WHL Brandon Wheat Kings

Wheat Kings Make First Round Splash

Published on May 2, 2013 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Brandon Wheat Kings News Release


Calgary, AB. - Vancouver may have had the first overall selection in Thursday's Western Hockey League Bantam Draft but you could say the Brandon Wheat Kings did their best to crash the Giants party.

Moments after announcing the selection of Winnipeg's Nolan Patrick with the fourth overall selection, which represented their highest pick since 1993, the Wheat Kings returned to the podium and announced that they had acquired the sixth overall pick from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exchange for the 17th overall choice and veteran netminder Corbin Boes.

With the pick, Brandon opted for highly touted blueliner Kale Clague from the Lloydminster Heat.

At 5'11", 173 lbs., Clague set an Alberta scoring record in 2012-13 when he scored 77 points in 33 games, shattering the previous record of 65 set by current Toronto Maple Leafs' captain Dion Phaneuf.

Brandon general manager Kelly McCrimmon could not have been happier with his first round moves that saw the Wheat Kings land what many believe will be a future all star blueliner.

"What was interesting at this year's draft was how many guys at the top of the draft had the abilities to be a franchise player. With Kale, you get a tremendous offensive talent...he's been a superstar for two years in bantam."

Clague's father Jason is a former goalie who was listed by Regina at age thirteen and spent five seasons with the organization.

"The maturity and the humility he has shown throughout this whole process, we're very proud of him," Kale's father recently told Greg Harder of the Regina Leader Post. "As a parent, all you can hope for is your kid finds something they love to do and hopefully they're good at it and enjoy it. That's certainly the case with Kale."

For his part, Clague is looking forward to the challenge of playing in the WHL.

"Ever since I found out about the league I always thought it was one of the best leagues if not the best for junior hockey," Kale told the Leader Post. "My uncle played in the league...my dad played in the league. It was kind of a dream of mine to play there."

How would he describe his game?

"I'm an offensive defenceman," he recently told The Hockey News. "I like to rush the puck and score goals, but defence is always first."

"Kale has the best complete set of tools of any defenceman in the draft," says Hockey Prospects founder Tyler Neisz. "He has a very hard shot, skates very well and remains composed."

A 20-year old native of Saskatoon, Boes has spent the past three seasons with the Wheat Kings and is coming off a season that saw him post a 13-23-2-3 record, a 3.76 goals against average and an .897 save percentage in 43 games.

During his WHL career in Brandon, the former Portland Winterhawks' draft choice has appeared in 116 games, compiling a 3.37 goals against average, a .900 save percentage and two shutouts.

Brandon had acquired the 17th overall selection from the Saskatoon Blades in the Michael Ferland trade last January.

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Western Hockey League Stories from May 2, 2013


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