BWK TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW: Young blue-line will be challenged

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This article was published 31/08/2022 (1403 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With the graduation of their top two defencemen, the pressure will be on the Brandon Wheat Kings’ blue-liners this season.

Overager Chad Nychuk and Washington Capitals draft pick Vincent Iorio shared the team’s defenceman of the year honours in 2021-22, and other than one major exception, it will be an inexperienced group comprised of five veterans and some promising newcomers who are trying to fill the holes.

Director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said the team’s veterans have to improve this season.

“I think it’s a lack of experience,” Moulton said of his biggest concern. “We need Mason Ward to be the Mason Ward from the playoffs and we need Logen Hammett to keep taking steps. We need Owen Harris and Zach Turner, who were in and out of the lineup last year, we need them to take another step. They’ll be 18 as well.

“Quinn Mantei had an exceptional year last year but you can’t expect 17-year-olds to turn the world upside down. We’ll make sure he keeps taking steps.”

Rookie camp opens on Thursday at J&G Homes Arena, with main camp starting on Saturday at Westoba Place. The annual intrasquad game is set for Monday at J&G Homes Arena.

The team’s other potential 19-year-old defenceman, Jacob Hoffrogge, was traded to the Everett Silvertips in the off-season.

Brandon is adding a Canadian Hockey League veteran — but Western Hockey League rookie — in Russian defenceman Andrei Malyavin, who spent last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting. Brandon grabbed him with the 34th pick of the CHL import draft after Sarnia waived him to pick Latvian left-winger Sandis Vilmanis and Austrian defenceman David Reinbacher.

The Sting took him with the 22nd overall pick in 2021.

The five-foot-10, 170-pound defenceman scored twice and added 11 assists and 10 penalty minutes in 44 games with Sarnia in 2021-22.

“Malyavin will be a bit of a wildcard,” Moulton said. “ We’ll have to wait and see, but from everything I’ve seen and just listening to people, I think he could come in and be impactful. He’s already played in North America for a year, he’s a very heady, skilled 18-year-old defenceman.”

Malyavin arrived in Brandon on the weekend.

Two signed prospects, 2005-born Eastyn Mannix and 2006-born Charlie Elick, are expected to earn spots, although undrafted free agent Charlie Wilson from Texas was terrific at prospects camp in May and is among a group of newcomers who will push for a job.

Unsigned American Ethan Gonyeau, Winnipegger Evan Lambert, hard-hitting Carter Rimstad and big Oakley McIlwain will also be among the top contenders to earn a job. The latter is entering his 17-year-old season, while the other are all a year younger.

The six-foot-three Mannix, who is from Wainwright, Alta., played twice with Brandon last season as a 16-year-old.

“Eastyn is a very good package,” Moulton said. “He’s a bigger body with a really good set of tools. Sometimes he can be his own worst enemy and overthink things, so when Eastyn learns to defend well and keep his game simple, he can be a problem (for the opponents). That’s what a lot of guys in the NHL have learned.

“Don’t make mistakes, defend well, make a good first pass and don’t turn pucks over. Eastyn has that ability.”

The six-foot-two Elick, who Brandon selected third overall in 2021, is widely considered a can’t-miss prospect. The Calgary product played in nine regular season WHL games last year, most of which came after his Edge prep school team was knocked out of the playoffs and the Wheat Kings were able to call him up.

The last defenceman who came into Brandon as highly touted was the team’s 2016 first-round pick, Braden Schneider, who now skates for the National Hockey League’s New York Rangers after a decorated WHL career.

“Charlie is a special player,” Moulton said. “I think Charlie is going to be impactful in our lineup immediately, and that’s a tall order for a 16-year-old kid. He has the ability and maturity to take that step.”

Even with the promising youngsters on the way, the team veterans will be counted on.

Hammett, who was named the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League’s top defenceman for the 2019-20 season, contributed a goal, 17 assists and 36 penalty minutes in 62 games last season after debuting in the Regina hub as a 17-year-old.

“I think when Logen simplifies his game and doesn’t try to do too much, he’s very effective,” Moulton said. “We also have to realize that we were so banged up last year that we put these kids into positions they weren’t ready for. Logen and Quinn Mantei were thrown to the wolves a little bit because we were always banged up … If Logen can go back to making smart decisions with the puck and can play within himself, he’ll be just fine.”

Mantei made an immediate impression last season as a rare 16-year-old defenceman who saw massive minutes as a rookie. He had a goal, seven assists and 14 penalty minutes in 59 games.

“He reacted so well as young kid to seeing that much ice time and to play that many games because of our injuries,” Moulton said. “I thought he handled himself very well and I saw immense growth in this kid. He has such a promising future. He may not see the ice time this year that he saw last year with all the injuries, but Quinn is going to be one of our go-to guys for sure. He’ll be even stronger at 17.”

More will also be expected from the team’s two second-year defencemen.

Turner, a six-foot-two Boissevain product, played 41 games and was held without a point while earning one minor penalty. The six-foot-one Harris, who is from Wawanesa, had a goal, two assists and 56 penalty minutes in 47 games.

Moulton said it’s obvious the blue-line will be younger than the forward corps but remains optimistic.

“Turner and Harris have to keep taking steps, and then when you add Charlie Elick and Eastyn Mannix, who have played some games, and we might bring in another young D-man to see how it goes,” Moulton said. “I think we’re good back there but we’re not as experienced as up front.”

ICINGS: The Seattle Thunderbirds dealt 19-year-old forward and Winnipeg Jets draft pick Conner Roulette to the Saskatoon Blades on Tuesday for 20-year-old forward Kyle Crnkovic and a third round pick in the 2026 WHL draft. Roulette was second in scoring for the Thunderbirds last season with 66 points in 65 games, while Crknovic finished fifth in the league scoring race with 94 points in 68 contests … The Red Deer Rebels announced on Tuesday that 19-year-old netminder Chase Cowards will not be with the team for the start of the 2022-23 campaign due to a medical issue.

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AT CAMP: DEFENCE 

(V—veteran, S—signed, D—Drafted but unsigned, L—Listed but unsigned, FA—Free agent camp invite. All stats are from the team they played with the most during the 2021-22 regular season.)

2002 (20-year-old season)

• Mason Ward, RD (v)

6-5, 215 lbs, Lloydminster, Alta.

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

41gp, 6g, 8a, 14p, 82pim

2003 (19-year-old season)

• Logen Hammett, LD (v)

6-0, 187 lbs, Regina

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

62gp, 1g, 17a, 18p, 36pim

2004 (18-year-old season)

• Owen Harris, LD (v)

6-1, 218 lbs, Wawanesa

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

47gp, 1g, 2a, 3p, 56pim

• Zach Turner, LD (v)

6-2, 171 lbs, Boissevain

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

41gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, 2pim

• Andrei Malyavin, LD (s)

5’10, 167 lbs, Voronezh, Russia

Sarnia Sting (OHL)

44gp, 2g, 11a, 13p, 10pim

2005 (17-year-old season)

• Quinn Mantei, LD (v)

5-11, 175 lbs, Weyburn, Sask.

Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

59gp, 1g, 7a, 8p, 14pim

• Eastyn Mannix, LD (s)

6-2, 180 lbs, Wainwright, Alta.

NAX U18 (CSSHL)

32gp, 5g, 16a, 21p, 16pim

• Oakley McIlwain, RD (d)

6-3, 200 lbs, Lloydminster, Alta.

Lloydminster U18 (AEHL)

38gp, 7g, 11a, 18p, 42pim

• Charlie Wilson, RD (l)

6-1, 198 lbs, Frisco, Texas

CIHA Voyageurs U17 (CSSHLE)

24gp, 3g, 15a, 18p, 12pim

2006 (16-year-old season)

• Charlie Elick, RD (s)

6-2, 175 lbs, Calgary

Edge U18 (CSSHL)

26gp, 9g, 16a, 25p, 6pim

• Ethan Gonyeau, LD (d)

5-10, 170 lbs, Flower Mound, Texas

Dallas Stars Elite 16 (T1EHL)

49gp, 7g, 20a, 27p, n/a pim

• Evan Lambert, LD (d)

6-0, 155 lbs, Winnipeg

Winnipeg Bruins U18 (MMAAA)

37gp, 3g, 12a, 15p, 18pim

• Carter Rimstad, RD (d)

6-2, 195 lbs, Edmonton 

OHA Edmonton U18 (CSSHL)

34gp, 2g, 16a, 18p, 102pim

• Dylan Ronald, LD (l)

5-11, 165 lbs, Ponoka, Alta.

NAX U16 (CSSHL)

34gp, 8g, 16a, 24p, 28pim

• Tyler Blatz, LD (fa)

6-1, 170 lbs, Langley, BC

Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U17 (BCEHL)

31gp, 6g, 15a, 21p, 26pim

• Samuel Chartres, LD (fa)

6-1, 160 lbs, Trail, B.C.

Okanagan Rockets U18 (BCEHL)

30gp, 2g, 2a, 4p, 14pim

• Jace Murray, LD (fa)

6’1, 185 lbs, Sylvan Lake, AB

NAX U16 (CSSHL)

35gp, 5g, 10a, 15p, 40pim

2007 (15-year-old season)

• Emerson Clark, LD (d)

5-10, 153 lbs, Saskatoon

Saskatoon Stallions U15 (SAAHL)

31gp, 12g, 29a, 41p, 16pim

• Carson Craig, LD (d)

5-8, 144 lbs, Las Vegas, N.V.

Vegas Jr. Golden Knights U14 (NAPHL)

4gp, 2g, 1a, 3p, 0pim ***

• Tao Flory, RD (d)

5-11, 161 lbs, Saskatoon

Saskatoon Bandits U15 (SAAHL)

29gp, 2g, 7a, 9p, 32pim

• Gradey Hope, LD (d)

6-0, 168 lbs, Kelowna, B.C.

OHA Penticton (CSSHL)

20gp, 2g, 6a, 8p, 22pim

• Liam Loughery, LD (d)

6-2, 194 lbs, Pitt Meadows, B.C.

Shawnigan U15 (CSSHL)

30gp, 4g, 20a, 24p, 12pim

• Logan Bruneau, LD (fa)

6-0, 155 lbs, St. Andrews, MB

Winnipeg Thrashers U15 (MBAAA)

31gp, 10g, 7a, 17p, 20pim

• Josh McGregor, LD (fa)

5-8, 140 lbs, Brandon

Brandon Wheat Kings U15 (MBAAA)

31gp, 5g, 22a, 27p, 20pim

• Tyriece Pattyn, RD (fa)

5-9, 142 lbs, Winnipeg

Winnipeg Bruins U15 (MBAAA)

28gp, 21g, 13a, 34p, 16pim

• Kaelan Waldner, RD (fa)

5-10, 154 lbs, Carberry

Southwest Cougars U15 (MBAAA)

29gp, 3g, 6a, 9p, 16pim

*** — Stats are incomplete.