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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Land Speedy Forward Nguyen from Portland

June 5, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Despite being two of the geographically furthest apart teams in the WHL, the Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks have been frequent trade partners in the last two years. Wheat Kings head coach and GM Marty Murray went back to his familiar dance partner for another swap and acquired a highly skilled veteran forward.

The Wheat Kings announced they've traded prospect Reed Brown to the Winterhawks in exchange for forward Marcus Nguyen. The 2004-born forward brings over 200 games of WHL experience to go along with his speed and tenacity.

"We're excited," Murray said. "He's a player that could bring quite a lot to the table in a lot of scenarios. He's really fast, and he had a strong finish to the year, particularly in the playoffs. He finished second on the team in scoring in the playoffs and they went all the way to the finals. We're encouraged by what he could potentially bring to the table."

Nguyen was no slouch in the regular season either, posting his third consecutive 20-goal season and finishing with 24 goals and 56 points in 66 games. His eight goals and 17 points in 18 playoff games in the Winterhawks' run to the finals were both second on the team. But it's not just the points that made him an attractive trade target.

"Team speed is going to be critical for us moving forward, we want to be a quick team," said Murray. "He's probably one of the fastest players in the league. I think he set some kind of franchise record in Portland for shorthanded goals."

Nguyen was certainly a shorthanded threat this season with six goals while down a man, the second most in the league. In fact, his six shorthanded goals were more than the four he scored on the power play, and that leads Murray to believe he's still got another gear to his game offensively.

"Portland was built for this year, they were a really deep team with a lot of high-profile players," Murray said. "It wasn't like he was thrown over the boards on the first power play unit, he ended up finding other ways to contribute. There's another level I think he can get to, having the confidence of a 20-year-old and getting more opportunity."

Brown was a U.S. draft pick from 2023, and when it became clear the Wheat Kings weren't going to be able to sign him they flipped him for a piece that could help them immediately. With his speed, grit, and willingness to shoot (his 198 shots would've led the Wheat Kings last season), Nguyen seemed like exactly the right sort of piece to add.

"I'm really excited about our forward group in general," said Murray. "It's a really deep group and he's only going make that even deeper. He's played in a lot of high-stakes games and played in the playoffs and been on the ice against the other teams' top lines. There's a lot I think he can bring to the table."

Murray added that over the past couple of seasons they'd moved veteran players out as often as in, so it felt good to be bringing talent into the group ahead of what promises to be a year with some steps forward.

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