Wilson values new opportunity

In his first 45 seconds as a Brandon Wheat King last Saturday, Brett Wilson took a pair of muggings from Prince Albert Raiders forward Aiden Oiring and then a heavy hit from Brandon Gorzynski as he made a play.

It’s the Western Hockey League, kid. Good luck.

“It won’t happen too often,” Wilson said with a chuckle. “I can blame it on the bus legs because I was on the road for 20 hours. That was for sure a welcome-to-the-league moment.”

The five-foot-eight, 173-pound forward, who turned 20 on Jan. 9, is a Calgary product who had been playing with the BCHL’s Okotoks Oilers when the injury-riddled Wheat Kings came calling.

Because the injury trouble came after the trade deadline, Brandon didn’t have many options for bringing in players. They couldn’t take a player from another Hockey Canada-associated league, such as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, so the players in the independent BCHL suddenly become awfully attractive.

“We scoured that league, our scouts, and Brett was the name that came up,” Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said. “We’re real thankful to Okotoks for their understanding and wanting him to get that opportunity. It worked out well in a tough situation but it’s great for Brett to come in and get his feet wet and contribute right away.”

Okotoks was fifth and last in the Interior Division, which features Alberta teams, and will almost certainly miss the playoffs.

In 36 games in the BCHL this season, the Oilers captain had 11 goals, 21 assists, and 38 penalty minutes. Wilson was rewarded for his work in Okotoks when he was invited to play in the BCHL college prospects all-star game, where he earned an assist.

He knew the Wheat Kings were looking at him but suddenly had a decision to make after director of hockey operations Chris Moulton made the initial contact.

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Wilson said. “At the start of the week, they reached out to my agent and my agent texted me, ‘Do you have any interest?’ I was like, ‘Ya, maybe,’ and took a call with Chris Moulton. It happened from there.

“I made my decision that night and I was on the road two days later. It was a quick trip, but Brandon had reached out to me before, so I knew they were interested for a while now.”

While it was a good opportunity, there was a lot more to the story.

After nearly three full seasons in Okotoks, it wasn’t just a matter of picking up and moving on. Wilson suddenly had deep roots in the Alberta community, and it made for what he called a tough goodbye.

“Oh God, it was one of the hardest decisions,” Wilson said. “I was with the same billets for all three years, and the guys were like brothers. It was not easy at all. We had a last dinner to say goodbye. I’ll keep in contact with them.”

In 160 regular season and 14 playoff games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and then the BCHL after the team moved, Wilson has 51 goals, 64 assists, and 88 penalty minutes.

Wilson headed home to Calgary after saying his goodbyes, and left early last Friday to drive to Brandon to watch their game against the Hitmen that night. That gave him a lot of time in his own head.

“There was a lot going through it,” Wilson said.

Wheat Kings rookie forward Ryan Boyce played in Okotoks with Wilson last season. The one constant in life is change, and Boyce and Wilson are a good example.

A year ago, Boyce was the 16-year-old rookie coming into an Okotoks dressing room in which Wilson was an alternate captain. Fast forward a year, and suddenly Boyce is the one welcoming Wilson in.

“He definitely brought me in, especially with being the youngest guy on the team at the time,” Boyce said. “He was a good guy to learn from in practice and off the ice in becoming a pro and learning the ropes in junior.

“It definitely feels a little weird, me coming into his team last year and now he’s coming into mine. He fits right in already.”

Murray noticed the same thing, but wasn’t worried.

“He’s acclimated very well,” Murray said. “The reports on him coming in was he was such a good kid and a good leader, a captain of their hockey team. I think he’s fit in.”

Nick Johnson played against Wilson growing up because they were located in the same area of Calgary, so Johnson was the other player Wilson knew when he entered Brandon’s dressing room.

The Brandon overager noted it is an unusual situation.

“It’s a little different,” Johnson said. “He’s 20 years old, but it’s kind of funny, he got to do his rookie solo lap. He’s matured now and has been through it, being a young guy and being a captain of a team too. He’s experienced it all, and that makes it an easy transition for him to come to a new team.”

The left-shooting forward debuted on Saturday at the notoriously unfriendly Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, and then visited Temple Gardens Centre in Moose Jaw to meet the Warriors on Tuesday.

Wilson quickly made an impact on the scoresheet, sniping five minutes 13 seconds into the first period on a terrific pass by Luke Mistelbacher.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Wilson said. “Mistel put it on a tee, and I was like, ‘All right, that was pretty easy.’ Obviously goals aren’t going to come that easy, but it was nice to get it early into my WHL career. Hopefully I keep going and potting some more.”

While there are some slight adjustments to his daily routine, the biggest changes do come on the ice. Wilson said he has noticed a difference in how the game is played.

“It’s for sure a lot more skilled and more puck control, less throwing it away, and a lot more plays,” Wilson said. “I think the systems are better here too, a little more dynamic and solid. If you just keep your head, make smart plays, and keep your feet moving, it’s not crazy, but it is a step up.”

He came through the Calgary Flames under-16, U16, and U18 system, with Wilson and the Flames attending the Telus Cup in 2023.

Wilson wasn’t drafted by a WHL team but attended camp with his hometown Hitmen before launching his junior career. After that, he just went to camp with Okotoks.

“I’m kind of classified as the reliable 200-foot guy,” said Wilson, who is called Willie by his teammates. “I’m not the flashiest — I’m not Patrick Kane — but I work super hard and like to lay the body even though I’m not the biggest guy out there.

“I like to be physical, a little bit greasy and drive the net. That’s my game.”

Boyce agreed.

“He’s a little bit of a hybrid,” Boyce said. “He’s got some grit and skill and he’ll forecheck hard. That’s one of the big parts of his game, and he doesn’t stop working. He reminds me a lot of Hads (Caleb Hadland), our current captain. He’s also got some leadership in the room too, which is one of his biggest assets. He’s always positive on the bench and he’ll lift guys up and not get too down.

“He’s a really good skater too and a bit of a workhorse. He’s a really good addition to the squad, especially replacing Klip (Carter Klippenstein), who also forechecks hard.”

Murray added Wilson brings hard skill to the lineup despite his size, with Johnson noting he can be a greasy player who competes hard and is willing to play in the tough areas.

The newcomer had been committed to Bemidji State for next season, but that is no longer the case. Now Wilson has an eye on competing for an overage season in Brandon instead.

“That was one of the main ideas I was thinking when I came here,” Wilson said. “This is probably the best stage to showcase myself because the dream is to go play school down south.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com