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WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Look to Close Gap on Warriors

December 7, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Lately it seems as if the Brandon Wheat Kings have been looking over their shoulders in the Eastern Conference standings, trying to create separation between themselves and the teams immediately behind them in the playoff race. All of a sudden, they've got an opportunity to make life very uncomfortable for one of the teams in front of them.

The Wheat Kings will host the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday, December 8 with only four points separating them from the third-place Warriors in the standings. The Wheat Kings will come in riding their first three-game winning streak of the season, with the last two of those wins coming at home.

"We have an opportunity to get close to Moose Jaw here," said head coach and GM Marty Murray. "We talked about Tuesday night (against Red Deer) being a four-point game and the same can be said with the importance of tomorrow night's game against Moose Jaw."

Though the game is undoubtedly important, it's sure to be challenging. For one thing, the Wheat Kings will be without leading scorer Rylen Roersma due to a single game suspension. For another, the Warriors come in boasting plenty of high-end skill, as three of their players (forwards Jagger Firkus and Brayden Yager and defenseman Denton Mateychuk) are off to Canada's camp for the World Juniors.

"They're always tough games, no question about it," Murray said. "We have to have our focus for 60 minutes. They have some high-octane offense that can hurt you at any given point of the game so we have to be sharp right from start to finish to have a chance to win."

There is some good news for the Wheat Kings, however. Brett Hyland and Nate Danielson led the way the last time the Wheat Kings beat the Warriors and both of those players are riding hot streaks, having put up back-to-back multi-point games.

"There's no question they're our best players," said Murray. "In order to have a chance at success in this league, you've got to have those guys firing. They've been playing pretty good hockey as of late and you can feel a little difference in their game. They have some confidence and the execution is a lot better."

In the absence of both Roersma and Matt Henry, the Wheat Kings have recalled forward Jaxon Jacobson from the Brandon AAA Wheat Kings, where he has an eye-popping 31 points in 11 games. As he won't turn 15 until December 11, the high-scoring local product will be the youngest player to make his Wheat Kings debut.

"It's a pretty nice milestone to make your WHL debut, especially for a kid like Jaxon growing up in Brandon and watching the Wheat Kings," said Murray. "I think it'll be natural to have some nerves, but we just need him to do what he does. He's drafted where he was for a reason, and he's had success at the U18 level this year based on his style of play. We want him to come out here and be himself and not put pressure on himself to perform."

Following the showdown with Moose Jaw, the Wheat Kings will welcome the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday, December 9. It will be the first trip to Brandon for the Blazers in four years.

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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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