BWK TRAINING CAMP: Unfamiliar masked men take over in net

The Brandon Wheat Kings find themselves in a rare position in net as they kick off another season.

With the graduation of starter Carson Bjarnason to the pros and the trade of backup Ethan Eskit that brought in former Victoria Royals starter Jayden Kraus, Brandon is entering some unfamiliar country.

The last time Brandon had two new netminders to start a season was 2018-19 when Jiri Patera and Ethan Kruger took over. But to achieve that, during camp they traded Dylan Myskiw.

Before that, the 2010 Memorial Cup team had Jacob DeSerres and Andrew Hayes, a tandem replaced by Liam Liston and Corbin Boes the next season, although Ty Rimmer saw five games over the two years.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said with Kraus in the fold, he’s not worried.

“We have an experienced goalie who has played in the league,” Murray said. “If we had two kids who had never played a minute in the Western Hockey League, I would be a little concerned. We’re excited to have Jayden in. He played a lot of hockey last year and proved he could be a go-to guy. His wins and losses were exceptional. He’s a bigger-body guy who is six-foot-two, and our guys like him a lot. That’s a good starting point.”

The six-foot-two, 207-pound Kraus, product of Prince Albert, Sask., was Victoria’s third-round pick in 2021.

He was the Royals’ starter last season, appearing in 46 games with a 2.86 goals-against average, .908 save percentage, and record of 25-8-4-5. In 72 career games — including single starts in 2021-22 and 2022-23 as a callup — he has a 3.40 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage.

What’s less clear is who his backup will be, with three prime candidates.

“It’s going to competitive position to be battling for,” Murray said. “It will be fun to have them all under one roof to watch.”

Draft pick Dylan McFadyen of Winnipeg is very much in the conversation. While he got lit up for seven goals as a 16-year-old in a loss to the Regina Pats in the first game after Christmas last season, it was an indifferent performance by the club in front of him that stood out. He’s certainly well acquainted with the club after multiple call-ups in the last two seasons that gave extended chances to work with Brandon’s goaltending coach, Tyler Plante.

With the Interlake Lightning in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League, McFadyen appeared in 37 games with a 3.13 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

“We’re seeing him turning from a boy to starting to look like a man a little bit,” Murray said. “He put in a lot of time, and his weight is up this summer, and the reports from Tyler are that he looks really good too.”

Brandon acquired some insurance on Jan. 9 when they acquired then 17-year-old Hudson Perry from the Edmonton Oil Kings for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2027.

Perry, a six-foot-two product of Sexsmith, Alta., played 21 games with the Oil Kings over two seasons with a 4-11-3-0 record, a 4.83 goals-against average, and an .852 save percentage.

He finished the season with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drayton Valley Thunder, where he appeared in 16 games with a 3.54 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.

“We traded for him to add some depth to the organization last year, and he had a real strong second half in the Alberta junior league,” Murray said. “I know he’s excited to come to camp and push.”

Then Brandon took 17-year-old Czech goalie Filip Ruzicka with the 104th pick of the Canadian Hockey League import draft in July, giving them a third option.

The lanky goaltender played with the U17 Mountfield HK last season, posting a 1.80 goals-against average, .943 save percentage, and a 23-15-0 record in 38 appearances. He also saw action in four games with the U17 Czech national team, with a 2.98 save percentage, an .882 save percentage and 2-2-0 record.

Ruzicka is just the second goalie Brandon has taken in the draft, following another Czech netminder, Jiri Patera, back in 2018. The only problem is his club back in Czechia is currently holding up his transfer, so the date of his arrival is uncertain.

“Ruzicka is making some noise as a prospect,” Murray said. “He’s a young kid, but he’s six-foot-seven. When you have a guy that young and that big, there are some things you have to work through, but we’re confident he can get through it with Tyler and become a real good goalie.”

If there’s a common denominator between the four, it has to be their size. None are under six-foot-two.

“It’s a position where that’s what it’s gravitating towards,” Murray said. “If you’re under six-two, NHL teams probably aren’t going to give you a real good look. They’re going to take up more net, which is the way it is … With smaller guys, there’s just more net to shoot at. That’s one thing we’ve talked over the last while, getting more size in the crease.”

In addition, the Wheat Kings have a pair of young goalies they like in 2024 draft pick Urijah Moosetail of Brandon and 2025 pick Joffrey Chan of Vancouver, plus 15-year-old American list player Connor Dwyer.

“There are some good quality goaltending that we have in different age groups in our organization,” Murray said. “It will be fun to see them all in one setting.”

Fifteen-year-old free agent Zach Henry of Calgary will also be at camp, which begins Thursday evening with a pair of practices. Intra-squad games start on Friday at Assiniboine Credit Union Place, the new moniker for the former Westoba Place.

“I think we have four goalies there who are going to make a push, but obviously we traded for Kraus for a reason,” Murray said. “He’s a bonafide starting goalie in our league who went to Colorado’s development camp, and they liked him enough that they’re bringing him back in the fall. “I think he’s going to be a nice addition and is real excited to be a Wheat King. He’s a heck of a kid. He won the humanitarian award last year in Victoria for the way he carries himself and the stuff he did away from the rink. That leadership will go a long way as well.”