WHL NOTEBOOK: Buddies take leadership roles

On a Brandon Wheat Kings team that already has a lot of close friendships, Jaxon Jacobson and Brady Turko stand out.

On Friday morning, the Western Hockey League club announced Jacobson will wear the C and Turko will sport an A, so the two buddies will be bonded in another way.

“A lot of guys on our team are (close) but Brady is definitely one of my best friends,” Jacobson said. “We’ve done everything together over the last couple of years. It’s been pretty cool to go through it with him and see each other grow and him get some pro experience with being drafted.

“It’s really cool, and he’s someone I ask questions to so I know what to expect when I get there. It’s just really fun to go through it with one of your best buddies.”

They started to get to know each other at age 11 or 12 when they played against each other, since Turko was still in his hometown of McCreary.

They skated together in the summers, and after Turko moved to Brandon to attend the Western Canada Hockey Academy and got his release from Parkland, they skated together for the first time with the under-15 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings.

They’ve developed a real tightness in that time.

“I’m really happy for him,” Jacobson said. “It’s something we’ve always wanted. We’ve been on teams where we’ve been successful and we’ve definitely been leaders of the group, even if we didn’t wear a letter. Just for us to get recognized and be leaders for a team is exciting. That’s a really good choice for our team and I think we’ll have a lot of success.”

The other alternate captains are Joby Baumuller and Nigel Boehm.

Jacobson, who was born on Dec. 11, 2008, is still 17, while Turko turned 19 earlier this month. While they are a hockey year apart, they won a provincial U15 championship in 2021-22.

After being picked by Brandon in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by Brandon, Turko made the natural jump to U18 the next season at age 15.

He was joined by Jacobson, who was granted Hockey Brandon’s version of exceptional status and allowed to also play U18 in his major U15 year. Despite being 13 almost until Christmas, he led the team in scoring, and the Wheat Kings grabbed Jacobson with the fifth-overall pick in 2023’s WHL draft.

The next season, Jacobson and Turko finished one-two in scoring as they led the U18 Wheat Kings all the way to the 2024 Telus Cup final. They both jumped to the WHL in the 2024-25 season, and now they’ll wear letters together too.

“It’s been crazy,” Turko said. “I think back to our first year of U15 playing together. If somebody would have told us this is where we would be today, I don’t know if I would have believed them. It’s awesome. I’m so thankful for all the opportunities I’ve gotten. To wear a letter with him on this team and lead this team makes it even more special.”

Since their last league championship, Brandon’s captains have been Caleb Hadland (2025-26), Quinn Mantei (2024-25), Nate Danielson and later Brett Hyland after a trade (2023-24), Danielson and Nolan Ritchie (2022-23), Ridly Greig (2021-22), Braden Schneider (2020-21), Connor Gutenberg (2019-20), Stelio Mattheos (2018-19), Tanner Kaspick and later James Shearer (2017-18), Nolan Patrick (2016-17) and Macoy Erkamps (2015-16).

“My first year with Quinn, he was more of a vocal guy but he definitely led by example and came to the rink every day with a winning mentality,” Jacobson said. “Same with Hads. They kind of carried the same traits where they both came to the rink every day ready to go and they led by example.

“You knew you were in a battle with one of them when you went in a corner, and that’s the way I want to get to. They were a little older than me when they take over the role but I think that’s something I can definitely grow into.”

Jacobson posted 44 points in 51 games as a WHL rookie, and last season, exploded for 85 points in 63 games. Since camp started this year, it’s been readily apparent that his work rate, willingness to compete physically and defensive awareness have all taken another big step.

“I think I lead every way in my day with how I show up at the rink, how I go about my practice, how I go about my habits,” Jacobson said. “The guys are following along and following into that winning type of culture. I’m not the type of guy to get up and be yelling and be that rowdy type of leader but I’m definitely the guy to led by example and lead the guys in the right direction.”

Jacobson found out he was going to be captain on Thursday.

“There was talk within the coaching staff throughout the year that they wanted me to be a leader for the group this year and lead by example since the start of camp,” Jacobson said. “I think I knew I would be part of the leadership group but being named captain was a tremendous honour.”

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said the staff looked at a lot of things as they made their choices, including the players’ roles and impact.

“We have a lot of candidates who could have worn letters,” Murray said. “We need a group effort. It can’t be one guy, it can’t be four guys, it has to be a lot of guys. I look at Brett Wilson, who has been a leader, and (Josh) McGregor, just because they don’t have a letter doesn’t mean they aren’t leaders.

“You need somebody to right the ship and steer the ship and we chose those guys because they’ve been around and had success in the league and our hopes are that they can lead by example and do things the right way.”

Turko said that’s something he’s always seen from his buddy Jacobson.

“He leads by example every day with the work he puts in,” Turko said. “He’s an amazing guy, one of my best friends, and growing up with him and seeing how much work he’s put in inspires me to do the same. Over the years he has become more vocal and a lot of guys on our team look up to him and really want to follow him.”

Turko has found it more difficult to put up points in the WHL than he did in U18, where he had a 90-point season in 41 games with the U18 club. He has 66 points in 142 career regular season games in major junior.

Still, with his speed and big shot, the Anaheim Ducks drafted him in the seventh round in 2025.

He was thrilled he would also get a chance to serve on the leadership group.

“It’s just an exceptional honour,” Turko said. “Anytime you get to wear a letter for a team is a great honour and this is actually the first time I’ve ever been given a letter in my hockey career. That just makes it even more special for me.”

Jacobson and Turko certainly won’t be alone. Along with Baumuller, Boehm, Wilson and McGregor, the team has a large contingent of experienced players who have brought their unique flavour of leadership to the group.

“We have experience in the room, and even if it’s not in the WHL, it’s in other junior leagues and some pro with our Russian (Kris Muissu) and Finnish (Ilari Kapanen) guys,” Jacobson said. “We have a really good group of guys. It’s an easy group to be a leader for.

“They definitely follow and they definitely want to win so it’s easy and fun.”

THIS AND THAT

• QUIZ — Brandon went 2-2-0-0 in the pre-season, the third time they’ve posted that record since 2011. Here’s a coin-flip question. Was that .500 record a good sign or a bad sign in the ensuing regular season?

• ROSTER MOVE — The Wheat Kings reassigned 17-year-old forward Carson Park on Sunday morning. The next move will likely be 16-year-old netminder Joffrey Chan’s reassignment if starting goalie Filip Ruzicka is sent back to Brandon this week by the Minnesota Wild this week. The team now has seven defencemen and 15 forwards.

• WEEKLY AWARDS — The player of the week is 18-year-old Saskatoon Blades defenceman Brayden Klimpke of Calgary, who had three goals and two assists in two games, including two goals and an assist in a 5-4 loss to Brandon.

The goaltender of the week is 19-year-old Seattle Thunderbirds netminder Grayson Malinoski of Saskatoon, who stopped all 31 shots he faced in a 1-0 victory over the Wenatchee Wild.

The rookie of the week is 18-year-old Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Dayne Beuker of Humboldt, Sask., who had a goal and two assists in two games.

• TRADE FRONT — There have been no deals since Sept. 15.

• SIN BIN — The naughty behaviour that started in the pre-season continued on opening night on Friday as 18-year-old Prince Albert Raiders forward Cash Lanigan received a one-game suspension for a kneeing major and game misconduct against his hometown Regina Pats.

• ALUMNI GLANCE — Former Wheat Kings defenceman Andrei Malyavin is in his third season with Molot Perm in the All-Russian Hockey League (VHL). The 22-year-old defenceman has a goal and an assist with the club in five games this season, and 13 points in 67 career games.

He played 126 regular season and playoff games with Brandon between 2022 and 2024, with 48 points, 74 penalty minutes and a plus-minus of -27.

• THE WEEK AHEAD — Brandon hosts Regina on Friday at 7 p.m., and then visits the Moose Jaw Warriors at Temple Gardens Centre on Saturday at 7 p.m.

• ANSWER — OK, I cheated a little bit here.

In the fall of 2022, the team went 2-2-0-0 and finished 26-33-8-1 in the 2022-23 regular season and missed the playoffs. In the fall of 2019, they went .500 and went on to post a regular season record of 35-22-4-2. That was the 2019-20 season that ended early due to COVID.

In the 15 years since 2011 when a pre-season was held — they didn’t play one in the COVID season in the Regina hub in 2021 — the Wheat Kings have had nine winning records, three even records and three losing records.