Stanley, Wheaties playing long game

The Brandon Wheat Kings may be the hottest team in the league right now, but they aren’t patting themselves on the back just yet.

Now tied for second in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League with the Winnipeg Bruins (26-3-1), the Wheat Kings (26-6-1) are winners of 15 straight contests. The last time they exited the ice without two points was back in the middle of November, when they dropped back-to-back games on the road in Winnipeg with 4-2 and 5-3 defeats to the Bruins — who have three games in hand over the Wheaties.

Since then, Brandon has outright dominated its competition, outscoring its opponents 88-18 and bringing its goal differential total up to 106. And make no mistake, the team’s success hasn’t come by accident — just ask second-year forward Ethan Stanley.

“We’ve found our identity,” said Stanley, who’s an assistant captain. “On a team level, we struggled at the start of the year to kind of find an identity, but lately we’ve been rolling now because I think everyone’s just playing their role. We’re working hard, getting pucks out and chasing pucks, and we’re all combining our roles to have a team effort, so our team has now found our gear, and we just keep getting better from here, so I think we just have to keep that up as a team.”

The Wheat Kings have been the benefactor of a softer schedule the last few months, playing against teams who sit at the bottom of the standings in the Kenora Thistles (1-29-1), Norman Northstars (2-32-3) and Interlake Lightning (8-21-1), but they’ve also proved during this hot streak they can play with some of the league’s best, such as the Bruins, whom they defeated in their first game returning from the Christmas break at J&G Homes Arena on Jan. 2.

In December, they also dispatched the Eastman Selects (22-9-2) in 4-2 and 3-2 victories at home and the Southwest Cougars (18-13-3) with back-to-back commanding efforts following 4-0 and 8-1 wins. And while the results are more than encouraging, Brandon knows they still have another level they need to get to — and one that needs to be reached before March arrives.

“We’ve got to get into that playoff mindset right now,” Stanley said. “The points are great, but if we want that championship, we’ve got to start playing more of that playoff style now.”

Head coach Travis Mealy has spoken all season long about getting into a playoff mentality not when the postseason begins, but far in advance so when you do get there, players can continue playing the way they have instead of trying to flip a switch and hope for the best. What that means, according to Mealy, is being more aggressive, more physical and crashing the net for a greasy rebound instead of playing on the perimeter. By no means is it an easy task, but if it was, then everyone would be on top.

Stanley, 17, would be the first one to admit he’s not the most skilled guy out there on the ice, but he does have the willingness to go to the hard areas. In fact, that’s where practically all of his offence has come from this season, as he’s been able to chalk up eight goals and 28 points — which ranks fifth among team scoring, behind Easten Turko (46), Reid Nicol (39) and his linemates Hudson Champagne (38) and Kevin Knee (37).

He feels that’s an area of his game he can lead by example with.

“I like to be a net presence. I’m not always the biggest guy in front of the net, but that’s where I want to be, that’s my spot. Get pucks in and work my a** off in front of the net there,” he said. “That’s where our goals are going to be scored in playoffs … I’m not the most vocal guy in the room, but I always try to lead by example, doing the right things and I just want to show the boys a path for them so they can follow it and be even better at it than I am.

“I think if we wear our teams down, we’ll have a big advantage in the playoffs.”

That was the biggest lesson learned from last year after the Winnipeg Wild dumped the Wheat Kings in four games to sweep the final. Brandon was worn down every shift by the Wild’s forecheck, which had even their top players going to war just to win a puck battle. It was a complete effort on attack, and guys were working just as hard to keep pucks out of their net too. It’s a recipe for success, and Stanley and his club will continue to work on it day in and day out.

“I think we can pick that up from them, and that’s definitely something that we’ve learned that can help us for this year,” said Stanley. “It’s going to be more physical, it’s more of a grind, but honestly, I know what to expect, and I’ve got to be ready for it, and I want to help get the boys ready for what they’ve got to expect.”

Brandon will continue gearing up for the post-season in its next set of games this weekend, when it faces the Winnipeg Thrashers on the road on Saturday and then hosts the Selects for a Sunday matinee.

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com