In a year when the Regina Pats are playing host to the Memorial Cup, it was expected that there would be a two or three horse race for the East Division title. Regina was hoping to be the top dog, followed by Moose Jaw and Swift Current, in no particular order.
The Brandon Wheat Kings meanwhile were potentially going to take a step back from the team that went 31-31-7-3 in 2016-17. They lost Nolan Patrick, as well as Reid Duke and Tyler Coulter from that team. That is 87 goals just from those players, as well as 93 assists. The team was 15-13-4-0 at the Christmas break last season and would make a push in the final half of the season to finish in the first wildcard spot.
This year would see the evolution of players brought in last year and before this season, as well as the pick up of Evan Weinger at the overage deadline. The players GM Grant Armstrong has brought in would begin to pay dividends and launch the Brandon Wheat Kings into the upper echelon of teams in not just the East Division but the entire WHL.
Exhibit number one. Gunnar Wegleitner. An undrafted player, Wegleitner spent a season with the Everett Silvertips (2014-15). He played in 43 games with the ‘Tips, scoring just one goal in a limited role as a 16-year-old. From there he would spend a shortened season with the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL, registering one goal and one assist in just 14 games. He would then move onto the Victoria Royals for the 2016-17 season. Through 12 games he did not register a point and would be released from the team. Wegleitner would not give up on hockey though as he would join the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL). He played in 13 regular season games with the team, adding 15 goals and nine assists. He would see action in seven playoff games and get five points.
Grant Armstrong brought Wegleitner in for the Wheat Kings main camp at the end of August and it would prove to be a great addition to the team as he made the roster out of that camp. In 28 games since joining the Wheat Kings, the late bloomer has put up eight goals and added five assists playing primarily with Linden McCorrister and Stelio Mattheos.
Exhibit number two. Baron Thompson. Just seven days after Grant Armstrong was hired as the GM of the Wheat Kings away from the Victoria Royals, he dealt with Victoria for Baron Thompson, Tyler Thompson and Jordan Wharrie. Wharrie was flipped to the Giants with a 2nd round pick for Dmitry Osipov. Tyler Thompson would not play another game in the WHL. But the 6-foot-5 Baron Thompson would get some time in with the Wheat Kings. This year as primarily a third line player, Thompson has found a home on the Wheat Kings as their net front presence on the second ranked power play in the WHL. He has scored nine goals and added seven assists but his main contribution is his big body, making hits and blocking the view of every WHL goaltender.
Exhibit number three. Evan Weinger. A pick up at the 20-year-old deadline, Weinger was a career Winterhawk. He played 186 games with the Hawks before being traded for a 2018 third round pick. He was a victim of the numbers game out west but has been welcomed with open arms in the Wheat City. Since being brought over to the Wheat Kings, Weinger has scored 14 times and added six assists. Many of his goals have been of the breakaway variety, as evidenced by his three shorthanded tallies. He has also added two game winning goals. Just one of his 20 points have come on the power play.
Other players have really stepped up this season including starting goaltender Logan Thompson. He has increased his save percentage from .908 last year to .916 this year. He has also slightly dropped his goals against average to 3.04 from 3.24. These small improvements show in his win-loss record in comparison to last season as he has now gone 19-6-0-1. All of last year he had a 14-17-5-2 record. Stelio Mattheos has added 12 power play goals through 32 games and has seven game winners.
