and some guys like me, Surks, Prabh, we have to step up too and we will.”

• JAXON JACOBSON: “I think we just have to work together. We brought in some guys who definitely can replace the guys we lost. I’m excited. Everyone here is wanting to buy in and that’s something we’ve been missing over the last couple of years, just everyone on the same page. I’m happy all the guys are buying in. The culture has been good so far.”

• BRETT WILSON: “Through pre-season, we haven’t had the biggest problem scoring. That’s a different game from regular season but I think with some pieces we brought in and some higher expectations for this year, guys will step it up a little bit. I don’t have any doubts that we’re going to score goals. I think we’ll be a pretty solid all around, defensively and offensively.”

• JOSH McGREGOR: “I think we’ll have no problem. We still have Joby, a 40-goal scorer, and Jaxon, Turks, we have Moose now, he’s a goal machine. I think we’ll be good.”

5. NEW ASSISTANTS

What impact will new assistant coaches Ryan White and Aaron Rome have on the team’s willingness to do battle each night?

After last season, the contracts of assistant coaches Del Pedrick and Mark Derlago weren’t renewed. Both are excellent coaches — and Pedrick is now an assistant coach with the Regina Pats — but the brain trust clearly decided it was time for some new voices in the room.

White and Rome were hard-edged players in every sense of the phrase. They had skill, but both were better known for their relentless work ethic, physicality and willingness to do whatever it took to stay in the lineup in the National Hockey League.

While the Wheat Kings had physical elements last season, they were more likely to engage in high-speed track meets and certainly had some defence-optional nights at the office last season. Rome and White won’t be able to use all the old-school coaching methods they grew up with, but they’ll be counted on to help pull the team into the battle every night.

Rome served as an assistant in the 2016-17 season with the Wheat Kings before taking time to raise his own children, and White drew raves from players who skated under him with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winkler Flyers, so both bring unique experience to the job.

• MARTY MURRAY: “They have a ton of experience. They’ve played at the highest level. They’re different personalities. Whitey is just full of energy, go, go, go all the time while Romer is a little more reserved. At the same time, they both bring a lot of the table. I think working with their specific positions, it will be important for our guys to take in information like a sponge. So far they’ve been very receptive.”

• PRABH BHATHAL: “Billy and Del were great last year too but these coaches bring a different style, a different energy as opposed to those two. It’s been a little bit of a change. Whitey brings a lot of energy. I’ve mostly been spending my time with him. He’s got a real passion and wants to win. Romer is with the D, and I think he’ll do a great job handling the back end. He was a defenceman in the NHL and WHL, so I think he’ll have a strong connection with them.”

• GUNNAR GLEASMAN: “It’s light out. They’re changing the style the Wheat Kings are right now. We’re going to be a heavy, fast mean team moving forward. Kudos to them for helping everyone out and really pushing everyone to be the best version of themselves.”

• BRETT WILSON: “I’m thrilled. We’re only been here three or four weeks but it’s fun coming to the rink. They bring high energy and expect a lot out of us. It makes me want to run through walls when Whitey or Romer are talking. They have the experience behind them. Obviously Marty, the head coach, they all know their stuff. It’s going to be a really good year.”

• RYAN BOYCE: “Whitey and Romer, they fire me up. I feel like I could run through a wall when they get us fired up. It’s definitely a different vibe. In practice, it’s a lot more emphasis on compete and giving it your all every single rep and not taking anything off. I think it’s been amazing.”

• JIMMY EGAN: “They’re awesome. They’re going to help us a lot. They seem really committed to us and it’s going to be fun to have them. They’re really good guys too.”

• CAMERON ALLARD: “They’re unbelievable, both of them. Whitey is always bringing the energy, and I think that’s something we need. It brings another level of intensity to practice every day when Whitey is out there yelling at us, not in a bad way, it’s always ‘Hey, let’s go, let’s have some fun today.’ Romer is off that, he’s more of a cool head but you know when he means business, which is always. Just learning from both those guys with NHL experience for our forwards and D and as a group overall has been awesome.”

• NIGEL BOEHM: “They’re unbelievable. I think every guy in our room would say that. They bring all the motivation we need, especially withe the experience both of them have. We can learn from them. They’re not afraid to step up and tell us we need to wake up, and I think that’s a really good thing for us, and especially for the young guys being able to learn from them and watch and see what they do on the ice.”

• JAXON JACOBSON: “They’ve been building the culture up. Whitey is a louder guy, Romer is more of a quieter guy but they definitely bring the same message. It’s definitely just compete, bring your best every day and treat it like a pro. The same with Marty, he’s always been that way, making sure we’re treating it like we’re pros.”

• CHASE SURKAN: “They’ve been great. They’re very vocal, they help me a lot with areas to clean up and help run our power play and help run our PK. It’s been good.”

• JOSH McGREGOR: “It’s been really good. Whitey is always on us and Romer is a good presence on the back end and he has lots of good stuff to tell us. They’ve been really good.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com