CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota | 3 Reasons to Watch – Hurricanes vs. Wheat Kings

The CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota brings a weekly free game to CHL TV throughout the 2021-22 regular season. The action continues Thursday as the Lethbridge Hurricanes visit the Brandon Wheat Kings with puck drop set for 2:30 p.m. Central.

To get you ready, here are three reasons why this WHL showdown is must-see TV:

Talent at the ready

Bringing a veteran savvy lineup, the Wheat Kings are backed by a selection of NHL drafted talents headlined by Ottawa Senators 2021 first-round pick Ridly Greig, a dynamic scorer who is equally adept at setting up his linemates as he is at finding the back of the net himself. Most impressive about Greig however is his ability to mix in an ornery playing style that disrupts the opposition. Finishing second in Wheat Kings scoring last season with 32 points in 21 games, Greig has continued to bring his offensive flair through the early goings of 2021-22, already with five goals and six assists to his name through nine appearances, a stretch that includes at least one point collected in each game this season. The newly minted captain in Brandon, Greig leads a group that includes other NHL drafted prospects in fellow forward Marcus Kallionkieli (Vegas Golden Knights) and defenceman Vincent Iorio (Washington Capitals), while the club is also hopeful for the quick recovery of Edmonton Oilers draftee and third-year right-wing Jake Chiasson who has yet to lace up this season after suffering an upper-body injury at Oilers’ training camp.

🚨BWK GOAL!@Senators prospect Ridly Greig shows great awareness, takes the check but makes the pass and Tyson Zimmer scores his 2nd of the season!#BWK🌾👑 pic.twitter.com/xhMicZkgWy

— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) October 30, 2021

Draft eligibles

While the current rendition of the Hurricanes does not have any NHL drafted talent, that will soon change as three players were recently recognized by Central Scouting as Players to Watch ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. That group is headlined by Belarusian-born left-wing Yegor Klavdiev, the club’s top selection from the 2021 CHL Import Draft who has leaned on his past experience playing junior in North America where through his first dozen appearances with Lethbridge he has shown a quick ability to adapt to the new playing style in collecting six points, with his four goals sitting just one back of the team lead. Putting together a solid debut with the Hurricanes in early October in which he recorded three shots in his first-ever game, Klavdiev was even better two nights later when he found the back of the net twice versus rival Calgary. A projected late-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft class, beyond Klavdiev from the Hurricanes also earning attention from the scouting community is blue-liner Logan McCutcheon and Slovakian centre Peter Repcik, with all three earning ‘C’ grades from Central Scouting and expected to be taken in the second half of the draft.

Klavdiev with his first WHL goal! #WHLCanes https://t.co/rRaArZdMaW pic.twitter.com/wMNicUy23T

— Lethbridge Hurricanes (@WHLHurricanes) October 3, 2021

Rookie watch

Meanwhile, tune in to watch the Wheat Kings to keep a close eye on first-year centre Rylen Roersma (16th overall), one of the club’s three opening-round selections from the 2019 WHL Draft alongside fellow centres Nate Danielson (5th overall) and Tyson Zimmer (6th overall). Of the three, Roersma has realized the most early success in averaging a near point-per-game pace as he has collected seven goals and five assists through 14 appearances, good for second in team scoring – just two points back of veteran Nolan Ritchie – and seventh best among his fellow freshmen league-wide. Skating in his first full season with the Wheat Kings, Roersma saw a brief, 17-game trial run with the club a year ago in which he collected a pair of points, an experience that has allowed him to fully adjust to a new season in which he has taken on greater offensive opportunities.

🚨GOAL🚨

Rylen Roersma puts home his second of the game!#BWK 🌾👑 pic.twitter.com/BTfM7LlAH3

— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) November 6, 2021