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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Former Winterhawks Nguyen, Ravndahl, Johnson Reunited in Brandon

June 6, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


When the trade between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks first went public, Marcus Nguyen's phone quickly began lighting up with texts and notifications. Among the first of those texts was one from an old buddy with the Winterhawks and even the days before that: Wheat Kings forward Nick Johnson.

Johnson and Nguyen were teammates with the Winterhawks for all of 2022-23 and the first half of 2023-24 before Johnson and Rhett Ravndahl were acquired from Portland on January 10. Johnson was thrilled to learn they'd be playing for the same team again, and had high praise for his former teammate.

"It's super exciting," Johnson said. "He's a great person, a great character guy, and he's a hell of a hockey player too. It's all smiles here. I talked to him about it too, and he's really excited to be coming here."

Johnson got to know Nguyen well during his time with the Winterhawks, but the two knew each other well before their WHL days. Growing up in Calgary, the two had met through hockey circles in their hometown.

"I grew up around him and have always known him," said Johnson. "When we both got to Portland, our friendship grew and we got really tight with each other."

"I knew Nick before Portland," added Nguyen. "We know each other, we hang out together in the summer. I'm really happy he's there too."

The ex-Winterhawk connections also include Ravndahl who, like Johnson, played with Nguyen in Portland for all of 2022-23 and the first half of 2023-24. As soon as he found out the trade had happened, he reached out to Nguyen as fast as he could.

"It was a really exciting moment," said Ravndahl. "I was out earlier, got a text that said 'look at your phone', and saw we'd brought Marcus in. I was really excited, I texted him right away. He sounded excited, everyone's excited. He's a great guy, I loved him when we played in Portland together."

Being traded at all is never easy, but it's an even tougher transition when you're moving from one side of the league to the other, about as far as you can move in the WHL. Ravndahl and Johnson know this well, and their presence will make Nguyen's move to Brandon all the easier.

"It's always nice to have guys you know, it makes that transition a little easier for sure," said Nguyen. "They've told me all the guys there are great. I'm excited to meet some new faces. I also know Rylen Roersma, I grew up playing against him and he and I have reconnected since (the trade) was announced. I'm really excited to see some familiar faces and some new ones."

"Marcus is such a high-energy guy," said Ravndahl. "He loves hanging out with all the guys. I just know he's going to fit in really well with everyone in Brandon."

Add Nguyen's old buddies from Portland to the list of people with great things to say about him as a hockey player as well. His addition has them even more pumped up for what was already shaping up to be an extremely exciting year.

"It's all confidence right now, especially adding him and the caliber of player he is," said Johnson. "It only increases our confidence. We have a solid core group, and I think we can for sure do some damage next year."

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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