The Brandon Wheat Kings are in the midst of their longest road trip of the season. It includes seven games in seven different cities over the course of 11 days.
All in all, including games and travel, the team will be away from the Wheat City for about 14 days. It’s undoubtedly a daunting trip, but a trip that Western Hockey League players and teams have to get used to.
Brandon kicked off the trip with a 3-2 loss to the Everett Silvertips. Before a 4-1 loss against Portland, the Wheat Kings rebounded with a 3-2 overtime win against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Wheat Kings will now travel from Portland, Oregon to Kennewick, Washington, where they play Tuesday night against Tri-City. When the puck drops on Tuesday, it’ll start a stretch of four games in five nights, wrapping up in Swift Current on Saturday night.
With the one win and two losses on their trip so far, Brandon finds themselves at 4-7. That is third last in the Eastern Conference. They only have four more points than Regina, who sits in last place in the WHL.
Several players on the Wheat Kings have been on a trip of this magnitude in the past. One of the players is Luka Burzan. Brandon Rivers had the opportunity to catch up with him last week.
“I think the effort is there and we’re getting better every day. We have a good team here,” said Burzan. “We’re on a tough trip right now. There is a lot of hockey to play and I’m not worried about this team at all.”
Burzan had 78 points (40G) last season. He’s picked up right where he left off, leading the team with seven points (4G) in 11 games.
“I’m off to a decent start, but I want to get better every time I hit the ice,” said Burzan. “I don’t think I’m playing to the best of my ability.”
Prior to the season even starting with Brandon, it was a very exciting off-season for the Surrey, BC, native. He was drafted in the sixth round, 171th overall, by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL Entry Draft. From there, he took part in camp with the team prior to returning to Brandon.
“Colorado was trying to teach us everything. It was a great experience overall,” said Burzan. “It’s a great organization and all of the guys were fantastic. I’m happy that I was drafted by them and I’m looking forward to the future, that’s for sure.”
Burzan was also eligible in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, but he wasn’t chosen.
“Yeah, that was a tough day not getting drafted. I think I just forgot about it and I wanted to prove a lot of people wrong and that’s what I want to continue doing,” Burzan noted. “I just have to keep things going and not worry about all of that. Good things will happen if I continue to work hard.”
Burzan will also get the opportunity to represent the entire Western Hockey League coming up. Back on October 16, Luka was named to Team WHL for the CIBC Canada-Russia Series. The games will take place on November 13 and 14 in Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
Burzan will join the likes of Bowen Byram, Nolan Foote, Dylan Cozens, and Nolan Maier, just to name a few. Burzan will also be playing with a teammate. Braden Schneider, who is eligible to be picked in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, has also cracked the roster.
“It’s an honour and I’m really excited to represent the league,” said Burzan. “It’s going to be a special two games and it’s the next step for me. I want to show what I have and what I can do.”
“Braden is a great player and he’s a great guy,” he continued. “Going there with him will be great and I know we’re both looking forward to it.”
Dave Lowry also shared his thoughts on what Burzan brings to the team.
“He wants to get better and he’s learning,” said Lowry. “He knows where he needs to go to score and he’s a finisher.”
There’s no doubt that Burzan has a very bright future as he moves forward. Come November, he’ll get the chance to represent the league as Team WHL looks to beat Team Russia, which is always a tough feat. When it comes to the now, it’s all about winning games with Brandon, but things certainly don’t get any easier.
Tri-City is 6-4, Lethbridge is 7-4-0-1, and Spokane is 5-4-1. Swift Current is the only opponent this week under .500 at 2-6-1-2. Brandon plays four games this week with a ton of travel in the middle of it all.
For now, that’s going to wrap things up, but come back on Tuesday as we recap Brandon’s game against Tri-City as the club looks to get back to the .500 mark before returning to Manitoba to open up a three-game homestand to start November.
