Hockey is the Green family business
» Wheat Kings draft class of 2025
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2025 (318 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
While lots of Western Hockey League draftees have attended games in person, not many have looked behind the curtains like Liam Green.
The five-foot-six, 120-pound defenceman from Winnipeg attended many, many Ice games because his father Josh served as an assistant coach with the team. His dad’s involvement in the league as a coach — and as an outstanding major junior player nearly 30 years ago — made the WHL draft a big day for him.
The Brandon Wheat Kings obliged by taking the 15-year-old in the 10th round with the 222nd overall pick earlier this month.
Winnipeg defenceman Liam Green, who grew up in the shadow of the Western Hockey League when his father Josh served as an assistant coach for the Winnipeg Ice, was taken by the Brandon Wheat Kings in the 10th round of the draft earlier this month. (Submitted)
“It was one of the things that was at the top of my list since he did it,” Green said. “Getting drafted is not the most important thing obviously, but it gets you in the door and a chance to try out and I’m real excited for that.”
Longtime Wheat Kings fans might remember Josh Green as a member of the outstanding Portland Winterhawks team that swept the Wheat Kings in the 1998 WHL final and won the Memorial Cup.
The elder Green, who stood six-foot-three and weighed 225 pounds, played 341 National Hockey League games over 11 seasons and retired in the spring of 2017 following four seasons in Finland.
After his playing career ended, he coached in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, in the WHL with the Winnipeg Ice and in the American Hockey League with the Bakersfield Condors for the 2023-24 season. He’s now part of the Laker Hockey Academy in Winnipeg.
“He’s the reason I do it honestly,” Green said. “I’m just trying to follow in his footsteps and play as a long as I can.”
Liam’s uncle Tim Green was also drafted to the WHL and played four seasons with the Tri-City Americans and Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The youngest Green was actually born in Sweden when his father was playing with MODO Hockey in the Elitserien, the nation’s top league. He also lived in the United States and Finland during his dad’s playing career, which ended after the 2016-17 season. They’ve been back in Winnipeg since.
Liam began to skate around age three or four. After playing goal once, he decided to stick to defence and has been there ever since.
He played a bit of soccer when he was really young but mostly just golfs now when he isn’t playing hockey.
Defenceman Liam Green had seven goals, 18 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 30 regular season games with Winnipeg Wild Red, and added five points and 14 penalty minutes in six playoff outings. (Submitted)
His family also includes mother Krystin and brother Luca.
“Honestly, they were always being there by my side, whether that’s cheering me at the rink or calling me after games, they’re just always supportive,” Green said.
This season, Green had seven goals, 18 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 30 regular season games with Winnipeg Wild Red, and added five points and 14 penalty minutes in six playoff outings.
“I was pretty happy,” Green said of his season.
He was at school when the second day of the draft began on May 8, and when he got home, was sitting in his screen room with his dad and his brother watching.
“I wasn’t actually in the room at the time but then I heard my brother calling me and my dad was just standing there and telling me I got drafted,” Green said. “I gave him a hug and said thanks for everything.”
In the Wheat Kings draft class, he played with forward Mark Munday and knows of Brandon’s Brayden Watt.
Brandon Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton said the story of Green is his untapped potential and high ceiling.
“I thought he was one of the most improved players throughout the year,” Moulton said. “I thought his game grew, his puck skills improved, he looked far more confident by the end of the year. I think he’s a very complete defenceman who has the ability to contribute a little bit but also make good decisions and transition the puck up the ice.”
Liam Green
Green said he is a two-way player who can shoot the puck well and make good plays on the transition, but he is looking for more from himself.
“I probably just want to make smart plays,” Green said. “Instead of shooting it, maybe I can find a guy back door, something like that.”
He’ll have his first chance to display his talents to the Wheat Kings at training camp in late August, which right now seems like an awfully long time to wait.
“I’m so excited,” Green said. “I’m just eager to get started.”
» The Brandon Sun is profiling every member of Brandon’s draft class of 2025. See Thursday’s Sun to read about Minnesota forward Tristan Will.
» pbergson@brandonsun.com