Jacobson finding his way with Wheat Kings

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This article was published 12/10/2024 (333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In seven games with the Brandon Wheat Kings this season, Jaxon Jacobson has a goal and three assists.

For most 15-year-old players — Jacobson doesn’t turn 16 until Dec. 11 — that would be incredible production.

But when the Western Hockey League rookie had four goals and two assists as a call-up last year in his 15-year-old season and averaged more than three points a game in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League, the pressure to produce can be sky high.

“I’m just focused on making sure I’m playing the right way and adjusting to my role on this team,” Jacobson said. “Obviously the points are going to come if I keep playing like that, and the chances have been there, but most importantly, the team has to pick it up a notch and we can get rolling from there.”

The Wheat Kings fell 6-1 to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday. They face the Lethbridge Hurricanes tonight to finish up a two-game Alberta road swing.

When Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray was the team’s highly touted newcomer in the 1991-92 season — the Southwest Cougars star had been acquired from the Spokane Chiefs in the Trevor Kidd deal — he had similar expectations. And he also had a tough start after posting 93 points in 36 games the year before with the Cougars.

“It’s not an easy league to produce in,” Murray said. “I had four goals and 21 points at Christmas. I remember it vividly. It’s not easy and sometimes you question your ability or whether you’re ready to play at this level, at least I did. There is no question he can play at this level and produce. I think he’s going to stick with it and we’re starting to see some production.

“There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be a constant producer for us.”

The five-foot-nine, 176-pound Jacobson earned his first assist in his second game and scored his first goal in his fifth game. In a shootout loss to the Swift Current Broncos, he had a pair of helpers. But even as the points begin to come, the chances have always been there.

Like the team’s 2022 first rounder, Joby Baumuller, a succession of great saves, goal posts, shot blocks and narrowly missed nets have been the problem.

“Early on, he had one point in his first four games and last weekend he had three in the two games,” Murray said. “He’s getting some good looks at the start of the year and creating, so that’s the biggest thing. One thing with Jaxon and all young players is if they’re getting the looks and the chances, you don’t need to force it.

“Sometimes you have a tendency to try to cheat the game a little bit, and that’s been a focus for not only him but our young players in general … They’re going to go in eventually but you don’t want to force it because then it ends up working out the other way.”

Jacobson said there is a big difference between being an occasional call-up and a full-time player staring down the barrel of a 68-game season.

“Probably just making sure my body is always in the best spot it can be,” Jacobson said. “Last year coming in and playing a couple of games, you got some time off in between. I was coming up every couple of weeks if not a month in between. Right now playing every couple of nights, I’m making sure I’m the best I can be.”

The fifth overall pick in the 2023 WHL draft, Jacobson piled up five points in four preseason games a year ago with the Wheat Kings and made his WHL regular season debut on Dec. 8 against the Moose Jaw Warriors with two goals in a 5-4 shootout victory.

At the time, Jacobson was believed to be the youngest player to debut and score for the Wheat Kings since Ray Brownlee had a goal on Dec. 27, 1964 when the team was still playing in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Jacobson said the biggest thing he brought into this season from his debut last year was confidence.

“Scoring a couple of goals helped me know I can play at this level and not be afraid to make plays I would have made last year in U18,” Jacobson said.

But he’s still making the jump to major junior from U18, which is a daunting one. He noted there is a lot to learn.

“It’s pretty difficult, especially for the younger guys,” Jacobson said. “It’s tough to get the speed and know where to be all the time but watching video and building habits throughout the games helps me be in the best spots I can be and always supporting. I have to be more defensive this year than I had to be last year because we’re playing against bigger, stronger players, but I feel like the more defence we play, the more we get offence.”

Despite missing a month due to a pre-season ankle injury he suffered with the Wheat Kings last season, Jacobson posted an incredible 37 goals, 69 assists and 106 points in 35 regular season games with the U18 Wheat Kings.

In the playoffs, Jacobson had 12 goals and 11 assists in nine games while battling a hip injury, and at west regionals he had five assists in four games as he played on a bad ankle.

He finished up with a goal and 11 assists in seven games at nationals, and was named MVP in the Manitoba league and the Canadian Elite Hockey League’s player of the year.

Jacobson suffered an upper-body injury in the Telus Cup and left the game during his first shift and didn’t return. He said he has no lingering issues from the hit.

From a team perspective, Brandon went 43-0-1-0 in the regular season and 9-0 in the playoffs. They didn’t lose in regulation until a meaningless game in the round-robin of the western regionals when they fell 5-3 to the Thunder Bay Kings on April 6. They subsequently went 4-3 at the Telus Cup, losing in the final to Cantonniers de Magog.

That gave them a remarkable 59-4-1-0 record overall.

“It was really cool,” Jacobson said. “It was a really good experience making it all the way to Telus. We had a really special group and obviously I miss those guys. I think this year has been a big step so far, and looking back on it, last year was really good to build my confidence coming into this year.”

Jacobson was quick to credit his linemates Easton Odut and Brady Turko — both of whom also made the jump to the Wheat Kings this season — with helping him achieve what he did a year ago.

He says they also made his transition to the Wheat Kings easier this fall.

“It makes it that much more comfortable,” Jacobson said. “This group of guys is really tight and having those guys coming in was easy at the start. Now I feel like we’re all bonded and the guys I came up with, Odie and Turks, are also bonded with all the other guys on the team.”

Jacobson has already had a chance to play against some former U18 teammates, including Regina Pats forward Cole Temple from his U18 team two years ago, plus two of last year’s teammates, forward Colten Worthington of the Saskatoon Blades and defenceman Kaeson Fisher of Everett Silvertips.

“It’s really cool seeing my buddies making the jump up to junior hockey,” Jacobson said. “There is a lot of that team playing at a pretty high level now and they’re doing pretty good. I’m really happy for them and excited to compete against them some more.”

By coincidence, the regulation losses Brandon has suffered this season were to Saskatoon and Everett.

With the Wheat Kings levelling off after a hot start, Jacobson said he and his teammates have to be better. That started last night.

“I think we had a really strong start and were ramping up there and had a couple of slower games that were not up to our level of play,” Jacobson said. “This Alberta trip this weekend is going to be huge for us playing against two really good teams. I think it will be good competition to test where we’re at. I think with the group of guys we have in there that we have a lot of fight and compete so we should be doing good.”

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