Rideout brings grit, skill to Wheat Kings

If you’ve never been drafted by a Western Hockey League club, it’s impossible to understand what it must feel like.

But even Austin Rideout has a hard time explaining it, and the Brandon Wheat Kings grabbed him in the fifth round with the 105th overall pick in the annual draft last Thursday.

“It’s shocking, honestly,” Rideout said. “There are a lot of draft rankings but I was trying to get my mind off that because they don’t really matter that much. When I saw my name up there, I was beyond happy. I can’t even explain with words.”

Rideout, who turned 15 in February, was born and raised in Fort McMurray, Alta., but spent last season with OHA Edmonton’s under-15 prep team. Happily, he was able to live with his grandparents in the Alberta capital.

On draft day, he was in his bedroom in Edmonton sitting at his computer — his grandparents were in the living room — with his immediate family all home in Fort McMurray.

“When I finally got drafted I went out and celebrated with my grandparents,” Rideout said. “I called my mom and my dad and all my friends that wanted to call me.”

Rideout’s journey began at age three when he first got on skates, and then began to play soon after. He took his turn in net early on but was always a forward otherwise.

Rideout said his parents Troy and Alisha have been incredible as he’s grown up in hockey.

“My parents have sacrificed a lot to put me through where I’ve gone,” said Rideout, who is also a good golfer. “All the money they spent and all the time, they always come and see me and adjust their schedule to be with me.”

“I would like to thank everyone in my family for supporting me and being through the hard and good times with me,” he added. “And obviously my coaches and teammates supported me all the way through it.”

His progress was turbocharged this year as he made the decision to jump from the U15 AAA Fort Saskatchewan Rangers to OHA Edmonton. In 29 games, he had 12 goals, 16 assists and 32 penalty minutes on a team that included assistant coach Neithan Salame, the perpetually upbeat former Wheat Kings defenceman.

“I was fairly happy,” Rideout said. “Coming into the year, I was not as good as the other guys obviously because they’ve played at the academy before so they’ve had much better development. I feel like I became a way better player and the points came through and made me very happy.

“I worked hard for it.”

At the prestigious John Reid tournament in Calgary, Rideout had three goals and four assists in five games and he had three assists in five games at the Alberta Cup, a pair of events that are traditional measuring sticks for players against their age groups.

The five-foot-11, 178-pound forward success stems from an ingredient that seems to be in much shorter supply now than it was decades ago.

“I’m a very physical player who also has a very skilled side,” Rideout said. “I’m a two-way forward who likes to finish checks, make plays and will do anything for his team.”

Brandon Wheat Kings director of hockey operations Chris Moulton agreed. “He plays the game hard,” he said after the draft.

“He is as tough as nails, he likes to be an agitator, likes to get in the opposition’s face, loves to bring physicality, but in the same breath, can skate and create offence. He’s a well-rounded guy who can do a lot of things but the biggest thing I think he brings is keeping the opposition honest.”

In 2021, Moulton used many of the same words to describe Carter Klippenstein, who proved to be a valuable contributor over his three years with the Wheat Kings. Klippenstein, a Minnesota Wild prospect, recently committed to Providence College and won’t be returning for an overage season.

Incredibly, the league hasn’t been on Rideout’s radar for too long.

“I’ve only known about the WHL for about four years,” Rideout said. “My first couple of years I was still in U13 so I wasn’t really worried about it then because I had a lot of years left, but as my years came closer to the WHL draft, I started taking it really seriously. I really wanted to get drafted.”

As a player in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, Rideout was well aware he and his teammates were being watched by scouts like Moulton. While that could be a source of pressure, Rideout was determined to ignore the extra attention.

“It all starts before the game with your preparation,” Rideout said. “When you’re going out on the ice, you just have to think, not that no one is there, but no one that important is there that you have to show off. You have to keep your mind clear and keep resetting and just play your game.”

And that’s what made getting drafted so sweet. The youngster who felt like he was behind everyone else at the start of the year ended up being selected by Brandon with one of his teammates, defenceman Nate Harrington.

“It’s a big relief, honestly,” Rideout said. “If I didn’t end up getting drafted, I would still push and work hard, but looking forward, I wouldn’t know where I was going. It makes me easier for me and my parents to see where I’m going in my future.”

Rideout, who wants to improve his puck work along the boards in tight areas and be better at protecting the puck and escaping quickly, also knows Marko Malbasa and Rylan Edwards from the 2026 draft class. He thinks having familiar faces at training camp in late August will be a great bonus.

“It’s going to be real helpful,” Rideout said. “With people you know, you’re going to get comfortable way faster and you’re going to have a better start to everything and you’re probably just going to enjoy it more with your buddies.”

And that’s just part of the appeal of making his first-ever trip to Brandon.

“I’m very excited to see what the town is all about and what the team is all about,” Rideout said. “I’m excited to see the new guys. I feel like I’m going to fit in because I’m very easy to make friends with.

“That makes everything exciting.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com