Mantei sees WHL exodus as inevitable

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This article was published 06/06/2025 (341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If Quinn Mantei is correct, major junior hockey is about to undergo a profound change.

The Brandon Wheat Kings captain, who turned 20 in April, decided last month to forgo his overage season in the Western Hockey League to start his college career with the Providence College Friars in the fall.

“I think we are going to see this become the norm for a lot of guys,” Mantei said. “I don’t think we’re going to see as many high-end 20-year-olds stick around if they think they’re ready for that next level. College is obviously going to be an older league, they play less games, they can train more and practise more, it’s a more structured pro style game, and that won’t ever change.

“The Western League is more of a pro-like schedule with a lot more games, less practice time, and it’s a little more of a run-and-gun style of hockey. It’s highly, highly skilled for sure and I do think it will get a little bit younger.

“You’ll see more younger, high-end guys coming in but then I think once you get to a certain point and you’ve proven what you can in that league, it will get to the point where a majority of guys are going to think getting to the older league is a benefit.”

The NCAA changed its rules in November to allow major junior players, but the rumours were swirling before that change was inevitable. The players knew it was coming, and college teams began to reach out.

“It was a whole new animal for a lot of guys and an unbelievable opportunity that we thought we’d never have when we signed our Western League deal,” the Weyburn product said. “That wasn’t on the table. the timing for guys like me and guys coming after me was unbelievable. It’s a fantastic opportunity and I think it’s great for the game of hockey and great for all the leagues.

“I think all the leagues will benefit from it. College hockey will get better being able to get all the major junior guys, and I think major junior will get better too because I think there will be a lot more Americans willing to come up and a lot of the high-end guys who want to play college will obviously be able to play in the league.”

Mantei said he had introductory calls with between 15 and 20 schools, meeting with coaches and participating in phone and Zoom calls.

He admitted it was distracting at times, but he tried to focus on the task at hand while being open about his intentions to concentrate on the WHL season during the recruiting process. That included being honest with the schools he wasn’t interested in.

The conversations did more serious with a handful of the schools, but he ultimately settled on Providence College, in part because they were graduating their top three defenceman to the pro ranks.

“The biggest thing you want to see is fit and opportunity,” Mantei said. “I think I’m getting both of those things with Providence. They are losing their top three D-men for next season, two of them signed NHL contracts and one signed an AHL contract. There is huge opportunity for me to come in and play right away, and the other thing is feeling wanted, and I felt that the whole way from providence and the staff.

“There was a really good vibe through the whole process. They told me all along I was their guy and a perfect fit for them, and that really spoke to me.”

He added the league they play in, Hockey East, has been the best in college hockey, and the team is a perennial contender.

On the academic side, which is an important consideration for the 2022-23 winner of the WHL’s Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Memorial Trophy as scholastic player of the year, it’s also a good fit.

“It’s always good to get going on my edition and they’re a very high-end academic institution as well,” Mantei said. “That was just another bonus.”

Mantei admitted his main priority is hockey — “My lifelong dream is to play pro hockey and to get to the highest level possible” — and he suggested this move will get him closer to that goal.

“I think that gives me the opportunity to prove what I need to prove,” Mantei said. “For teams in the pro ranks, the question is, am I big enough and capable enough of defending against older, stronger, faster players and this gives me the opportunity to prove that I am.”

Even with all that in mind, it wasn’t an easy decision. He had to pick between the new opportunity or returning as captain to what could potentially be a very good Wheat Kings club next season.

“It was super difficult,” Mantei said. “This wasn’t a decision I made overnight, that’s for sure. There were a few weeks there where it was weighing on me. I can’t lie, it was tough. I love it in Brandon and I made great memories there and created great relationships with a lot of good people. It was in my head all along that there was no wrong answer and there is no bad decision.

“I can go back and be a big part of a team that is hopefully going to make a run and captain that team or take a step and move up a level if I think I’m ready.

“… Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I have to put my career first. My end goal is pro hockey and I decided this is the best way to get me closer to that goal.”

The Division I program, which is coached by Nate Leaman and won a national title in 2015, is part of a private Roman Catholic university located in Providence, Rhode Island. The community of 190,000 is located south of Boston.

He noted a player has to be assured they’ll actually see the ice or they’re probably better staying in major junior. While Mantei thinks more older players will leave the WHL, he doesn’t see a mass exodus of younger players making the jump, although there will be exceptions such as Brandon’s Clarke Caswell, who is entering this 19-year-old season and heading to Denver University.

“Guys like Casy, the 18-year-olds who are really high-end guys and have proven in their time in the league they’re elite and are over a point-per-game producers or high draft picks, you might see them leaving at 18 or 19,” Mantei said. “For the most part, unless you’re a super high-end player and super highly skilled, the majority of 18-year-olds I wouldn’t say are fully ready to take that step and play against 22- or 23-year-olds. That’s always the case. There aren’t a lot of true freshmen going down and playing college hockey.”

He officially committed in late April, in part out of loyalty to his junior team.

He wanted to give Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Marty Murray a chance to replace him, which Murray did when he acquired overage defenceman Grayson Burzynski of Winnipeg and overage forward Luke Mistelbacher of Steinbach from the Swift Current Broncos for the Wheat Kings’ own pick in the first round, 15th overall, plus 15-year-old prospect Alex Letourneau, a second-round pick in 2025 originally belonging to the Saskatoon Blades, third-round picks in 2027 and 2028 and a sixth-round pick in 2028.

“I was very up front with Marty about it and told him I was going down there for a visit,” Mantei said. “I was very open about the whole situation all along and they knew I had been talking to teams.”

HIGHLY TOUTED

Brandon originally grabbed Mantei with the 13th overall selection in the draft on April 22, 2020, just after the COVID-19 outbreak hit. The team was unable to hold a prospects camp, rookie camp or main camp due to the pandemic, so it was more than 500 days before Mantei finally set foot in Brandon prior to the 2021 training camp.

Since the 2020-21 season was essentially a washout, Mantei came to the Wheat Kings with just 13 games of experience at the under-18 level and was essentially making the jump straight from U15 to major junior. That involved a lot of growing up quickly.

“Junior hockey is a different scenario,” Mantei said. “You come in as a 16-year-old and there are 20 turning 21-year-olds there. Being around and just looking up to the older guys I think helps so much. I was with such a good crew as a young guy and tried to do the same as I got older. Just being around the older guys made such a huge difference and being away from home forces you to mature and grow up a little quicker.”

He said the high-pressure situations and the uncertainty of the game also shape a person.

“I feel like I came in as a kid and now that I’m leaving, I can say I’ve come a long way since that first day I stepped into town,” he said.

After learning on the job in his 16-year-old season, he showed real signs of what he would become during the team’s playoff loss to the Red Deer Rebels in the spring of 2022, and was subsequently named the team’s top defenceman three years in a row, an award he shared with his friend Luke Shipley this spring.

In a measure of the esteem in which he was held, the Wheat Kings named him captain last September.

In 250 career regular season season games, he had 14 goals, 98 assists and 126 penalty minutes, with nine points and 12 penalty minutes in 15 career playoff games.

“Four years is a long time,” Mantei said. “I loved every moment I’ve spent there from coming in as a 16-year-old kid and not knowing much about it and having to meet all the new faces. It’s become my second family over the past four years. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity that I was able to play there for four years and not be far from home and meet so many great people and have success and be named as captain and a leader of the team.

“There are so many things to be grateful for and it will definitely be a second home for me.”

He said his billets Tony, Linda and Riley Strickland were a big part of that, essentially becoming a part of his family.

And while he’s leaving, his feelings for the city and his teammates haven’t changed.

“I think the biggest thing is all the people I’ve met and the relationships,” Mantei said. “Those aren’t going to leave. I truly believe I’m going to stay in touch with a huge number of people over the years. That’s just a special place and a special group of people. It’s almost like coming from a small town, it gave me that happy medium and it also felt like a similar vibe where everybody is all in for their team.”

He became the third Wheat Kings to land a commitment, following graduated overagers Marcus Nguyen (University of Nebraska Omaha) and Shipley (UMass-Lowell). After Mantei signed, Nolan Flamand committed to Merrimack College and Matteo Michels signed with University of Vermont for the 2026-27 season.

The next step for Mantei is heading to Providence later in the summer, and beginning the next chapter of his life and hockey career. With the emotion of a life-changing decision finally behind, he can now begin to ponder what lies ahead.

“I’m excited,” Mantei said. “There were a few weeks during the decision-making process that were really, really tough and there was a stretch where there was some sadness. I’m going to miss Brandon, and change isn’t easy. Now that I’ve gotten through that and sat on it for a little while, I’m starting to get more and more excited every day. I think it’s a really good opportunity for me as a player and as a person to keep growing.”

ICINGS: The Wheat Kings will open next season at home against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Sept. 19 … The Red Deer Rebels have named Marc Habscheid as their new coach after parting ways with Dave Struch … Wheat kings forwards Roger McQueen and Carter Klippenstein are taking part in this week’s scouting combine in Buffalo … The Swift Current Broncos have acquired 2008-born forward Noah Kosick of Victoria, B.C., from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a second-round pick in 2026 and a conditional second-round pick in 2028. He is committed to the University of Michigan in 2026-27.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com