Wheat Kings set for American swing

When Horace Greeley coined the expression “Go west, young man” two centuries ago, even he may have been impressed by the ambition of the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The Western Hockey League team (24-17-1-0) will travel around 5,000 kilometres to play seven games in 11 days, starting with a matchup tonight against the Lethbridge Hurricanes as they make their way west.

This year it’s the U.S. Division they’re visiting, with games against the Everett Silvertips (Friday), Portland Winterhawks (Saturday), Seattle Thunderbirds (Tuesday, Jan. 27), Wenatchee Wild (Wednesday, Jan. 28), Tri-City Americans (Friday, Jan. 30), and Spokane Chiefs (Saturday, Jan. 31).

In all, it’s a journey of around 5,000 kilometres.

“It’s a grind,” Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said. “It’s tiring as a coach. I remember going through it as a player and it’s a fun trip getting away.

“We’re used to doing it early in October but here we are going in January and maybe we get away from some cold weather, which will be kind of nice. I think it’s a good thing. We’ve played pretty well on the road too, so I think that’s a good sign.”

This is the latest trip into the Western Conference for Brandon in the Internet era. They’ve only headed west three times in January, but this is the second year in a row.

“It’s a lot of fun,” overage forward Nick Johnson said. “It’s just a lot more bonding. You spend it with your team, and we get to do a bunch of stuff. We have a couple of days off — a day off in Seattle — so it will be a good time. It will be a good time for our guys to keep bonding, especially after the trade deadline.”

His fellow overager Luke Mistelbacher agreed. He was last in the United States when he was 17 with the Swift Current Broncos.

“It’s really fun, if you’re winning especially,” Mistelbacher said. “We have a couple days off in Seattle, so that’s always fun. The last time we went to the States I was 17 and we didn’t do too well but it was definitely fun.”

The Wheat Kings will be without overage defenceman Grayson Burzynski for the first three games of the trip after he was suspended for two crosschecks to the face of Victoria Royals forward Nolan Stewart on Friday. They were in response to a hit on Burzynski a couple of minutes earlier that sent Stewart to the box for boarding.

The Wheat Kings are also without recently injured forwards Carter Klippenstein and Chase Surkan, plus forward Easton Odut and defenceman Merrek Arpin, who are out long term.

To fill out their roster, the team will be joined by two of its top forward prospects, 15-year-old Levi Ellingsen and 16-year-old Carson Ralph.

Ellingsen is playing prep hockey with NAX this season, with six goals and 18 assists in 22 games. Ralph, meanwhile, is skating with the under-18 AAA St. Albert Raiders, and has 14 goals and 16 assists in 30 games. He has an assist in two games with the Wheat Kings.

“It’s going to be a test for those guys coming in,” Murray said. “They’ll see how hard the Western Hockey League is, busing and getting in at three in the morning and playing the next day in a different city. It will be real good for them.

“Carson got his feet wet with a couple of games early on. With Levi, I think it will be a real cool experience for him to play in his first games in his home market and have his family and friends there too.

“It seems like a perfect time to bring those guys in. Obviously we don’t want injuries in our group, but that’s hockey, and you see guys rise to the occasion.”

It’s never been an easy trip. In the last 20 years — two seasons of conference play were lost to the pandemic — Brandon has done it nine times and had a winning record in just three.

The difficulty of the trip is dialled up in part of the unfamiliarity of the opponents.

“I think you focus on your own game,” said Murray, whose club doesn’t play at home again until Feb. 6. “They are teams you’re not that familiar with. You know players from the other teams and get a gauge of what they like to do, but it’s a good opportunity to focus on ourselves again and try to get ourselves to the top of our game.

“There are obviously pre-scouts, and you have to know your opponent, but at the same time, playing our own game and creating that identity and getting stronger with that is a critical part of the road trip.”

Brandon is 4-0-0-0 against the B.C. Division at home this season.

“I think it’s important to get off on the right foot on the trip,” Murray said. “The games happen fast and furious so if you fall behind early and try to chase it, it ends up being a real gruelling trip. But if you get some momentum coming out of the gate, and win a couple or the first two of three, you sense that hope and keep it rolling.”

While Canadian fans often watch games like they’re expecting to be named general manager the next day, American fans usually like to have fun.

During the 2016 final that Brandon won, the largest crowd in Seattle was for Game 3, which was on a Tuesday when the drink specials happened to be on. The crowds for Games 4 and 5 were much smaller.

“It’s a different animal with the intensity of the fans,” Murray said. “I find that in Canada they’re more hockey people, so they’ll sit and watch and critique, while (in the U.S.), they’re at the rink for the beer and the shoving and fights and stuff.

“It’s a pretty rowdy atmosphere. I always remember Seattle in their old rink they used to play in, it was 4,000 people with real steep stands, and it seemed like everybody was right on top of you.

“They played that Gary Glitter song (Rock and Roll) when they scored, and it got rocking pretty good.”

The Wheat Kings also struggled in some of the buildings. For instance, Brandon hasn’t won in Portland since Oct. 27, 2007, and they have just three wins in Portland and Spokane in the last two decades.

Forward Jordan Gavin played for the Tri-City Americans before he was dealt to the Wheat Kings.

“It’s a little different,” Gavin said. “The American teams have cowbells, a lot of them, so it gets pretty loud in the buildings. There are some pretty good chants over there. Spokane and Everett get really loud. I’m really excited to play in those buildings again. It’s a really good atmosphere.”

Mistelbacher is also eager to have one final visit south, with one arena in particular he wants to experience.

“Obviously Everett,” Mistelbacher said. “I would think that’s a pretty common answer. It’s so cool there. They just fill it up pretty much every night, and it gets loud.”

Johnson skated for the Portland Winterhawks before he came to Brandon in the Nate Danielson deal and also understands the task. With the constant churn in junior hockey, Johnson only knows a couple of current Winterhawks.

“It will be fun,” Johnson said. “It will be cool going into those buildings, especially Seattle and obviously Portland. Being on the other side of the rink will be pretty fun. I just have to soak it all in and be ready.”

The biggest trick for the Wheat Kings is fighting off the effects of the demanding schedule and all the things that go with it over the 11 days. Johnson said it’s a matter of resting when you can and then being ready to hit the ice.

“I think it’s mentally preparing yourself,” Johnson said. “You’re going to go through challenges. You’re going to be in and out of hotels and in and out of rinks. You just have to be aware it’s coming and not let anything take you by surprise.

“When it’s game time, just show up.”

ICINGS: The WHL announced the coaching staffs for the 2026 WHL prospects game at the Langley Events Centre on Feb. 18, all of whom are from the B.C. Division. Team East will feature Shaun Clouston (Kamloops Blazers) as head coach, along with assistant coaches Derrick Martin (Kelowna Rockets) and Fred Harbinson (Penticton Vees). Team West will be led by Mark Lamb (Prince George Cougars) with assistant coaches Parker Burgess (Vancouver Giants) and James Patrick (Victoria Royals).

» pbergson@brandonsun.com