Undefeated U18 Wheat Kings face busy week

The U18 Wheat Kings are undefeated through six games thanks to a strong crop of players from last year’s U17 team, an elite goaltender, and one of the best D-corps in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League.

Head coach Travis Mealy is happy with the results, but says he won’t get overconfident anytime soon.

“We just need to find our consistency. The way we played against the (Winnipeg) Thrashers and the (Winnipeg) Wild wasn’t the way we played against (Central Plains) and Kenora,” said Mealy.

This year’s team is different than what the Wheat Kings have put forward over the last decade. The team is still skillful, but there’s less overwhelming offensive ability.

One thing Mealy is happy to see is a greater willingness to engage in the physical side of the game.

“There are a lot of blue-collar players who work hard and don’t shy away from physicality,” said Mealy. “In the past half a decade, we’ve had very talented players, but at times when the game got heavy, we’d shy away and the game would push us to the perimeter, which I haven’t seen this year.”

STRONG U17 GROUP

Mealy thought goals would “come at a premium” this year. So far, he’s been pleased to see the team prove him wrong.

With 29 goals in six games, the Wheat Kings are averaging just under five goals per game, which is third in the league in terms of goals per game, behind the Winnipeg Bruins and Eastman Selects.

Leading the charge are 2010-born forwards Etienne Visser and Brayden Watt, who played for the U17 team last year.

“The best thing for those two was to play U17 last year,” said Mealy. “We always say you have to look at the player and decide, are they ready? What are they going to benefit more from, practising and playing at this level or going back?”

The players agree with their coach’s assessment.

“I got lots of ice time last year, which really boosted my confidence on the ice,” said Watt. “It also shaped me into more of a leader, knowing I played a big role last year and can play a big role this year.”

In six games, Visser leads the team with two goals and 10 points while Watt — who is unlikely to play this week due to an injury — is second in scoring with three goals and six assists in five games.

Visser is a playmaker who sees the ice well. He says thinking less about points and scouts is helping him to play his game and find success on the scoreboard.

Watt, on the other hand, describes himself as a 200-foot player who is good in both zones.

“I want the puck, and when I have the puck on my stick I like to make plays to my teammates, but I’m also not afraid to shoot it,” said Watt.

The 2025-26 U17 Wheat Kings, including Visser, Watt, Grayson Rome, Ty Aldcroft, Luke Krieser, Carson Fowler and Ashton Shields, won a championship together, and they bring that experience with them.

They all share certain qualities that Mealy is happy to see at the U18 level this year.

“Those guys work really hard; they don’t stay on the perimeter, they finish hits, they backcheck,” said Mealy. “Whether they are top-six or bottom-six forwards, they’re all playing the same two-way game, which is different for us to see.”

Having that corps all move up together has also helped to bond the room together faster than might be expected. These players all know each other well and have found success together.

“We’re just really close in the dressing room,” said Watt. “We’re just always together, and we’ve been a really close, I’d say, family this year.”

SOLID BLUE-LINE

With just eight goals against in six games, the Wheat Kings are easily the strongest defensive team in the league through the first six games of the season.

“Coming out of camp, we thought our back end and our goaltending were going to be the strongest parts of the team,” said Mealy.

With a 4-0 start to the season, a jaw-dropping 0.74 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage, six-foot-four goaltender Cooper Dryden is proving why the Portland Winterhawks selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft.

He stands firmly above every other goalie in the league, no matter what stat you pick. Helping him achieve these highs is a strong group of defenders.

Defenders Nash Lenton and Jake Beaty lead the way with four points apiece, while Rome has done a great job carving out a role for himself, putting up a very solid one goal and two assists in six games.

Brady Davidson, Gavyn Yon and Theran Turner round out the group. While the trio have registered fewer points, all three play strong defensively and move pucks well.

BUSY STRETCH AHEAD

If the Wheaties hope to remain undefeated, they will need to run the table this week against Yellowhead, Interlake and the Winnipeg Wild.

While on paper Yellowhead and Interlake are teams the Wheat Kings should beat, the road matchups come with significant challenges.

“(Teulon and Shoal Lake) are very tough rinks to find points in,” said Mealy. “Going to an uncomfortable place like Yellowhead, where you have no time and space to make plays … if you’re not ready to get off the bus, you’re not going to have success.”

The schedule is also very cramped. They travel to Yellowhead tonight, get a break on Friday and then play back-to-back games against the Interlake Lightning on Saturday and the Wild on Sunday.

“Rest is going to be important,” said Visser. “We have four great lines. Everybody playing their role and playing the game they can will be really important.”

While the weekend will be gruelling, it’s an opportunity for the Wheat Kings to take a firm hold on the top spot in the league.

They are the only remaining team with a perfect winning percentage after the Winnipeg Bruins, and Eastman Selects both dropped a game each.

Wins now would also set them up for success later in the season when they have to play teams like the Bruins and Selects, who look to be contenders.

ICINGS: For the first time in recent history, the U18 Wheat Kings have co-captains in Theran Turner and Owen Stanley. Turner will wear the C for home games while Stanley dons it for away games. Crew Elder and Hunter Ethelston are alternate captains.

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com