Relieved Wheat Kings prepare for Pats

The Western Hockey League’s trade deadline passed on Thursday evening, the sun rose on Friday morning and life went on for the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The club, which faces the Regina Pats this evening at 6 o’clock at Assiniboine Credit Union Place, was one of just four teams that made no moves since Dec. 1. As a result, the roster that started the season together will be the one that finishes it.

Overage forward Nick Johnson, who has 31 points in 38 games and a team-leading plus-minus of +25, came to Brandon from the Portland Winterhawks in the deadline deal for Nate Danielson in 2024.

He’s happy he’ll be able to finish up his junior career in Brandon.

“Once we all found out, it certainly felt like a weight dropped off everyone,” Johnson said. “Everyone knows here what type of group we have here and what a special group we have. We’re all excited and looking forward to the second half of the season.”

It was the first time in Internet history a player wasn’t acquired or traded by the Wheat Kings after the season began.

“It’s kind of crazy,” veteran forward Carter Klippenstein said. “All these young guys have no clue what happens when a trade goes down. It will be really good for our group. There are a lot of groups that are going to be adjusting to new guys and new systems and we’ll be sticking with what we’ve had all year. We just have to keep being a tight group like we are and have fun in the second half.”

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray talked to the team before practice and explained the dynamics that led to the Wheat Kings standing pat on trade deadline day. “I said you can be happy, you can be relieved, you can be disappointed, but whatever you are, it’s season two and we’re locked in now,” Murray said. “This is our team, and I wanted to express that I believe in the guys. Now we just have to go out and play and execute.”

Klippenstein, a prospect of the Minnesota Wild, has 168 regular season games under his belt with the Wheat Kings, second only to captain Caleb Hadland’s 208. He is in his third full season with the club, and will likely turn pro next fall.

“It’s always a good thing to be known as a guy who started his career and ended it in the same spot,” Klippenstein said. “I’m beyond happy to be here and excited to see what I can do the rest of this year.”

The only major change in Brandon this season was the loss of Czech defenceman Adam Hlinsky, who returned home after being injured in his second game and was replaced by Russian blue-liner Daniil Skvortsov, who was claimed on waivers from the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm. In addition, goaltender Hudson Perry started the season with the club but only made one appearance before he was reassigned not long after Czech goalie Filip Ruzicka arrived. “It’s been good,” Johnson said. “You get so close to some people and your whole team, and sometimes it’s a little scary with who’s getting traded and who’s getting brought in too. We’re a really close group. Everyone likes everyone here and that will just help us when we play.”

They’ll be trying to end a three-game losing streak when they return to action tonight.

Brandon (22-15-1-0) is tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference, while Regina (11-20-4-1) is in ninth place, a point back of the Red Deer Rebels for the final playoff spot. The Pats earned a 6-4 victory in their first matchup on Oct. 18 in Regina, and since then the Wheat Kings have won 3-2 in a shootout in Regina on Oct. 29, 8-5 in Brandon on Nov. 1, and 7-4 in Regina on Dec. 5.

“They have a good team,” Murray said. “They’ve played us extremely tough every time we’ve played them. I think their group is really deep. They’ve had some injuries, but they’re back to being healthy now. Everybody is fighting for playoff positions, us and they’re right on the cusp, so every game is important now. We expect them to be pretty good.”

The Wheat Kings and Pats tangle three more times this season, in Brandon on Feb. 27, and in a season-ending home-and-home series in Regina on March 20 and in Brandon on March 21.

“They’re a younger team and more in a rebuild stage,” Johnson said. “But they all work, and they have a lot of guys who skate really fast and will skate around and compete and work. We have to make sure we match that and play our game and to our identity. It will be a good game.”

Next week, the Wheat Kings visit the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday and the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday, then return to play the Victoria Royals on Friday.

That’s their final action in Brandon until Feb. 6 because they’ll be heading out on the road for their annual West Coast trip, this time through the U.S. Division.

And they’ll do it with the anxiety of deadline day behind them.

“It’s nice,” Johnson said. “For everyone, it’s a stressful day. You just have to look at it going forward now. We have a good team, and I think if we all believe in each other, we have a pretty good shot.”

ICINGS: Lethbridge Hurricanes general manager Peter Anholt has resigned, news that was released on Friday. He had been under investigation on a personal conduct matter dating back to 2015 involving a “verbal interaction with a player that, as described, falls outside of the WHL’s Standards of Conduct with respect to threatening and intimidating language,” the league said in a release. Barclay Parneta will take over for the rest of the season, and Anholt will continue to participate in counselling.

Anholt, 65, joined the team as assistant general manager in 2014-15 and took over as GM in December 2014. He also worked in various capacities with the Prince Albert Raiders, Red Deer Rebels, Seattle Thunderbirds and Kelowna Rockets in a major junior career spanning back to 1986.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com